Breweries in old Funeral Homes. Are there more?

True that Brewery Vivant occupies a former funeral home, but it should be pointed out that the pub is in a modest-sized chapel structure that was part of that funeral home complex. In BV's case, the interior of the chapel really adds to the ambiance and the vibe that you might picture in a Belgian monastery to go along with the Belgian-inspired beers that they brew.

I'd be curious to know if the two other places that you mention also use the chapel portion of the former funeral home. With many other breweries using former churches and making it work very well, that occupancy trend seems to be expanding. Unoccupied church buildings seem to be everywhere, and they must sell for a minimal tithing.

 

Perfect tie-in opportunity - they should get a license to brew Singha!

 

Great paradoxical naming, too - "Vivant" - for what used to be a funeral home. (Warning: French word play joke). We do have a former church here in Colorado Springs, that first was a taproom (before the idiots owners ran into the ground) and is now host to a brewery - Local Relic - that does one-off brewings. Nice to see this trend... hope it continues.

 

Day Block Brewing in Minneapolis is in a building that was a mortuary back in the 1870's. I'm told that when they went to level the ground in the basement to lay down concrete they uncovered multiple bodies. The investigators from Hennepin County determined the bodies were from the period when the mortuary was operating, and were most likely individuals whose bodies went unclaimed after death. The bodies were reburied, and are now resting underneath the brite tanks.

 

This is pertinent to my interests...would love to visit one of these.

Also a quick check online to find out New Phoenix Brewery that @beergoot mentioned actually brewed a beer by the name of Embalming Fluid. Which is hilarious to me.

 

There was one a few years ago on Diners Drive-ins and Dives, the replay come up every now and then. It's a brewpub; they were mostly talking about the food, of course. I don't remember exactly where, but I think it was Georgia someplace? They had a theme based on the funeral home past of the building.

 

Or Dead Guy ale

 

McMenamin's Chapel Pub in Portland OR is a restored mortuary chapel. The circa 1930 architecture and decor are very cool. There are wood stoves and one nook has a working fireplace. The things to be careful of there are not ghosts but the house beers, which in my experience are reliably mediocre. The tap list fortunately has other options.

 

Got to admit that sounds a bit creepy. There’s a few bars in New Hope Pa that are creepy too, and I’ve overheard staff talking about things when they’re closing up. I couldn’t work in a place that was haunted and such.

 

Burial in Asheville should keep their eyes peeled for a dying funeral parlor. I'll bet they don't come around too often. I know of a number of re-purposed churches.

 

Sounds creepy but.... I realized the largest package store within a 5 mile radius of my house is in a former funeral home. Granted, its slightly different in that about 20 years ago the classic victorian house burned down and was rebuild as an ugly cheapo building. We had my mother's funeral there (in the ugly building).
When the funeral home went out of business the package store added a rather large addition and here we are. I shop there all the time but don't often think about it.

 

Beers with just a hint of Formaldehyde!

 

Barrel aged Jekyll and FormaldeHyde! Cask-et Ales

 

For what it is it’s my favorite bar in Asheville, probably because the beer imo is the best in town. But the place is definitely humble, but it has life to it. I’d upgrade the outside area to make that a nicer place to sit.

 

Not a brewery but we had a Godfather's Pizza in a former funeral home, which seemed ironic...

 

That was a really good article, thanks.