Brews and Bikes Business Coming to Bettendorf

A brewery and a bike shop are partnering on a new "bike and brew" site and will break ground Tuesday at 3659 Devils Glen Road in Bettendorf.

Crawford Brew Works will occupy half of the on a 7,000-square-foot building space with a microbrewery and tap room, and Healthy Habits will relocate to the site from its existing location, just south on Devils Glen Road. The brewery will be the first of its kind in Bettendorf.

Ian Frink, co-owner of Crawford Co., a Rock Island plumbing, ventilation, welding fabrication and brewing equipment manufacturer involved in the project said Crawford's interest in the project comes from its division that manufactures brewing equipment for small- to medium-sized microbreweries wanting to showcase its products and allow prospective buyers to train or get familiar with how they operate.

According to the Quad-City Times, in addition to offering its flagship beers and seasonal options, Crawford Brew Works will feature a brew house, low-level production area and fermenters manufactured by Crawford Co.

The brewery and tap room is expected to accommodate around 150 people and will create 10 new jobs.

While the concept for the multi-tenant building is only about six months old, Healthy Habits owner Bruce Grell said he had been kicking around the idea of opening his own small brewery and tap room in Bettendorf for years.

Grell said the transition for the bike shop should be simple, considering it will need to move only a few hundred yards. With the site's location, it also will have access to the Bettendorf bike path.

Scot Schaar would be joining the team as its brewmaster. Schaar is an award-winning brewmaster and has been a judge of many brewing competitions.

Plans for the multi-tenant building were approved in June by the Bettendorf City Council, and the site is expected to be open for business this winter.