9 Mile Legacy Brewing will be selling off its 9 Mile Legacy taproom on 20th Street in Saskatoon. Going forward the company will focus on its brewery on 21st Street.
The taproom is connected to a nano-brewery where 9 Mile Legacy started brewing 100-liter batches of beer in 2017. The nano-brewery hit its maximum capacity of producing 600 liters in 2019 and that is when the 21st Street expansion was realized.
“Our 20th Street location is where it all started. We bought the building while it was planned to be demolished, stripped it down to the studs, and built it back up to code. We spent six good years here, but we feel we have more dynamic opportunities coming for the brewery and we want to focus on those,” said Shawn Moen, CEO and co-founder of 9 Mile Legacy Brewing.
Moen said it has become too much of a challenge to manage both locations. That’s why the decision was made to sell off the smaller taproom.
“We are getting a lot of opportunities for the brewery that we need to explore heavily or else the windows are going to close. I am talking about local and international opportunities that are also in different sectors. This is the challenge of business. You need to weigh these things and sometimes make the hard decision so that you can continue to push forward.”
Moen said the decision to sell was not taken lightly.
“It is very emotional saying goodbye to this place. We poured blood, sweat, and tears into getting it up and running. I am going to miss the camaraderie in this place. When the house is full, people are sharing beer and we have a live show, it is like being in a roadhouse.”
9 Mile Legacy has been trying to sell the nano-brewery as a licensed turnkey startup brewery since the fall. They are hoping a similar initiative will take over.
“We would love it if another brewer took over, but we are at the point right now that we can’t wait for the perfect option anymore. That is why we are looking to just sell the building.”
9 Mile Legacy Brewing will remain in their 21st Street location in Riversdale and its locally brewed beer will remain available in over 60 locations in Saskatoon.