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Granite City brewery co-owner, Bud Stevens, right, visits with customer, Michelle Lunde, as server, Tom Lamson, left, hurries to a table on opening day for the Granite City Brewery in Barre on Thursday afternoon.
Photo: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus
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BARRE — Bud and Jason Stevens' yearlong dream became a reality Thursday at 11 a.m. when the brothers threw open the doors to their Main Street brew pub.
"We're feverishly polishing the bar and making sure everything looks just right," Bud Stevens said shortly after 10 a.m., getting ready to open the doors to the Granite City Brew Pub, which now occupies half of the Main Street storefront that once housed Lash Furniture Store.
"Obviously, we're very excited," he said.
Stevens said he will be responsible for making the beer at the two-barrel brew pub, while his brother will manage a kitchen that will crank out a wide assortment of foods, ranging from tasty appetizers — like nachos, bread sticks and five styles of chicken wings — to an assortment of soups, salads and pastas.
Stevens said the brothers have arranged for Delicate Decadence in Barre to produce all their desserts and for Capitol Grounds to supply their coffee.
In addition to their own home-brewed beers, which Stevens will produce in two 80-gallon fermenters, he said the pub will feature beers from three popular microbreweries to start.
"We'll have Trout River, Rock Art and Switchback on tap," he said.
Given the buzz surrounding renovations that transformed the former furniture store in recent months, Stevens said he and his brother are expecting to be a hit with central Vermonters.
"I expect us to be overwhelmingly busy once the word gets out," he said.
With 66 licensed seats and a lounge area, Stevens said the pub is large enough to accommodate live entertainment, including this weekend's planned performance of Abbe Jenne.
The brothers have relocated their growing home brew supply company from Depot Square to the new location and will be selling supplies, as well as their recipes, to patrons.
Stevens said the new brew pub will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. However, the home brew supply business will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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