Gather Team Plots Craft Beer Bar With Rooftop Lounge for Eastern Market

The team behind hit Eastern Market restaurant Gather is planning a big expansion that will bring a craft beer bar to Gratiot Avenue. Gather teased the under construction project on Tuesday called Cøllect, which co-owner Kyle Hunt tells Eater will open later this year on the second floor Gather’s building.

Cøllect (pronounced “collect”), whose name contains the Danish word øl for “beer,” will focus on offering beers from lesser-known breweries, breweries with limited distribution, and so-called nomadic brewers that utilize equipment from more established breweries. Customers can eventually expect to see selections from breweries such as Evil Twin Brewing and Mikkeller. The bar team is already planning a collaboration beer with Ferndale’s Urbanrest Brewing Company that will be available only at Cøllect.

The bar will have two separate entrances next to Gather’s doors on the front and back of the building and will have a nearly identical footprint to the lower-level restaurant. Cøllect will feature a roughly 14-seat bar with an additional 20 bench-style seats. Additionally, next spring the owner’s hope — pending city approval — to open up the rooftop. The interior will likely feel like an extension of Gather’s minimalist aesthetic with white walls and light colors. Hunt says they’ve tapped Australian muralist David “Meggs” Hooke to paint one of the walls at Cøllect.

The bar will include 14 taps pouring primarily beer, but also cider and kombucha. Even more beers will be available in cans and bottles. Cøllect will also offer cans and bottles for sale to-go, with more affordable options that can be made into six packs.

Marina Goldi

When Gather’s owners Lea and Kyle Hunt initially took over the restaurant space in Eastern Market in 2016, the pair also had access to the second floor and roof. Kyle Hunt says the second floor space most recently had been used as an Airbnb, but about four months ago they decided to begin the process of converting it into a bar. “Since Gather’s bar is only four seats, we don’t have a lot of that crowd that’s coming in to have a quick beer or cocktail,” Kyle Hunt says. “But since we have a full liquor license, we always knew we wanted to expand.” Hunt adds that the team was also influenced by New York-based beer bar Tørst, a Scandinavian-influenced spot partially owned by Evil Twin brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø.

Hunt estimates that the construction and process for extending the liquor license to the upper floors of the building should take between two and three months, placing the opening in late fall or early winter. Stay tuned for more details as the project moves forward.

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