Springfield's 11th brewery opens

The lineup of craft breweries in Springfield hit 11 with last week’s opening of Banter Brewing Co.

The brewery launched Nov. 4 at 330 W. Plainview Road, in the Plainview Corners shopping center, about a mile south of the James River Freeway interchange. Brian Harbison and Jon Weddle co-own Banter Brewing, a first-time business ownership venture for the friends.

They declined to disclose their three-year lease rate or startup costs, noting they handled most of the infill work themselves. Weddle previously told Springfield Business Journal that Harbison, who is an architect, built the brewery’s tables and bar top.

Weddle said via email Sunday he and Harbison are among the four-person staff at the brewery, which is currently open Thursday through Saturday. He said Banter Brewing occupies 1,400 square feet in space that last housed a Subway restaurant. Both maintain employment elsewhere in addition to the brewery but declined to disclose where they work. According to Weddle’s LinkedIn profile, he is a managing director at Monett-based financial software firm Jack Henry & Associates Inc.

Banter Brewing’s owners originally targeted a mid-August opening, but Weddle cited supply chain issues to get their brewery equipment as a contributor to the delay. The owners previously considered purchasing White River Brewing Co. when the Commercial Street property became available in 2019, but decided to start a brewery of their own, according to past reporting.

The 40-seat brewery has no outside seating but allows for outside food and is kid- and dog-friendly. Its eight taps all serve in-house produced drinks, including a hazy IPA, dubbed Iron Gospel, as well as Base Hefewizen, which is a German-style wheat, and Busted Blueberry, a hard seltzer made with blueberries and lemons, according to its Facebook page. Prices range $4-$10.

Banter Brewing’s opening follows the June 2020 launch of Prehistoric Brewing Co. LLC, 1816 S. Glenstone Ave., which was the 10th Springfield brewery to begin operations.

Two more breweries are in the works near Springfield. Wire Road Brewing Co. LLC is targeting “a late fall” opening for its brewery at 4453 S. Timbercreek Ave. in Battlefield, according to an Oct. 23 post on its Facebook page. Additionally, 4 by 4 Brewing Co. LLC broke ground in late August for its 12,000-square-foot brewery, taproom and event center near Fremont Hills Country Club. It plans to open in fall 2022, according to past reporting.