Rocket Republic slates Madison taproom grand opening for St. Patrick’s
Eric Crigger, Rocket Republic Brewing Co. owner, stands at the ready to serve up the brewery’s signature taps at its brand-new facility on Production Avenue in Madison. (Record Photo/Nick Sellers)
By Nick Sellers | Staff Writer
MADISON – Eric Crigger, owner of Rocket Republic Brewing Co., never planned for his brewery’s first physical location – taproom, production facility and all – to officially open for business on St. Patrick’s Day.
After multiple delays of the widest variety, it “just worked out that way,” Crigger said. The general public will get the first taste of the brand-new facility on March 17 starting at 5 p.m.
Crigger and several business partners, including his wife, launched an IndieGogo campaign last summer to help fund the conversion of an industrial building on Production Avenue near Jetplex Industrial Park off of Madison Boulevard from a vacant building to a full-service taproom and brewing premises. The grand-opening date was continually pushed back due to several different hang-ups.
“We paid a geo-technical firm to drill samples [from the ground underneath],” Crigger said. “Basically, the soil and concrete weren’t good enough.”
The two inches of concrete was taken out and replaced so the weight of several full beer tanks could be supported, Crigger explained.
Labor disputes regarding dockworkers at the Port of Los Angeles contributed to the brewery’s two-month delay in getting brewing equipment.
The rainy December and recent string of wintry weather events didn’t help things either, Crigger said.
Rocket Republic’s facility will allow it to make its own brews and distribute on site; since September 2013, when business started for Crigger, the company has contract brewed out of Blue Pants Brewery, Madison’s first brewery.
“We’ll be able to increase our product line,” Crigger said.
Rocket Republic currently carries seven full-time beers and two seasonal brews.
While the building housing Rocket Republic doesn’t sit in an entertainment district, Crigger said the area is centrally located to the airport and the I-565 interchange at County Line Road, which is set to open in the coming months.
“We also like this spot because it’s safe,” he said. “My kids ride their bikes here at night.”
Rocket Republic’s address is 289 Production Avenue in Madison. The grand opening will run 5–9 p.m. March 17. Crigger said the location will likely be open regularly on Fridays and Saturdays initially, with more hours and days to be added later.
