Early on, it was pretty clear that Lithermans Limited was going to need more space.
For a new brewery, the tap room size was fine, but now as an established destination for delicious beer in the capital city, there was most definitely room for expansion. Especially since they started serving food and pouring full pints.
“Our landlord knew we were going to grow when he came by opening day and could barely get in,” said co-owner Michael Hauptly-Pierce.
And over the last couple months, the Lithermans crew has been busy doubling their square footage to make your beer-drinking time that much more enjoyable. They can now fit 78 people in the tap room, and there’s loads more tables and seating.
Finding a seat was at a premium before, but now there’s plenty of it – with a few stools at the expanded bar, which looks like it was always there.
“People would hang out at the bar and pull stools over to the bar and sit,” Hauptly-Pierce said. “We wanted people to be able to sit at the bar.”
One noticeable difference (at least since we were last there) was a foosball table as you first walk in.
The added space came at just the right time because the patio was no longer an option with the weather getting much colder – and darker.
“You’d get a group of eight people in there and it would take up a lot of space,” Hauptly-Pierce said.
There are tall round tables, a long table in the middle and four rectangular ones on the edge of the new space. The orange bar stools are a nice touch. And if they’re free, try the comfy red chairs in the back corner.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the additional 25-foot-by-25-foot space, you’re probably not alone; it has only been open for a few days now.
The official grand reveal is set up for this Thursday during open tap room hours, 4 to 7 p.m.
Try out all the tables, take a seat at the bar, play a game of foosball. And drink a couple of beers. There might even be something special on tap.
If not, try out Lithermans’ fall beer, Quadracalabasia, which just went on tap for a second year in a row. It’s 10.5 percent of pumpkin goodness.
If you’re an IPA lover, Misguided Angel is a can’t-miss, and the EZ64 IPA is tasty as well.
There were a total of seven on tap last week, and one of the hardest parts about all the interest in their beers is keeping up with the demand. They also like to keep new stuff coming out.
“Part of the allure is that we have new beers and often a lot of different beers,” Hauptly-Pierce said.
Somehow they do it with a relatively small production scale, but soon that will all change. But that’s a story for another day, although let’s just say they’ll be able to make about five times the amount of beer.
Lithermans is open Thursday and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
They will also be open from noon to 7 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving and have held on to a few cases of the Quadracalabasia for it.
For more info, visit facebook.com/lithermans.
