ROCHESTER – After leaving Forager Brewery and Cafe two years ago to open his own shop selling beer and spirits, Jack Lester is set to expand the shop's customer space by 400 to 450 square feet. The shop is located at 909 Sixth St. NW.
“We want to focus on good quality wine from family estates and other unique spirit beverages in the area,” said Lester. “Our beer sales are already so popular but we saw an area for growth in other liquors and want to be on top of it.”
The plan is for the expansion to be completed by March 2023. The expansion will go into one of the garage spaces currently used for storage.
In addition to the expansion, there will be collaboration beers with Lua Brewing of Des Moines, Iowa and BlackStack Brewing in St. Paul. Lester is friends with owners of both breweries and used to work alongside Lua’s co-founder and head brewer, Zack Dunbar, at Forager, before Lua opened in November 2019.
Lester is also hoping to expand with educational programs for people to attend.
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“We’re really hoping to do more events in 2023 such as education on beer for women, home brewing 101, and home spirit making as well with mezcal and other spirits,” said Lester.
The current space in the shop for wine and spirits is small and lined up against the east wall opposite the store's entrance. When the new space is finished, wine and spirits will be moved there, and the space where wine and spirits currently sit will be used for more imported beer from European countries.
Jack’s Bottle Shop will have its two-year anniversary on Dec. 16. Follow the shop's Facebook , Instagram and Twitter accounts to find out more details on upcoming events and collaborations.
Jack’s is open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Some additional holiday hours are posted online. The store's web address is: www.jacksbottleshopmn.com. Phone: 507-361-0492.
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