Published: October 06, 2007 01:57 am      

Baylor planning brewery for downtown New Albany

New Albanian Brewing Co. proprietor Roger Baylor confirmed Friday he intends to renovate a downtown building with room to triple the brewing capacity of his uptown headquarters.

“Something we’ve been talking about for a while has been trying to do something downtown,” Baylor said. “We need to have another footprint somewhere. We’re kind of maxed out on space on Grant Line Road.”

Baylor and his partners run Rich O’s Public House and Sportstime Pizza at 3312 Plaza Drive. Though he declined to reveal which building he seeks downtown, Baylor estimated costs would exceed $300,000 and projected the process would be figured out by spring.

The goals of the new location would be to brew beer, export it to more restaurants in Indianapolis and Louisville and operate a tap room to serve “a collage of beer, food and snacks,” such as Baylor experienced in a recent trip through Europe.

“What we don’t want to do right now is get into some situation where we’re doing a full-service restaurant,” said Baylor, whose beer is already served at several eateries downtown.

“The idea is that the beer is the thing that would do the growing.”

Baylor said he has no plans to bottle his beer: “It’s hard to do it well on a small scale.”

The need for space isn’t the only thing motivating a second establishment. With the prospect of Grant Line Road closing near Rich O’s and Sportstime for nine months in 2009, “I like the idea of having an escape clause,” Baylor said.



KELSEY’S UPDATE

In restaurant news on the other side of Grant Line Road, Kelsey’s Bar & Grill has shut down business, several sources have confirmed. A sign in the front door reads, “Sorry We’re Closed.”

Kelsey’s owner Lance Lehman could not be reached for comment at home Friday. A call to the restaurant’s phone number reached a message that indicated the line was temporarily disconnected.

The business at 730 Rolling Creek Drive — in the Grant Line Road commercial corridor — is believed to have been sold to another restaurant proprietor. The building was erected in 1991 as part of The Koetter Group’s Summit Square development.