Three years ago, Matt Keasey wanted to open a brewpub in downtown Lancaster.

Those plans, however, fell through.

So Keasey went in a different direction. He bought a property in Conestoga and renovated an old barn into a brewery. His Spring House brewery has been going gangbusters ever since.

Now Keasey is producing 1,200 barrels of beer annually. His beer is being distributed regionally. And the upstairs tasting room in his brewery is packed from September to May.

He is operating at capacity.

So Keasey is returning to his initial plan.

Pending city approvals, Keasey hopes to soon begin renovation of a former kitchen store space in the Hager Building, at 25 W. King St.

His Spring House Brewing Taproom could open this fall with his beers on tap, a limited food menu and some hard-to-find beers from around the country and the world.

"Lancaster city, we're really happy with the business progress, the traffic. What they have to offer is really growing. We want to tap into that," Keasey said Wednesday night as about a half-dozen customers drank beer at his brewery.

Keasey said many people have found their way to his brewery since he opened in 2007, but he hopes to introduce his beer to many more people in the city. He hopes to have patrons stop and try his beer as they walk around the city between his and other establishments.

He said many people in downtown Lancaster already are drinking his Seven Gates Pale Ale and other brews. The closest bars and restaurants to his planned location — Carr's Restaurant, The Lancaster Dispensing Company, The Pressroom Restaurant and Annie Bailey's pub — are already his biggest customers.

Keasey still plans to brew most of his beer in the converted barn next to his house. He would brew small batches of experimental beers at the pub. Those may be seasonal beers, such as a pumpkin brew in the fall, or wood-aged beers. He would use those small-batch brews for research and development, with popular beers possibly going into full production.

Lancaster's gain would be Conestoga's loss, he said. He plans to close the brewery tasting room when the new brewpub opens.

"I know a lot of people are upset that we're shutting down and moving," Keasey said. But, he said, the brewery tasting room is hampered by its small size and lack of parking.

The move would allow him to utilize the tasting room space for production. He may bring in larger tanks, and he would have more time to brew there, he said. Now he has to stop production on Wednesday and Friday evenings and on Saturday when the brewery is open to the public.

By closing the bar there, he could operate almost nonstop, he said. He expects his annual output to increase from 1,200 barrels to 2,000 barrels of beer.

"This will allow me to produce more beer and open up a whole new market downtown," Keasey said.

His downtown customers are expected to be beer aficionados. In addition to his own beer, Keasey plans to offer a small number of other craft-brewed beers that are difficult to find in this area.

"I know a lot of good brewers that aren't around here," he said of beers from California, Belgium and elsewhere that he plans to tap.

As part of his emphasis on the beer, Keasey said, there would be very little emphasis on the food served at the taproom. Keasey was not prepared to say what would be on the menu, only that it would be limited.

"We're going to focus more on the beer than the food," Keasey said. "I'm not trying to be a chef or a restaurant."

Keasey is not planning to serve to the downtown weekday lunch crowd.

Plans call for the taproom to be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday. The taproom would be closed Sunday.

Keasey's plans are subject to city Zoning Hearing Board approval. He needs a special exception to operate a microbrewery in that location. The board meets Monday, Aug. 16, at 4 p.m., in City Council chambers, Southern Market Center, 100 S. Queen St.

Renovation of the nearly 1,700-square-foot space could begin soon after approval is received, Keasey said. He is expecting renovation and furnishing of the space, including the addition of two bars, to cost about $120,000 and be completed in mid-fall.

The taproom would have seating for 60-80 customers, he said.

To serve the expected customers, he would hire three to 10 people and possibly an assistant at the brewery. That would be a big leap for the current one-man operation.

Keasey said he is trying to keep up with demand. He cited the growing popularity of his beer in the five-county Philadelphia region.

"Everybody is looking for the new microbrew, and we've been doing really well down there," he said.

The existing brewery tasting room, at 2519 Main St., Conestoga, would remain open until the downtown taproom is complete. It is open Wednesday and Friday from 6-9 p.m., and Saturday from noon-5 p.m.

bharris@lnpnews.com