WEST POINT — A brewery in downtown West Point has moved its tasting room to Columbus.

Michael Denehy, co-owner of Chattabrewchee Southern Brewhouse, said Wednesday that the brewery has expanded operations by shifting its tasting room to a larger city.

“This has always been in our long-term plan originally developed in 2014 and should in no way be misinterpreted as anything but planned and anticipated growth,” Denehy said. “It is also important to note that we continue to manufacture our core brands for distribution at our West Point original location.”

He said the beer Chattabrewchee is producing is still a West Point product.

Denehy said because Chattabrewchee desires to remain a small business, the space in downtown West Point at 709 4th Ave., is much too large for its needs. The business does own the building and has plans to sell it.

“It’s a stunning 13,000 square-foot structure, including the mezzanine, with 30-foot ceilings and, frankly, we want to see this space utilized to its full potential,” Denehy said. “We see it as our obligation to ensure the proper future tenants are found to take our place.” 

He said the business is considering multiple interested buyers.

Denehy said Chattabrewchee will continue to brew beer at the West Point location until a suitable offer on the building has been made.

Chattabrewchee doesn’t have plans to leave West Point entirely as it is searching for a venue on 3rd Avenue in West Point for a smaller-sized tasting room. However, Denehy said it will take some time for a location on 3rd Avenue to become a reality.

“At this point, we’ve opened two breweries each averaging eight to nine months from initial application to opening day,” he said.

As far as the move to Columbus, Denehy said it makes sense business-wise.

“It is Georgia’s second-largest city and an Army town,” he said. “As a 100 percent veteran-owned business, this is an obvious fit for us. It is so much of an obvious next step that it would be a bad decision not to take this step.”

He said the business is confident the move to Columbus will result in higher sales for a business that will continue to have a presence in West Point.

Denehy said he is sorry Chattabrewchee won’t be directly serving customers in West Point and the rest of the Greater Valley Area, but he hopes the area will understand the decisions being made are done so with the best intentions.

“Simply put, opportunities for growth also mean change,” he said. “In this case, it means changing tasting room locations from West Point to Columbus, while keeping the option open for a 3rd Avenue tasting room in the future.”

Chattabrewchee opened in downtown West Point in August 2017. Denehy said the business plans to announce an opening date for its Columbus location on social media soon.