Bare Hands Brewery misses key deadline on proposed South Bend site

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The future Bare Hands Brewery location in South Bend, which has seen years of delays, has missed another key deadline. 

The brewery first announced an expansion into South Bend in 2016, with the City selling a vacant property near Four Winds Field to Bare Hands for $1. Years of delays, including pandemic-related setbacks, led to the City renegotiating its contract with Bare Hands Brewery this past Summer. The new agreement called for the South Bend location on the corner of William & Wayne Street to have a rough inspection by February 1, and open by September 1, 2023. 

A spokesperson for the City of South Bend tells ABC57 Bare Hands missed its Feb. 1 deadline for an inspection and is now requesting an extension from the Department of Community Investment. The Redevelopment Commission will decide whether to grant the extension until March 1, during its Feb. 9 meeting. 

The City says this does not change the September 1 deadline for Bare Hands to have its South Bend site fully open, or risk losing the property. Bare Hands Brewery has not yet responded to ABC57's request for comment.