BANGOR, Maine — Downtown Bangor’s first brewery is in the works, courtesy of a husband-wife team from Hampden.
Cory and Nok-Noi Ricker expect to open 2 Feet Brewing at 80 Columbia St. sometime in August or September, but have a lot of work ahead of them as they convert the storefront into a microbrewery.
A 15-by-20-foot room in the basement will serve as the brewery, housing a two-barrel system with three two-barrel fermenters.
“We hope to quickly expand that, because it’s going to be difficult to operate long-term with that kind of capacity,” Cory Ricker said Friday.
At street level, they’ll serve the beer made downstairs and a small menu of food options. They’ll also offer growler sales, so beer lovers can take home their favorites. 2 Feet will make a wide variety of beers, including some regulars and some taps will rotate regularly. Cory Ricker, who has been homebrewing seriously for six years, said the beers will range from heavy Scotch ales and mild English ales to spruce beer and a chili saison.
“There will be plenty of experimenting,” Ricker said.
Cory Ricker will handle brewing operations, and Nok-Noi will be in charge of food. Jerry Robichaud, another local home brewer, has signed on as a 10 percent partner in 2 Feet’s effort, and will assist in the brewery.
Nok-Noi Ricker said she and her husband look forward to contributing to the Bangor area’s beer scene, and that they see a lot of room for growth in the area’s brewing industry.
“The more the merrier,” she said.
The Rickers plan to keep their day jobs, Cory as a master electrician and Nok-Noi as a Bangor Daily News reporter. They expect to hire four employees.
The bulk of their brewing equipment came from Stouthearted Brewing in Ithaca, New York, closed after the inn it was tied to changed ownership earlier this year.
2 Feet’s Columbia Street location formerly was home to Vapeway, which vacated the space to expand to a larger Bangor location — the former Blockbuster location on Hogan Road.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.
Editor’s note: Nok-Noi Ricker is a Bangor Daily News employee.