Columbia's first riverfront brewery expected to open later this year.

• Position: Bierkeller Brewing Co.

Columbia's first riverfront breweryis expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year.

Bierkeller Brewing Co., which has brewed traditional German beer out of Swamp Cabbage Brewing since 2015 and has regularly played host to seasonal pop-up beer gardens, is opening a full-production brewing facility, biergarten and restaurant at the CanalSide Plaza at Sola Station along the Historic Columbia Canal on the banks of the Congaree River.

"It's exciting," Bierkeller owner and founder Scott Burgess told the Columbia Regional Business Report. "We're putting ourselves in a pioneering position in a lot of ways. The riverfront, as much as everyone talks about the potential for development, we learned still has a lot of hurdles. This presented really the best opportunity in a space that's already there that's very close to what we're known for."

The brewery and biergarten will take up a large portion of the ground-floor retail space at mixed-use development Sola Station, with glass windows facing the water and tables planned along the esplanade.

"We're pouring concrete floors and building it from the ground up," said Burgess, who said an adjacent space is also an option for a future catering and private event setup.

Mashburn Construction will be the project contractor, while Sherer & Associates is the architect.

Bierkeller plans to hire servers, bartenders/pourers and kitchen staff soon. For employment information, email bierkellercolumbia@gmail.com.

"We are always thrilled to see our local businesses grow, thrive, and prosper," Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said in a news release from Bierkeller. "Bierkeller has successfully made the leap from 'pop-up' event to full-fledged brick-and-mortar establishment and will now be able to produce their own products in-house. This location at CanalSide is going to grow in a hurry, and we are excited to watch their journey as they lead the way to more riverfront growth and development."

Covered and surface parking will be available onsite in the CanalSide garage, which has nearly 500 spaces, as well as spaces at Riverfront Park, a site of Bierkeller pop-up gardens for years.

This spring, Bierkeller is holding the pop-up events on the Saluda River off Candy Lane because of one of several obstacles Burgess confronted in the search for a permanent riverfront space.

"There are areas that will flood," he said. "There are areas that are currently zoned as recreational by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...