Old Clinton church becomes spectacular new brewery - Dalian HorizonSure Technologies Group

by: Jonathan Turner

Posted: Jun 8, 2023 / 05:24 PM CDT

Updated: Jun 8, 2023 / 05:24 PM CDT

There is a great new brewery in Clinton, Iowa, and it's truly a religious experience.

Great Revivalist Brewery, 238 4th Ave. South, Clinton, opened in early May, with 30 employees, at the massive former church — originally built in 1898 as St. John Episcopal Church that converted to the Bethel – AME in 2007, the first African-American church in Clinton.

The church was built from Anamosa Limestone and the ceilings are Native Red Oak. It contains a 1911 Italian Fresco (the mural in the former altar area, by the bar) and renovations for the new brewery and restaurant took a year, GRB sales and marketing director Marla Emery said this week.

Owner Richard Schwab also owns Great Revivalist Brew Lab in Geneseo (125 S. Oakwood Ave.), which opened in 2020, with 25 staff and a seating capacity of 175.

In the Clinton space, the main church area has a 150-seat capacity on the on the ground level. In the basement of the Clinton brewery, there's a capacity of 104 for the event space (including a wine cellar), which is available for private receptions, rehearsal dinners and parties.

"People seem to be very excited, because of all the art and architectural depth we have," Emery said (who markets both Clinton and Geneseo properties) in a Wednesday interview. Great Revivalist was looking to expand into a bigger building, while maintaining the Geneseo bar and restaurant.

"A friend of a friend introduced them to this area, and this building was to become a parking lot," she said of plans to tear down the vacant church. When owner Richard Schwab and master brewer Scott Lehnert toured the building, they saw its uniqueness and potential.

"They restored as much as they could of the building, to make it personable and respectful for the Clinton community, and here we are," Emery said. "We have a beautiful piece of art that keeps the history of the building; that respects what had gone in the building beforehand and even revamps a lot of it."

They added an outdoor courtyard as well, around a huge stone sculpture/fountain.

"It turned out to be very breathtaking, the response that Clinton had, and the surrounding areas," Emery said, noting customers have come from Peoria, the Quad Cities and as far as California.

Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery in Peoria is in a former 1889 church, at 321 NE Madison Ave.

Schwab told the city (40 miles north of Geneseo) that the Geneseo location has generated $1.2 million per year in sales.

"The vision of Richard Schwab and Great Revivalist Brewery (GRB) fits amazingly well into the transformation that has been ongoing in the city of Clinton," city administrator Matt Brooke said last year of the plans. "GRB is a top-tier producer of soda and ale but also provides top-notch lunch and dinner seven days a week. GRB is respected in their field and will create an exceptional destination point in the city and for all of eastern Iowa."

"We’re definitely looking forward to bringing our love of the beer life to Clinton," GRB general manager Rachel Heise said last year. "We provide a very unique experience, and we want to spread that out. Why not in a church? What more unique experience could you get than having a brewery in a church? We’re ready to put our spin on it and bring our love of beer to Clinton."

A real destination for the city

Matt Parbs, vice president of community and economic development for Grow Clinton, is thrilled with the new addition to downtown.

"It's our first brewery that we can call our own in a very long time. That in and of itself is just great from a tourism aspect," he said Thursday. "For all the people that travel, it's pretty incredible. What's really neat too is, they want to have this be their production site as well. So they’ll be canning and things like that.

"It's also just a creative use of a space, which I think is really important in an old river town," Parbs said, noting converting old churches to craft breweries is becoming popular across the country.

"It really is a big thing," he said. "Another local church here in town was bought and turned into an event center. Just from that standpoint, that's really cool. It's also in our downtown. So it's to help drive business or downtown businesses, and hopefully will help drive housing downtown."

Having a destination brewery also helps sell Clinton to attract other businesses and residents to move there, Parbs said.

Great Revivalist has "real big vision for how they want to grow their brand and, and Clinton's gonna benefit just from their desire to have the sodas, the beers, other products grow the brand," he said. "You get distribution throughout the state and in the Midwest and the nation."

GRB is one beneficiary of the first June 8-10 Tailgates ‘n’ Tallboys country music festival on the riverfront, which started today.

Grow Clinton estimated a $6.5-million economic impact to the region from the fest (which has committed three years to Clinton), Parbs said. These figures account for not only event ticket sales and hotels, but also spending at gas stations, retail venues, and restaurants.

Parbs estimated at least 5,000 visitors to Clinton for the fest who’ve never been there before. The Friday night headliners will be national stars Tim McGraw and Jake Owen.

"And there's a trickle-down effect, the people coming back," Parbs said. "So even people who didn't come to the concert, you know, just the name Clinton being out there through this concert series."

Piano at the center

Great Revivalist has a black grand piano in the center of the Clinton brewery/restaurant, under a spectacular, brightly-lit crystal chandelier.

GRB has is a featured artist, Brooke Byam, who plays piano and sings Tuesday nights (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.). "She plays with the crowd and is very interactive with it," Emery said. "We have a dollar off of our mules, and a $1 off our appetizers."

"We’re kind of trying to get familiar with Clinton, honestly," she said of looking to add live music on the weekends. "We want to start creating an atmosphere that people will enjoy, so we’re playing with that. It's all a learning process. We’re trying to create a relationship with the community and the new members that come in the brewery."

Emery is working to schedule more class reunions, bridal showers, baby showers, and other events to get people in the doors. "We can make dog treats with our grain and that's another way we can give back to the community – donate to the Humane Society and things like that," she said.

One of the paintings in the basement level is by Tony Curtis. "Every piece down here is by a famous painter," Emery said.

The Geneseo location features more one-of-a-kind beers that aren't made in bulk. They do more experimentation there, Emery said, noting they have unique sodas and coffee drinks.

"We’re not sure if we’ll have those in Clinton; we may keep those in Geneseo," Emery said.

The Clinton GRB has 24 original beers on tap, and while the food menus are similar between the two locations, Clinton has some different salads and entrees, with "more of a sit-down, romantic feel," whereas the Brew Lab is more of a bar atmosphere, with a game room.

In Clinton, they still welcome families of all ages, but it's more reserved, elegant feel. Clinton will do on-site catering for private events, and explore off-site in the future, Emery said. Geneseo doesn't do any catering.

"We are trying to keep the two separated, but still showcase our products at both of them," she said.

The Clinton hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week (food and drink) and until 10 p.m. serving alcohol. The courtyard will be open next week.

They also plan to become part of the QC Ale Trail, which features 18 craft breweries in Illinois and Iowa, from Muscatine to Eldridge (which is 31 miles southwest of Clinton).

For more information, visit the Clinton GRB Facebook page HERE.

A real destination for the city Piano at the center