We wrote an article in September 2021 announcing Bierkeller Columbia was planning to develop a brick-and-mortar location on the river in the back of the CanalSide Lofts, located off Taylor Street. Well, the finishing touches are being assembled, and it plans to open in May.

The background

Bierkeller Columbia is inspired by German culture where beers are enjoyed in a gemütlich (cozy) Biergarten setting. Scott Burgess, the founder + owner of Bierkeller, spent a decade in Germany and decided to bring the authenticity, freshness, hyper-locality, and consistency of its beer culture to Columbia.

The inside of Bierkeller, showcasing the different walk-up windows where locals will be able to purchase food + beer. | Photo by COLAtoday team.

The beer

Scott took the COLAtoday team on a tour of the new brewery to showcase the details + effort that has gone into making the German-designed brewery as authentic as possible.

The custom-designed brewhouse holds classic upstanding brew tanks but also hallmark German-designed horizontal lager tanks that are kept at a colder temperature than normal, mimicking German brewing techniques.

Most of the CO2 will be produced naturally. It can be precisely controlled because the brewery will use specialized equipment designed in Germany.

Specialized German-designed equipment that can be precisely controlled for CO2 exposure and temperature. | Photo by COLAtoday team

Fun fact: The horizontal lager tanks were custom-designed to have a line that runs from tank to tap, so the beer will come straight from the tank itself and into the hands of locals, making the beer as fresh as possible.

Look closely, each horizontal lager tank has a spout that will allow the beer to be poured from tank to tap. | Photo by COLAtoday team

While we were discussing the steps for making the four-ingredient beers, Scott said, "It's the small details that make the experience. You don’t have to know why or how everything works, but you’ll know it’s better — you'll just be able to taste it."

The food

Locals will be able to munch on several German-style foods that will be available via walk-up windows — including one outside so you can order from the Biergarten.