Young Blood Beer Company
Project Scope: Brewery & Restaurant
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Architect: Angus-Young Architects/Engineers
Designer: Charles Barrows
The process of turning a former coffee shop and downtown office into a new brewpub in a 100+-year-old building, just a block away from the state Capitol is challenging anytime, but the 2020 pandemic and subsequent civil unrest turned it into a true adventure. The construction of the Young Blood Beer Company involved a coordinated series of renovation work over a seven-month period within three connected buildings on King Street in downtown Madison.
The first phase of the project involved converting a former Ancora Coffee shop and its basement into a new brewery and restaurant for Young Blood. The basement renovation ultimately included the removal of the former boiler and diesel tank, the shoring up of the first-floor joists, and the removal and leveling of much of the basement floor. Once the demo was complete, a new electrical service, new floor drains and epoxy coated concrete, and a new six-inch water service was installed, followed by the installation of coolers to serve the restaurant and the brewery tanks and equipment.
On the first floor, demolition involved the removal of studs and drywall on all walls, the demolition of existing restrooms and the former coffee bar, kitchen, and prep area, and the removal of the tin ceiling. Once the roughly 5,000-square-foot space was gutted, the initial work for Young Blood included cutting the floor system to create an opening for the new brewery tanks and production equipment installation, and for the removal of all the basement rubble. The new construction then included the cleaning and infill of the brick and block walls that would become the finished walls and the creation of a new kitchen and bathrooms. Construction also included the creation of a new concrete topped bar and the installation of new floor joists in the first-floor ceiling to increase the floor load of the second floor, which would become a new cocktail lounge.
This project was recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin as a 2020 Gold Project of Distinction.