A comeback is brewing in Davenport: Great River Brewery to reopen in 2024

Great River Brewery closed its doors in 2019 after flood waters infiltrated the building at 332 E. 2nd Street. Now, construction is underway, with the doors expected to reopen and beer to flow once more after the first of the year.

The brewery started in Iowa City before moving to Davenport in 2009, said Scott Florence, the leading partner on the project. At that time, business was sparce in downtown and Great River helped to jump-start it.

“(The brewery) was so popular it started attracting investment down here,” he said. 

Those investments included his own business, Streets of Italy. In 2018, Florence brought his mobile pizza business to the brewery and set up shop. Immediately, it was a hit.

“We had a tapping one day called the 4/20 Honey Hemp tapping. It was a beautiful sunny day and we sold out of pizza. I was thinking, ‘Finally. Something feels good, this is a great deal,'” he said. “Then on 4/30, it flooded. I don’t want to say flooded. The wall broke.”

The Mississippi River crested at a record 22.7 feet and the sand-filled HESCO barriers gave way to the river’s pressure. The breach resulted in more than $30 million in lost revenue and damages, according to estimates.

Great River was hit especially hard, because the barrier broke at the intersection of Iowa and 2nd Street, sending water right into the brewery. Florence said it hit the bottom of the windows, about three feet high, before seeping inside.

To make matters worse, the Streets of Italy van was parked in front of the brewery. The battery died, and Florence was on his way with jumper cables to move it. He didn’t make it in time, and the van was a complete loss.

Within 15 minutes the entire patio was flooded and the plumbing and sewer systems began backing up. Across the street, staff at The Half Nelson were preparing for their grand opening. The water came up to the bottom of their door, Florence said, but their pipes backing up caused them to delay their own opening.

“That’s how I knew this was going to be rough,” he said.

Flood water reached the bottom of the oven and the stainless steel tanks that held all the beer. Despite the hardships, Florence was determined to come back. But, that was not his call to make.

The brewery had a different owner, who had several things to accomplish first. Finally, years later, they’ve rounded the corner.

“This is the last piece to finally get it done,” he said. “They had a lot they had to work through, as everyone would have. All the businesses around here had to revive themselves.”

When the doors open in 2024, the layout will be completely different. As it stands, “carts, horses, ducks and rows” are not completely in order, but the vision is to move the brewing operations to the section of the building directly across from The Half Nelson.

The larger space will allow for more tanks, and more beer. In the back of the building is where Florence will set up his “Streets of Italy project.” The restaurant will serve pizza, with an emphasis on pick-up and take out.

A mezzanine level inside the building will add more seating and extend into an outdoor deck. The large garage doors outside the patio is where the bar will be set up, with room for more tables and chairs.

With 2nd Street developing quickly and new businesses popping up in recent months, the push to get back was renewed, Florence said. Great River Brewery was the first business to jump-start economic growth in that area, and now, it’s the final piece of the puzzle.

“We just wanted to get back open. Now we can be open in a much larger setting, and in a much larger way,” he said. “We really believe in downtown.”