Black Pony Brewery sees progress

Four Horsemen Properties tackles new project amid pandemic

By SKYE POURNAZARI | The Forum

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Most of the windows are in, the interior walls are framed and the brews are being tested for the Black Pony Brewery Co. located on the corner of Main and Fourth streets.

“Everything has gone as planned,” Black Pony Brewery co-owner Stephanie Campbell said. “There’s always little minor hiccups like waiting on materials and stuff during the pandemic.”

Everything had been back ordered for a while and the increased cost of lumber didn’t help, but she said, “It’s moving right along.”

Campbell said their brewing equipment was being made and likely would ship in the next couple of weeks. But in the meantime, they have been working with a smaller brewing system to create their favorite recipes for the taps.

“We just kind of continue to nail down the concept, work together as a team to nail down menus and beers,” she said.

Using the smaller system, the owners be ready to roll when they get the green light from the government.

With regard to the building, she said another layer of brick will finish the facade, and they’re working with the city to offer a balcony over the sidewalk for dining or drinking.

Campbell’s dad, Steve Campbell, a millwright, will be building the balconies for the brewery. He built the one on the side of the Blue Willow building, which Campbell owns and lives above.

The balconies will be structurally engineered and Steve Campbell will build them based on those plans. She thinks they’ll be built on site.

“The building has come together just kind of as expected,” she said. “It’s the third one for Kent (Yount) and I, so we kind of knew what we were getting into.”

From the second floor dining area, Black Pony Brewery diners will be able to go out onto a deck above the sidewalk on Main Street.

Four Horsemen

The LLC is comprised of Campbell, Yount, Brandon and Jen Jensen and each member brings their own perspective, Campbell said.

“It kind of just really has blended together,” she said. “It’s just been fun.”

Campbell noted that they’re lucky to be working together on this project, because each member brings his or her own skill set.

“We have a common passion for this community,” she said. “I’m just excited to see what’s to come.”

She’s most excited to see other projects this might help prompt others to bring downtown. She suggests that those thinking about doing something should “Get down here and do something cool because we’ve got a lot going on now.”

Campbell said its especially important to her to preserve the old buildings downtown and keep them as a part of the local history.

“Shockingly, they’ve been really kind to us. They’ve been in good shape,” she said. Even with the minor foundation work required on the Black Pony, in the scheme of her three major Downtown Maryville rehabilitation projects, it’s been repetitively minor.

Black Pony Brewery will house its large brewery tanks at the rear of the building on Fourth Street.

What’s next?

The walls are framed up and the tin ceiling has been primed. The layout of the upstairs apartments is going well, but not yet complete.

With a project that has so many different aspects, sometimes it experiences a brief standstill. Brandon Jensen said that they’re currently waiting on the large garage doors that will help close up the facility so interior work can be completed.

He said with the winter weather, it’s hard to get any work done inside if it’s not at least closed off to the wind.

Once those come in, the project can move ahead.

“The timing of things can be really unique,” Campbell said. “With a project like this with such complicated pieces, if someone’s ready to go, you’ve got to go.”

Black Pony Brewery co-owner Brandon Jensen is shown on the second floor of the Downtown Maryville building. The windows have been installed in the space where three, two-story Air BNB apartments will be constructed in this space and the floor above.

On the two upstairs floors, the walls are fixed and the windows are in, Jensen said. However, the design of the three Air BNB apartments has yet to be completed.

“I think people are pretty excited about it,” she said.

Noting that while they have just begun considering some color options for the tin ceiling downstairs, they’re nowhere near finished.

They haven’t extended their April open date, but are cautious about saying it’s firm. Campbell said she’s already had to tell people they are not yet hiring, so she knows there’s quite a bit of interest.

“It’s been a great partnership in the community so far,” Campbell said. “I think at the end of the day, we all love this community and we love the people in it, so even if we all have our differences there are things we all have in common and for Black Pony it can be beer.”