USA, OK: Muskogee Brewing Company to open in Muskogee in a couple of months

In a couple months, Muskogee will have its very first brewery inside Station 1, a fire department with decades of history, KTUL reported on January 8.

It wasn’t Bill Parris’ original idea until he and his business partner found themselves at Station 1.

“The city was about to demolish it,” he said. “So we got involved and saved the building and made it our home for the brewery.”

Muskogee Brewing Company is now two years in the making. The building needed a lot of work.

“It was in pretty rough shape,” Parris said.

They came across some neat finds along the way.

“This building was built in 1904 so this is the first brick firehouse,” Parris said. “Underneath the concrete floor we found the original brick floor. So all of the brick is all Muskogee brick. If we could keep it in the building then we left it in the building.”

That original vibe is exactly what Dustin Russell, owner of Bent Nail Woodshop is trying to maintain while building the woodwork inside.

“To me it’s kind of like art in a way,” he said. “You’ve got to figure out what would you have and what would you do with it to make it look the best. I’ve got a lot of sleepless nights racking stuff around in my brain trying to figure out okay this is what they’re going for.”

He said the building has a special place in his heart.

“I’m a fireman and all of the guys that I look up to, all of my captains, all of my assistant chiefs, this is where they were at for years,” he said. “I hear stories about this place every day. These are people I work with and people that I look up to and idolize. To see it turn into something and not be torn down like a lot of old buildings, to see them bring it back to life, this is going to be here for a long time.’

Muskogee Brewing Company plans to open at Station 1 in the spring after their licensing and other paperwork is complete.

Parris said they will make their beer in house and plan to have 15 taps with something for everybody.

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