Resurgence Brewing are expanding again, this time in a big way with a move to a new location at 55 Chicago Street in the Old First Ward.

The 25,000 square foot facility, located at the historic Cooperage property near Ohio Street, will allow Resurgence to increase their production, expand distribution throughout New York State and help revitalize the vacant building. Tentative plans call for a 2 story taproom with food service in the existing Pattern Building, banquet space for parties of all sizes, and open air beer gardens for guests to enjoy. They hope to have the facility operational by late summer.

“We have been looking for the right building in the city for a couple years now. This facility will allow us to meet local demand for our products and expand our offerings,” Jeff Ware, Resurgence Brewing president and founder, says. “The plan is to use the new brewery to more efficiently make our core brands, allowing us to focus more on innovation and small batch experimentation over at Niagara Street.”

The former E&B Holmes Machinery factory, which occupied the building until 2001, is comprised of three sections, which were built at different times around an enclosed central courtyard. The original four-story Mill Building was constructed in 1870, while the three-story Forge Building was added on one side between 1910 and 1912 and the Pattern Building a year later in 1913, with two stories on the other side of Mill. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

“We really wanted to stay in the city. We truly believe in the neighborhoods of Buffalo and are excited to be a part of another one!” Ware adds.

As for Resurgence’s current Niagara Street home, which has served as their home for the past four years, the facility will remain open and transition to a pilot research and development facility. Ware says that the Niagara Street location will downsize its tanks to make much smaller batches and lots of them and they are planning to bring in other local beers to have on tap as well. Additionally, Ware says that the opening of their proposed Batavia facility could be pushed backed to late 2018 or 2019.

In addition to a new Resurgence Brewing space, project developers for the former Cooperage building are also planning additional retail spaces, one with 5,000 square feet for a distillery and one with 2,000 square feet that is still available, six apartments with a mix of one, two and three bedrooms and a large enclosed open space with a multi-use gymnasium.

For more information, visit http://www.resurgencebrewing.com/. Resurgence will hold their annual Summer Party, which features new beers on tap, live music and food trucks, on Saturday, June 9. Stay tuned to https://www.facebook.com/events/157312171588004/ as more details will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague) and www.buffalobeerleague.com.