POUR UP! Bloomer Brewing Co. and Phoenix Coffee are opening up in the Andante, a mixed-use building in downtown Eau Claire, which will be the second location for both the brewery and coffee + bakery joint.

Bloomer Brewing Co. made waves last spring when it announced plans to open a second taproom location in downtown Eau Claire, originally planning to do so at The Grand, a historic building on Barstow Street. However, a couple of things have shifted since that announcement, including a change in location.

The Bloomer-based brewery, established in 2013, will open doors to its second location on May 25 inside the Andante building (100 N. Farwell St., Eau Claire), an apartment and commercial complex that opened in 2022 which is also home to Eau Claire Vintage and Planette Kids. The brewery won’t be riding solo, though – Bohemian Ovens will also open doors to its second location, dubbed Phoenix Coffee, in the same space.

Ryan Stolt, owner of Bloomer Brewing Co., and Josh Knoepke, co-owner of Bohemian Ovens since 2017, have been across-the-street neighbors in Bloomer and have built a healthy business and personal relationship over the course of several years. Now, the duo are entering business together: The Andante location will open as a daytime cafe, which Phoenix Coffee will operate, and an afternoon-evening taproom, which Bloomer Brewing will head up.

Andante building. Bloomer Brewing Co. & Phoenix Coffee will open on the first-level end-cap space, pictured on the left side of the building above.

There will be roughly 90 seats in the 3,145-square-foot cafe and taproom. (Submitted floor plan)

Stolt explained the decision to open up inside of Andante instead of The Grand came down to the latter’s status as a historic building, which restricted what could be changed or remodeled. As a taproom, specific things had to be implemented to bring the space up to code at The Grand, and it proved too large of a hurdle. Thankfully, the Andante space was one that Stolt had been considering as well.

“The Andante building’s space is going to offer an incredible view overlooking the river and the Phoenix Park bridge. I don’t know if there’s a better spot available downtown – it’s so walkable, smack in the middle (of downtown), and all of the windows (offer a) fantastic view,” Stolt said.

“The building managers for Andante were excited about our proposal and were looking for something similar to our business idea to fill some of its commercial space," Knoepke added.

The cafe and taproom – which will share the 3,145-square-foot space – will be open from about 6am-9pm Monday-Thursday with hours extending until about 10pm Friday-Saturday. Phoenix Coffee will operate from 6am to about 4pm, which is when the brewery portion will begin serving, allowing for some overlap between the two operations. Then, Bloomer Brewing Co. will be open into the evening when the cafe closes in the afternoon.

Phoenix Coffee will carry Bohemian Ovens' popular goods like kolaches, pictured. (via Facebook)

Bohemian Ovens is already an established favorite in the area, and in downtown Eau Claire, is a favorite vendor at the Phoenix Park Farmers Market. Knoepke said folks can expect the bakery’s popular baked goods at Phoenix Coffee, including kolaches, bagels with a variety of smear options, sandwiches, pancakes, and caramel apple French toast. All types of espresso-based drinks will also be available.

The taproom will house a small kitchen space fit for serving pizza and pretzels, though its focus will, of course, be on its brews. While the Bloomer location is home to 16 taps, the new location will house 12 taps, and offer a brand-new system called Bottoms Up.

Stolt first saw the Bottoms Up Draft Beer System in action at another Wisconsin brewery and knew he wanted to bring it into the new location, creating extra ease for the bartenders and some flair. The system is inlaid into the bar top, allowing glasses to slide over and onto it and fill the glass from bottom-up in seconds, able to do so for several glasses at one time.

Stolt said having fewer taps at the second location will also increase how often they rotate brews to ensure constant variety, and he’s tossing around the idea of adding an additional tap that will exclusively serve “guest” brews from other breweries.

”

WE'RE JUST EXCITED TO SERVE RESIDENTS, GET TO KNOW EVERYONE, AND POUR COFFEE AND BEER FOR PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.

JOSH KNOEPKE

CO-OWNER OF BOHEMIAN OVENS, PHOENIX COFFEE

The bar top itself will be its own attraction of the space. Sitting at just over 84 feet and seating about 45 people, the rectangle-shaped bar top is made out of black walnut with live edges running through it and is being built by Jon Rufledt of Legacy Tree Designs – the same person who built the Bloomer location’s bar top.

“We definitely had a rollercoaster of a time this last year figuring out our location and navigating everything, but now that we’re making it out the other side, we’re able to laugh about it,” Stolt said.

“We’re just excited to serve residents, get to know everyone, and pour coffee and beer for people downtown,” Knoepke added.

Get a taste of some Northern flair in whatever form you want – coffee, pastries, or brews – at Bloomer Brewing Co. and Phoenix Coffee this spring. The cafe and taproom plans to open on May 25, this Memorial Day weekend.

Keep up with Bloomer Brewing Co. on Facebook • Keep up with Phoenix Coffee on Facebook