Beer in Review No. 10: Converting a Church (again...)

To kick off our countdown of the top ten Colorado Springs craft beer happenings in 2016, we start with a trip down memory lane.It seems like at this time 2 years ago, we were excited for the Carter Payne church to become The Green Man Taproom, a destination for craft beer in Downtown Colorado Springs. We all know what happened to Green Man since then, so it's kind of surprising to be back looking at that space as a craft beer possibility.If you haven't seen the recent news, Local Relic ended their plans to open up in the Lincoln Center and has purchased the Carter Payne building. They're currently in the middle of renovating it to fit their needs, which is a ton of work based on how the previous few tenants left it. Sticking to their roots, Local Relic will still brew every batch differently than the last. They'll be brewing in a soon to be updated building off the North side of the building, with fermentation and serving vessels in the basement. Look to their social media for details on special pop-up tastings from now until their grand opening. We attended one before the holidays and were pleased by an Eggnog beer, so check them out if you want a little sneak peek! It's a cool space, so we hope they can turn it into something worthwhile. Their place at the bottom of our list could change when they open up for real.We've talked with the Local Relic crew a bunch about their plans, and while many are still on the drawing board, expect food, beer and other drinks to be available. As soon as we know anything, you'll know too. They've mentioned a late-summer opening date, but as with any brewery opening—plans will and do change.Next up as we count down our Beer in Review, we'll highlight some breweries who have expanded the ways consumers can find their beer!