An old building is getting a new purpose. You may have noticed some construction on Second Street because Macon Beer Company is bringing a taproom to downtown.
"Right now it's a bit of a mess," said owner, Yash Patel. "We really needed more space for production and storage."
Patel says they've outgrown their building on Oglethorpe Street and that's why he's moving his taproom to the middle of downtown.
"We just want to be part of this hospitality scene in downtown here where people can go from bar to bar and restaurant to restaurant and really just enjoy the downtown scene," said Patel.
"It will be nice to have it at a more central location I think. They were doing well, but they're not in a place where they're easily accessible. I think that this will definitely bring some more business to them," said Bearfoot Tavern server Natalie Sandefur.
Sandefur thinks the new taproom will help bring in more business to Bearfoot and other surrounding beer businesses, like Ocmulgee Brewpub and Just Tap'd.
"I think that we already serve some great Macon Beer Company beers here and I'm excited for people to come and get beers and then come next door and get a burger," said Sandefur.
"The more beers, the better," said another Bearfoot server, Caleb Cheshire.
Patel says since some nearby businesses already sell their beer, he plans to create some 'new brews' for this location. There will also be about 20 loft apartments above the new taproom.
"We really want to highlight the architectural features that they had back in the day when they built this place and really bring those into our design," said Patel.
He expects the project to be complete around next May.