Here’s how the Downtown Wiseacre brewery will look

Beer fanatics already planning to visit the new Wiseacre Brewing Company facility in Downtown Memphis now can get a better idea of what the space will look like.

Renderings of the new taproom and brewery were included in an application for a tax incentive the company is requesting to help make the new location more affordable.

The front of the 43,500-square-foot building will face B.B. King Boulevard between East Butler Avenue and Vance Avenue while the 59-space parking lot will be behind the building facing Abel Street. The facility is expected to open in about a year.

The building will be a pre-engineered metal structure with the taproom occupying about 5,000 square feet of the space, the application said.

There will also be a covered patio area off the taproom as well as outdoor event space. The rest of the facility will be used for beer production, storage, packaging and handling. Brewery visitors will also be able to attend education tours of the facility and other major events including an annual festival hosted by Wiseacre.

“We expect Wiseacre to become a vibrant part of downtown as a walkable destination pulling people down from Beale Street and the FedExForum,” the company said in the application.

Additional land will remain undeveloped, leaving room for possible expansion in the future.

Wiseacre was founded in 2013 as a part of the revitalization of Broad Avenue. That location would stay open as a small specialty brewhouse.

The new location would make way for greater beer production and a more inviting taproom. It will also work to connect the South Main neighborhood to the South City, planned a multi-income development that will replace the city’s last public housing project, while creating a stronger link between the National Civil Rights Museum and the rest of downtown, the application said.

Kellan Bartorsch, the owner of Wiseacre, is requesting a 15-year paymentin-lieu-of-taxes incentive that would save the company about 75 percent of its increased tax obligation. If granted, construction would begin by February.

Desiree Stennett can be reached at desiree.stennett@commercialappeal. com, 901-529-2738 or on Twitter: @desi_stennett.

LRK INC. This is a rendering of the planned Wiseacre Brewing Co. location in Downtown Memphis.

LRK INC. This rendering of the planned Wiseacre Brewing Co. location in Downtown Memphis shows how much space would be dedicated to the taproom, brewhouse and other uses.