A Foothills microbrewery is a step closer to being a little less micro.
In a special Oct. 15 meeting, Turner Valley council voted unanimously to approve selling five acres of surplus land off Decalta Road and Main Street to craft brewer Brauerei Fahr for the purpose of building a new facility.
“We’re bursting from the seams at our current location, so buying five acres there allows us to build,” brewery proprietor Jochen Fahr said. “What I appreciate is how the councillors were all trying to find a solution that works for all of us.”
The decision was over seven months in the making, when Fahr said he first approached the Town with his vision for the site, and although remaining patient through the process was challenging, the brewer felt it paid off.
“It was a real pain to follow the MGA, but those rules are there for a reason, it was definitely a lesson for me,” Fahr said. “Public anything never moves the speed of business — it can’t by design."
The official motion, put forward by Coun. Jonathan Gordon, was that council accept the $235,000 bid for the purchase and development of a five acre parcel of land south of Decalta Road SE and east of Main Street, being the westerly five acre portion of 100 Decalta Road SE.
Currently the brewery has a tap room that opened in 2019 at the front of the brewery with two tables, with further expansion into the upper floor in 2021 that bumped the seat count to around 45 people.
“My goal is to build a 25,000 sq. ft. facility that’s expandable in the future,” he said.
The vision isn’t simply for a larger guest space, Fahr said, but his brewing operation is also pushing the limits of the current building, and even after adding equipment, he always feels like he's playing catch-up.
“We have a rule in brewing that is a hectolitre per square foot per year, so when you think we have about 5,000 square feet of brewing space, that will be okay for 5,000 hectolitres per year, but we’re already at 6,000,” Fahr said.
In addition to a sizeable brewery and taproom, he added there are plans for an event venue at the site as well.
For Gordon, the decision is a win for his aims to attract and retain business in the small town.
“I can’t understate the importance of it; first and foremost it reflects the work that has been done by this current council in trying to reduce some of the red tape trying to encourage businesses that we want to come alongside and support them,” Gordon said. “That identifies that we’ve worked hard and we’re seeing some benefits.”
The employment opportunities were a major driver for the councillor.
“If this expansion goes through it will be a phenomenal employer—it’s rare to have a small town potentially have the number of employees in one business Jochen has designed for,” he said.
The sale of land wasn’t straightforward, Gordon added.
Without provisions for direct sale in the Town’s policies, the entire MGA process had to be followed.
As Town CAO Shawn Patience detailed in the meeting, to follow the current sale of land policies, the parcel of land was declared surplus on July 19 and a request for bids was advertised on the website on July 26 and in the Western Wheel on July 28 with a closing date for bids and proposals of Aug. 18.
Prior to the closing date, a single proposal from Fahr was received on Aug. 16.
Now a series of conditions await for both Fahr and the Town to meet before construction can begin.
“It all depends on how fast the conditions can be lifted,” said Fahr. “There’s some extensive work the Town has to do, which doesn’t preclude me from working on mine, but in order to move forward a number of things have to be done.”
There are also disused gas pipelines buried below the lot that will have to be removed, but the brewer is confident everything will move along.
“In the ideal case we have shovels in the ground next year,” Fahr said
Another councillor who Fahr first approached, Jamie Wilkie, spoke to the motion in the meeting saying the brewery is a feather in the cap of the community.
“Fahr brewery is a world renowned brewery and excellent corporate citizen in our community and has been from inception,” said Wilkie, recognizing the brewery’s need for expansion. “Anybody who’s been down there knows they are filled to the rafters—it’s a great kind of problem, but eventually it starts to be a little tough.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for them to continue to advance their business here and to continue to invest in the Town of Turner Valley. I can’t wait to see those shovels in the ground.”
The journey started for Fahr, who holds a PhD in microbiology and took a leap of faith to leave his job in the medical science industry to start the brewery, in 2017.
Friday wasn't the only recent victory for the good doctor either, with one of his flagship beers, the Hefe, winning gold at the 2020 World Beer Awards in the Bavarian Style Hefeweiss category, and silver in the Canadian Brewing Awards for 2021.
