Entrepreneurs plan to turn former Phenix City saw mill into brewery with riverfront views
The best riverfront views in the Chattahoochee Valley, a family-and-pet friendly atmosphere and craft beer that keeps customers coming back for more.
That’s what the owners of a new brewery coming to Phenix City have in mind. And they hope that their project — named Fluid Dynamics in honor of the Chattahoochee River and the process by which beer is made — can attract individuals from all walks of life.
They also hope it will spur continued development of a side of the river they say is ripe with potential.
Fluid Dynamics, which will be housed in the property formerly known as the Phenix Saw Mill, 1116 Broad St., is the product of three entrepreneurs: brewmasters Justin Balsam and Dee More, and Heather Manville, a partner in the business and the grandchild of Harry and Faye Isabell, who opened the mill in the late 1950s.
“It’s got the right presence,” Moore said. “It’s got the best single view of the river in an opportunity zone. This project just fits all the boxes. … We’re confident we can put a place that would be attractive to people on both sides of the river.”
The mill closed in 2016 and has sat vacant. Now, the historic building could be at the forefront of Phenix City’s redevelopment.
The name is a play on words, combining the idea of water flowing through the rapids at Cut Bait, and the “what’s new?” nature of the brewing industry. It’s also a nod to the process by which beer is made, and the changing rotation of drinks the brewery plans to serve.
“The brewing world is so neat because you get to be artistic and you get to be a chef,” Balsam said. “You have all of this freedom. But you also get to be scientific and nerd out about the whole thing. This matches all of that up.”
Historic building gets new life
The idea for a brewery came to Balsam and Moore while working at Omaha Brewing Company, a 45-minute drive south of Columbus in small-town Omaha, from 2015-2019. They’d often carpool, Balsam said, which gave them ample time to brainstorm ideas for a business.
But the two needed a location. Riverfront property on the Columbus side is hard to come by nowadays, which led Balsam and Moore to explore spots across the river.
That’s when they reached out to Phenix City’s Economic Planning Director Shaun Culligan, who connected them with Manville.
Manville’s family still owned the mill after its closure and didn’t want to sell it, she said. They did not have plans to open a similar business on the property.
After meeting with Balsam and Moore, Manville and her brother, who both worked at the mill for the last 20 years of its operation, spoke to their family. The project sounded like “something we were really interested in,” she said.
“We’re trying to help the community itself out,” Manville said. “ … We just fit; the group of us little brewers and brew-drinkers. We just kinda fit.”
So, they decided to move forward with the plan.
“That sounds excellent,” Manville recalled saying. “Let’s do it.”
Fluid Dynamics will feature relics from the saw mill’s past. For example, the sign outside the mill, Moore said, will be featured inside the building. The group is auctioning off items from the mill on Feb. 15.
The group is aiming for a late spring or summer 2022 opening date.
Attracting customers and sparking redevelopment
Whether it’s an out-of-towner visiting the city on a weekend or a craft beer enthusiast itching to try out the newest lager, Fluid Dynamics aims to have something for everyone.
Asked what types of beer they’ll sell, Moore replied, “all of them.”
The menu won’t consist of just beer: It’ll have food items, seltzers, craft sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages, Moore said, so families can take in the views from a deck behind the mill.
Fluid Dynamics is also the latest business in Phenix City’s redevelopment.
Phenix City Council, in November 2020, approved an $850,000 property purchase to use in their long-term plan for downtown development. Giovanna’s Pizzeria, at nearby 1600A Broad St., recently reopened with a new barbershop.
“Breweries are known catalysts for redevelopment,” Culligan said in an email to the L-E, “and there’s no doubt that this project is going to help propel our riverfront development for the foreseeable future.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
