The future home of Shuffle City Brewing Company, at 13 W. Main St., is still a blank slate inside, but brewer Colin Herzog is already filling a menu board with brand-new, delicious drinks.
With renovations complete on the former Kendzie’s bowling alley, the future pub is currently a wide-open space. The refinished Art Deco bar is once again emanating its jazzy blue light, and the stainless steel kitchen and brewing equipment are installed. Now the work can begin to build five regulation indoor shuffleboard courts and two indoor bocce courts in the space where the bowling alleys originally existed.
Owner Matt Martin said the establishment has an occupancy of 268, with booths and tables coming for the dining room on the street side. The restaurant and brewery are on track for a soft opening in August, Martin said, with court-side seating to be included for shuffleboard fans.
Herzog joined the developing brewery after growing up and working in the former Flying Bison Brewing Company of Buffalo, which his father owned. He said he has been working on recipes for a variety of beers, seltzers, and sodas to hit the spot when customers come in to play shuffleboard or have a meal. The public can try their luck at naming a drink, but Herzog has already handled that. He has a Belgian-American witbier called the Tang Tamer — referring to the shuffleboard stick — on the shelf, featuring citrus peel notes. A Fisk and Feigle Irish cream ale will pay homage to Lockport’s Irish community.
Approaching his operation as a beverage kitchen, Herzog said he will create drinks to complement the modern pub grub created by Jessica McIver, chef and general manager. That will include smash burgers featuring combinations of special peppers, sauces, and pickled vegetables.
Herzog said the new brewing set-up is an English pub system capable of creating full-flavored beers. He said he will focus on British golden ales, stouts, porters, French saison, German and Belgian witbiers, light American lager, and the odd IPA. Eight to ten beers will be on tap, he said, along with up to three soft drinks, and something new each month.
Herzog said he will produce a limited amount of higher alcohol brews, including aged stock ales, barley wine, and lambic beers. But the beverage kitchen won’t leave anyone thirsty, as he said he is equally focused on non-alcoholic, fruit- and tea-based seltzers and soda pops. Singer Farms tart cherry concentrate and Kinloch Farm lavender will find their way into soft drinks.
After living on Vine Street for eight years, Herzog said he is keen on capturing the local character in his beverages.
“I like to speak to the terroir,” he said. “I feel Lockport is an agricultural city. I like to come from a place of humble respect for the ingredients. I like all the flavors to play well together. I’m looking for some harmony in all of it.”
Herzog said he won’t use any artificial flavors, instead looking for synergies in combinations like tart cherry juice and ginger. Customers can also look forward to a special lavender cream soda, he said.
“I’m trying to lean more toward a harvest feel for it all,” he said. “I’m hoping to transcend the idea of craft beer. It’s going beyond trends. I’d like to find an original feel for things. I’d like to create an institution in this business.”
While Shuffle City Brewing will produce up to 1,000 barrels of beverages this year, Herzog said, he and Martin plan to expand the brewery in their second year.
Martin said test batches will come out in the next couple of weeks and be offered for tasting at regional festivals. Eventually, Martin said they would expand their brewing operation and staff to produce a greater volume for retail distribution.
“I’d like to distribute across New York state,” Herzog said.