Owner of Waterloo brewery ‘devastated’ after fire, vows to reopen
"We'll be back one way or another," co-owner
Schweizer was out of town when the fire occurred at
"I don't think I've ever felt so helpless in my life as I did pacing through the airport in
The brewery had just opened last month and was gaining popularity.
"We were just flying through beer," said Schweizer, who is the brewmaster for Hopskeller. "That's the only way to put it."
Hopskeller was a seven-barrel brewery, specializing in Northwest American and English ales.
Schweizer's business was not only impacted by the fire but his home as well as he lived above the brewery.
Fire Chief
No one was inside when the fire started, and there were no injuries reported. A cause has yet to be determined.
Schweizer said he did not yet know how much damage the fire caused but the business has insurance. He does not know when the brewery would reopen but he estimated it would take months to repair the damages.
Schweizer, 31, was in
Hopskeller occupies two buildings. The front building dates to 1853 and originally was a private residence, Schweizer said. It was a boarding house in the Great Depression and also was used as office space. Most of the fire damage occurred in a building added onto the 1853 building.
Dozens of people have responded to Schweizer's post on Facebook about the fire.
"Am I devastated beyond words over all of this? I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't. Beyond the obvious loss, my heart goes out to our amazing staff who simply excelled in the five weeks we were open," wrote Schweizer, who left his job at Gibault last year to get Hopskeller established. Schweizer said he first started brewing beers at home about 10 years ago.
Schweizer thanked all of the first responders who rushed to the scene on Sunday morning.
Bullock said the community looks forward to the reopening of Hopskeller to complement the other downtown businesses, including another craft brewer,
"Hopskeller had a huge presence in our community" despite being in business for just over a month, Bullock said. She said there was great anticipation for it to open.
"He's definitely well known in the
Waterloo Mayor
"We were with Matt. I just couldn't believe it," Smith said.
Smith said Waterloo leaders thought craft brewers could be successful downtown and he and another city official introduced Schweizer to someone who became one of the investors of Hopskeller. Like Bullock, he is excited about the thriving downtown businesses.
"Now people are wanting to be downtown," he said.
___
(c)2016 the Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Ill.)
Visit the Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Ill.) at www.bnd.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Illinois Health Premiums Rise By Double Digits
Trawick International Welcomes Curt Carlson
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News