Butler’s Main Street to welcome new brewery
The former Butler Brew Works will soon reopen under the management of longtime friends who have a vision for a new brewery that serves as a “welcoming community space” with good food, beer and people.
Bill and Lindsay Atkinson, of downtown Butler’s Chop Shop, and Steve and Meredith Reed, have announced on Facebook they will soon open Hop Car Brewing at the 101 S. Main St. location.
Bill Atkinson and Steve Reed met in junior high school history class. They become friends and spent their time making music in a band.
“Music gave them a stage, but friendship gave them a foundation,” a Facebook post said. “After high school, as often happens, life pulled them in different directions.”
Steve Reed worked in construction and Bill Atkinson followed culinary passions.
Reed bought the former Butler Brew Works building at a sheriff’s sale in September for $287,500.
“Hop Car Brewing isn’t just a business,” the post said. “It’s returning manufacturing to a place that was built on it. It’s the reunion of two friends. It’s a love letter to their hometown. It’s a promise to serve Butler with warmth, creativity, and connection.
“Because no matter how far they wandered, Steve and Bill were always rooted in Butler. And now, they’re ready to start the next chapter.”
According to the new business’ Facebook page, the name “Hop Car” is intended as a nod to Butler’s industrial heritage.
“Butler was a manufacturing hub for coal, steel, and hopper rail cars,” the page said. “These massive freight cars once carried coal across the country, built right here by skilled local workers. That proud history of craftsmanship, grit, and community now fuel the brewery’s identity.”
