By Rosemary McCoy

The next addition to the growing craft beer brewing scene in Sioux Falls opens next week.

Remedy Brewing Co. is wrapping up construction on its location at the 8th & Railroad Center, and the beer is ready to pour.

The business is the result of the talents of three friends – Matt Hastad, Jason Davenport and Tyler Jepperson – and the financial support of investors.

Hastad started brewing beer for himself in college, and with his passion for educating beer drinkers and his MBA, he’ll serve as the front man. Davenport is the “fix-it guy,” Hastad said, and will be responsible for the brewing operation. Jepperson, who is keeping his job at a medical laboratory, “takes us to the next level” in the chemistry of beer-making.

Jason Davenport and Matt Hastad

The brewery on the East Bank of downtown will open with at least four beers: a Mexican-style lager, a honey cream ale, an IPA and a chocolate milk stout. The first batch that Remedy brewed could be a surprise entry for the opening if they can tweak it into the quality they demand, Hastad said.

The alcohol content on the beers will range from 3.5 to 12.5 percent, with the majority in the middle of that.

“The craft beer scene is not about getting drunk,” Hastad said. “It’s about enjoying the experience.” His vision for the brewery is to be a community-gathering place like the pubs of old, where people sat around and talked about their families and community events. He wants Remedy to be a place of education about beer, too.

There’s so much to learn because of the variety, which is constantly expanding as brewers keep trying new ingredients, he said. “There are even more styles of beer than wine.” He said he wants to dispel myths such as all dark beers are bitter, all light beers are low in alcohol and craft beer drinkers are snobs.

Hastad said Remedy will be an “everyman’s bar,” and it will be family-friendly until later in the evening.

“When a family is downtown shopping, they can come in,” he said, adding the parents can enjoy a pint, and the kids can have a soda.

The brewery also will serve food that has been prepared by neighboring K restaurant. It will be a small-plates menu with miniature runzas, lamb chislic, pizzettes, buffalo chili, mixed nuts, brownie bites and “compost” cookies.

Customers will be able to buy beer to take home in growlers, which hold 64 ounces, and crowlers, which hold 32 ounces and are sealed.

They’ll be able to see the brewing equipment through a garage-sized glass door.

“We want people to witness the whole process and ask questions,” Hastad said. “We want them to see this is where your drink is being made. You can’t get more local than that.”

The interior of the space will offer a variety of seating with room for 100 to 110 people. The capacity is 150, but Hastad doesn’t want it to feel crowded. The patio on the east side will hold 100 to 150 people, with room to expand. There will be yard games such as ladder ball and beanbag toss.

Hours for the brewery on East Eighth Street will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Remedy will be open earlier in the day because “we don’t want people to miss out on the experience,” he said. “Come down and have a beer and lunch.”

When Hastad and Davenport decided to pursue their own brewery in 2013, there weren’t any in town, Hastad said. Since then, the market has grown to a half-dozen. He describes it as a collaborative group that is willing to help each other out if someone is short on supplies or looking for advice.

The brewers have formed a guild and will work together on issues such as a state law that bans larger brewers from having a taproom where people can drink, Hastad said. The limit is 5,000 barrels a year.

Remedy is starting at a 1,200-barrel capacity and has room to expand. The business has a tank waiting in storage that would give it the capacity for distribution to other outlets.

“We’re looking to grow aggressively,” he said.

Remedy Brewing Co. is along the boardwalk at 8th & Railroad Center, 401 E. Eighth St.