Ponderosa will open its first taproom later this year

Tucked away in the recent news about the renovation of the historic El Vado Motel on Central Avenue was a tidbit about a brewery taproom being part of the redevelopment. Ponderosa Brewing will open its first offsite taproom, with a fall opening being the target. In order to get a little more detail, I stopped by the brewery to chat with head brewer Antonio Fernandez.

Antonio said the same developer who remade the Sawmill District is overseeing the El Vado project. That developer, Chad Rennaker, is also the owner of Ponderosa and its sister brewery in Portland, Ore., PINTS Brewing.

“That’s been another project he’s been working on for a few years, actually,” Antonio said. “(He has been) getting the licensing and zoning, all kinds of things together for the new development with the El Vado. Finally, everything came together recently, just after the beginning of the year.”

The property at Central and New York Avenue will be rede

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