Beer people are good people - Family, friends, and community are key to 4 By 4 Brewing Company’s Success
Jul 24, 2023 01:36PM ● By ANDREW TESSMER
A polestar for well-crafted suds in Springfield, Missouri, since December 2017, 4 By 4 Brewing Company has opened a new location: a modern mecca for the art (and science) of beer brewing and suds sipping. The brewery’s second home is a roughly 13,000-square-foot steel, wood, and glass structure that sits on an astroturf plot on Sawgrass Avenue.
The space is airy and welcoming, thanks to a large wall of windows near the entryway. To the right is a wall of 4 By 4 merchandise, plus oversized, colorful cutouts of brewery images. To the left is the Barley Room, a space for private events complete with a bar and access to all taps. Along the walls of the taproom are hand-painted murals by a local artist.
In the main taproom, a concrete bar dominates the back wall with 22 visible taps and a glowing 4 By 4 Brewing Company sign overhead. Industrial looking high-top and longer communal tables fill the large, well-lit space. Head through the open garage doors to the covered and heated back patio, featuring plenty of outdoor seating and oversized games like Jenga and Connect Four.
It’s hard to miss the massive open concept brewery that ensures 4 By 4 can maintain demand for their well- received brews. The design offers guests a feeling of intimacy and a connection to the brewing process. A locally crafted, wooden standing bar faces into the brewery so guests can enjoy a different perspective of the brewhouse.
THE NEW BREWHOUSE
“Our niche is clean beers with an attention to detail,” said Head Brewer Chris Shaffer, who, with his wife Shila, co-owns the brewery with three other couples. The large capacity of the brewery ensures their popular brews are available for on-premise sales and for purchase as cans in local and expanding markets.
The brewery features a 20-barrel Mueller brewhouse paired with four 60-barrel and six 20-barrel fermentation tanks, as well as two 60-barrel brite tanks. Plus, there is one 10-barrel and two 20-barrel oak foeders for aging additional batches. The brewery also uses a 48,000-pound capacity grain silo to store its 2-row base grain. An in-house lab helps to ensure accuracy.
IT'S WHAT THE 4 BY 4 IS FOR
It’s evident that this local tap room and brewing company has a strong community behind it. During a soft opening in March, it seemed every brewery owner and craft beer fan in Springfield came out to support their friends at 4 By 4 Brewing Company.
Founded shortly after a weekend of brewery hopping in Nashville for Chris’s birthday, the four couples decided to try a brewery of their own. Thirteen months later, 4 By 4 Brewing Company opened its first location at 2811 East Galloway Street.
With the opening of its Fremont Hills location, the team has renamed the original haunt The Unhinged Project by 4 By 4—an exploratory space featuring barrel and foeder aged beers, experimental one-off releases, and of course 4 By 4's core beers.
After five-plus years of serving suds and growing their community following, 4 By 4 Fremont Hills opened to satisfy demand for their clean, detailed beers Co-owner Derek Shimeall said they picked the new space between two traffic patterns to create a destination brewery. They are proud to be part of the Springfield community and display plenty of Missouri state pride, evident by the “Drink Local” painting across the brewery’s rear exterior wall.
WHERE’S THE BEER?
With the new location, the brewery is set to fulfill the demand for its packaged beers in Springfield and beyond. While plans to expand outside of Springfield were not disclosed, 4 By 4 intends to increase its distribution.
4 By 4’s core beers include Parkside Pineapple, a 6.5% NEIPA; Smooth Criminal, a 9.3% DDH IPA; Strawberry Fields 4 Ever, a 5% crisp, strawberry blonde ale; and Perches, a 5.3% Mexican lager.
4 By 4 Brewing Company Fremont Hills features two 22-tap bars with 19 beers, as well as the new Guys & Dolls cider; Parkside Pineapple NADA, a house-made non-alcoholic version of the popular Parkside Pineapple; and kombucha. Wine, non-alcoholic slushies, and soft drinks also are available.
The brewery features rotating food trucks each evening, Pints & Music on Fridays at 6pm, and Laptop Friday, offering $1 off all beer pours from noon to 5pm. Check out the events calendar for activities like Yoga on Saturdays, Game Night on Thursdays, Bingo, and more. Visit 4 By 4 Brewing Fremont Hills from 2 to 10pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 10pm on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8pm on Sunday
4 By 4 Brewing Fremont Hills
9003 Sawgrass Ave.
Nixa, MO
(417) 861-1030
www.4by4brewingcompany.com/4by4home
The Unhinged Project by 4 by 4 Brewing
2811 E. Galloway St., Ste A
Springfield, MO
(417) 861-6400
