Owensboro’s newest brewery will open July 3, and the crew at Brew Bridge has invested in a project called Pups and Brews. By partnering with local animal shelters, the brewery’s project will give customers the chance to grab a drink and adopt a pet at the same time.
Co-owner David Haynes said similar programs are run by some other breweries across the country, but this will be a unique experience for Owensboro residents who are in the market for a new animal companion.
“We will have adoptable pets inside the brewery. We will put them in a pen, and all of them can be picked up and touched,” Haynes said, comparing it to PetSmart’s adoption program that runs about once a week.
Haynes said Brew Bridge is partnering with the Daviess County Animal Shelter, Owensboro Humane Society, and SparKy in finding homes for adoptable pets across the area.
Haynes estimated the brewery would hold adoption days once every three months.
“Right now, it’s kind of odd because there’s not a lot of pets available,” he said. “But that’s a good problem to have. So many people in quarantine have adopted animals from the shelters.”
As Brew Bridge prepares to open the doors of their microbrewery to the public, Haynes said the 4,999-square-foot building is finally starting to feel like their own.
“Everything is pretty much ready to go,” Haynes said.
Due to guidelines that will be in place at their opening due to COVID-19 and the large space that makes up the brewery, capacity will be limited early on. Haynes said they plan to convert the parking lot into an additional seating area.
The brewery will open with eight beers of their own on tap, with a goal of offering 15 Brew Bridge beers in the future.
Though COVID-19 put things on hold for Brew Bridge, Haynes said the response from the public has continued to be amazingly supportive.
“Everyone is super excited about getting it here,” he said. “It’s more than a bar. We’re going to be doing a lot of community activities.”
That sense of community has been important to Haynes and co-owner Max Garvin from the beginning, as they have often referred to their soon-to-open business as “a brewery for Owensboro.”
“We’re really excited. We’re elated,” Haynes said. “It’s been a very long time coming.”
