Construction on the site has been underway for over a year, and after facing delays, the brewhouse on the southern end of the property is planning to open in the second quarter of 2023, followed by the rest of the site in the third quarter of the year, Lewis said.
The multimillion-dollar project is the product of a partnership between Tupps Brewery and the city of McKinney to create a unique destination and catalyst for development on the city's east side. Construction on the site kicked off in January 2022 and was originally expected to be completed in late 2022 but was delayed by global supply chain issues, Lewis said.
“Some prices went up, [and] lead times went out. Getting equipment from our vendors, the time frame lengthened,” Lewis said. “Our brew house was manufactured in China, and that was a beating getting that over here.”
The brewery is relocating from its current site at The Cotton Mill. The new location, at the corner of Greenville Street and Dugan Street, will be about 45,000 square feet with a taproom more than three times larger than its current space.
The new brewhouse can hold 2,600 people compared to the 178 maximum occupancy at the current site, Lewis said. The brewhouse will also have the capacity to produce 25,000 barrels of beer per year, while the current site can only accommodate about 12,000 barrels. The expanded production capabilities and new equipment will allow the brewery to make twice the amount of beer with the same amount of people, Lewis said.
“We wanted to make sure that this is our forever home. That brewhouse is like three, maybe even four times the size of our current [location],” Lewis said.
The site was once a grain storehouse, and Lewis is aiming to retain as much of the character of the site as possible. Much of the steel and other materials removed during the demolition phase were kept and are expected to be reused on the site, Lewis said.
The property has also become home to materials sourced around McKinney, including cement blocks that were relocated from the former ice house site where the new city hall is being built, Lewis said.
“That's what we're trying to do, trying to maintain the things that were in McKinney,” Lewis said.
The new Tupps Brewery site will include both a children’s and an adult playground, a hammock park, a beer garden, a space to host weddings and outdoor events, and more. The site will also be home to a new cafe and coffee roastery concept from McKinney-based Lelo's Coffee Co. However, the future of Tupps Brewery once the site is open may include more than just beer, Lewis said.
“In the future, what we want to do is to make nonalcoholic products. We think of ourselves as a beverage company rather than just a brewery,” Lewis said. “It’s not just a brewery. It will be Tupps beer, Tupps wine ... Tupps cider [and] could end up being Tupps soda [and] Tupps water.”
