Old lease, new life

The late December 2017 news that Brewer's Republic craft beer bar and restaurant had suddenly closed, due to a landlord-tenant dispute, sent shockwaves through the city's craft beer crowd. Thankfully, the panic was short-lived. After the sub-letter pulled up stakes, the location defaulted back to longtime lease-holders Jerry Morris and Tom Halfast, who'd sold the six-year-old bar in 2016 to focus on opening Cerberus Brewing Co.. Morris and Halfast's revived Brewer's Republic re-opened in February as a “Cerberus taproom,” with a third of the 20 taps devoted to selections from the west side brewery and the rest to “the best we can find; what Brewer's is known for,” said Morris. The menu, created by Cerberus executive chef Mark LeFebvre and prepared by sous chef Michael Sims is a sub- and pizza-focused version of the fare offered at Cerberus. “There's something about being back here with an opportunity to really make this thing pop,” Morris said. “It did OK before, but it was never really wildly successful like Cerberus has been. It's kind of exciting to have another shot at it and see if we can make it sing.”