ROCK SPPRINGS– Square State Brewing will provide a place in the community for people to enjoy and experience great craft beers that are locally brewed, unique, and refreshing.
The brewery will open its doors in May in Downtown Rock Springs, located at 422 S. Main St.
The Team Behind the Brewery
Owners, creators, and brewers Mike Hulen and Larry Hickerson have been homebrewing for 12 years and 10 years, respectively.
“During homebrew days we would say, ‘one day it would be nice to have a brewery’, you know just one of those dreams that you always talk about, and it just kind of happened one day,” Mike said. “We just thought, we need to try to do this. There’s no time like the present.”
Mike and Larry have created over 200 recipes and do all the brewing themselves. However, it is not a two-man show. Mike’s wife Sandra Vincelette, and Larry’s wife Amanda Hickerson have been involved in the process since the beginning. They will be working alongside Mike and Larry from behind the bar and in the brew house.
“We’re all just one big team. We all work together,” Mike said.
Sandra is a certified beer server, which means she will be the “the big education piece in the brewery,” Mike said. She can recommend the brewery’s beers based on what people say they like, ensuring everyone finds something they will enjoy.
Rotation of Beers
Square State, which should be open by Memorial Day Weekend, will open its doors with six beers on tap.
These beers are Moo Juice Milk Stout, Spat Hook Amber Ale, Big Mouth Blond Ale, Full Rut IPA, Prairie Parrot Pale Ale, and Willbilly Wheat, which is named after their architect friend Will who helped them draw up the designs for the brewery.
However, when Square State runs out of a beer, patrons may not see it again for a while.
“The biggest thing that’s going to set us apart is our brewhouse is small enough, that our beers are going to go pretty quick. So once one beer’s done, that’s probably the last time you’re going to see it for a while, and we’re going to brew something new. They’re going to be constantly rotating through,” Mike said.
Though they want to have a few “flag ships” that the community will want to see on tap, they want to keep the beers fresh and exciting.
“All bets are off for what’s going to be on tap when you come in next time,” Mike said.
Experimental Brews
In addition to the six on tap beers, Square State will also have a pilot tap.
“We’ll have an extra tap for pilot brews, where we can experiment and add new stuff and seasonals,” Sandra said, adding that they will have a hibiscus ale for the annual Rods and Rails.
Larry also mentioned a series of industry-oriented brews to play homage to the industry in the community—their décor will also feature local industry with mining prints from the 1900s.
They enjoy brewing unexpected, out of the norm beers, and they want to feature this in the brewery. For example, they have a graham cracker ale and a peanut butter ale.
“That’s the kind of stuff we really like brewing because it’s a little more creative,” Mike said.
Introducing Craft Beers to the Community
Square State will act as an introduction of craft beers to the community. They have noticed a strong craft interest and feel in the community, and they want to further this interest by putting a focus on experiencing the beer, rather than drinking to get drunk.
“For us, we don’t just drink beer to get drunk. We love beer, we love the history of beer, and the different aromas and flavor profiles you get, so we really want to educate people about beer and get them excited about it,” Sandra said.
The Process of Creating Square State Brewing
The process of creating Square State has been going on for about a year and a half between the business plan, bankers, investors, and so on, and it has been in construction since January.
The Rock Springs City Council just granted their microbrewery license on April 3, under the condition that they receive their federal permits, which Mike says they should receive “any day”.
Mike and Larry will be going to Ft. Collins on April 16 to pick up their fermenters. With all the major infrastructure work being done, they just have finish work left.
Square State Brewing should be open by Memorial Day weekend. They will be open on Thursday through Sunday to start out, but Mike hopes that as they plant themselves in the community, they will be able to expand their hours.
“The goal is to be a fulltime gig,” he said.
People can follow Square State Brewing’s journey by checking out their Facebook page.
