Prodigy Brewing, which will occupy a historic building on Logan’s Center Street, is targeting a mid-2021 opening.

“We’re still gunning for July,” says Kristin Smith, who’s handling the marketing for the soon-to-open brewpub. “We’re ready to get this rolling.”

Update: The brewery is now eyeing a September 2021 opening.

The 5,500-square-foot space will feature two levels, as well as outdoor seating. The ground-level brewpub will be open to all ages and include a menu of “upscale pub fare.” Brewing will commence in the basement, which also could be home to a 21+ bar area, Smith says.

The project — about 18 months in the making — would be a first for the Cache Valley.

“We’ve been in Logan for almost nine years,” says Smith, who’s married to one of the founders. “For a valley of 150,000 people, we saw a need for a brewpub. I feel like we’re the final frontier for the size of community we are.”

Smith provided additional details in a telephone conversation with Utah Beer News in late April. Prodigy Brewing is planning to feature:

• Around 12 beers on tap, as well as canned high-point offerings
• A modest food menu and a full bar, with a late-night snack menu
• An outdoor patio and live music

“Because this will be the first brewpub in Logan, we’re going for an iconic, classic brewpub experience,” Smith says.

Prodigy Brewing will incorporate elements from the historic building. The bar will be formed from reclaimed wood, and Smith says they’re trying to preserve and reuse additional materials from the original building where they can.

Prodigy Brewing: East Meets West

The founders of Prodigy Brewing are longtime friends. Jason Smith, a professor at Utah State University, and Rob Paul, a pilot in Indiana who’s planning to move to Logan, met in elementary school. Matt Cliburn, a dentist by trade who’s living in Kentucky, rounds out the founding trio.

The three are homebrewers who started brewing 15-gallon batches together about 15 years ago.

Kristin Smith, who’s married to Jason, says the group saw a definite need for a brewery in Logan.

But Logan isn’t the birthplace of Prodigy Brewing. Rather, it’s Beijing. The founders worked with Chinese partners to help get a brewery there up and running in 2018. Officials this week determined that the Beijing operation would close, a casualty of COVID-19, Kristin says.

Community, Camaraderie

The brewery received its initial federal Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) approval in late April. Once that’s finalized, Prodigy Brewing will navigate the state approval process. It’s aiming to receive its manufacturing license by May 10. Though construction won’t yet be completed, brewing on-site will commence once the equipment arrives toward the end of May or the first of June, Kristin says.

“The enjoyment that comes from the brewing process and everything that comes with it,” is what drives the founders, she says. “We were sitting around one day thinking we should do this. We’re good at making beer and Logan needs a brewpub.”

Prodigy Brewing sees itself as “the community’s brewpub.” As such, it already has plans to work with local businesses and farms to source local ingredients whenever possible.

“We’ve started discussions about being as local as we can,” Kristin says. “We fully intend to support the community in any way we can. Community is going to be at the forefront of everything we’re going to be doing.”

Keep up with the progress over the next few months by following Prodigy Brewing on Facebook and Instagram.