Four years after opening their first brewpub on North Mississippi, StormBreaker Brewing owners Dan Malech and Rob Lutz expanded in May to a second location in the St. Johns neighborhood.
While I sip a hazy Jurassic Juice IPA (which I’m told was not named to coincide with the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Malech explains that watching the build-up around their rented outpost on Mississippi made them realize it was time to seek more permanent roots elsewhere.
“My main reason was, looking at our current location and our current space, which we love, it could be bought or torn down or turned into a condo,” he says.
After a yearlong process, the duo’s search for stability finally paid off, and they purchased the building on North Lombard that formerly housed Plew’s Brews and the St. Johns Dentist Office.
With the wall separating the two previous businesses torn down, the space is flooded with natural light, and features lumber-heavy décor with high ceilings, booths, old photos of the neighborhood, decorative saws, and rustic woodwork salvaged from the building’s original rafters and walls. Outside, there’s a covered, dog-friendly patio with a mural of the St. Johns Bridge painted by local artist Chris Bigalke.
The new space presents plenty of new opportunities for StormBreaker: There’s a full bar and kitchen, allowing the team to expand their non-sudsy offerings.