Busted Knuckle Brewery to Open Williston Location

After months and months of paperwork and bureaucracy, the Busted Knuckle Brewery of Glasgow is officially ready to move forward with plans for their Williston location. Owners Ben and Connie Boreson began looking for a location in the North Dakota city in May of 2018. Their children have established ties in the Williston community - Jake, who works and owns a home there, and Emma Kuester, who lives and works in Williston.

A year and a half ago, B. and C. Boreson were visiting the small city and attending Band Day events, which left C. Boreson impressed with the closeness of the community. "We should look at increasing the brewery presence in Williston," she commented to her family. She went on to join the Williston Chamber and the Williston Downtown Association, making contacts and establishing a presence on the other side of the state line.

In October, 2018, the Williston Chamber invited C. Boreson to speak at the 1 Million Cups event about the brewery in Glasgow. After her speech, Chamber members informed her the city saw a need for a brewery there and offered assistance if the Boresons decided to expand their operations.

Eventually, the extended Boreson family would purchase the old Williams County Shop. Patrons of the brewery in Glasgow will not be hard pressed to see the appeal of the building to the Boreson family. The Boresons explained their choice in an email, "The layout of brick, high ceilings with exposed duct work, cement floor, large garage doors and open space felt like just the right spot to start the Busted Knuckle Brewery Williston."

Purchasing the building in Williston took longer than expected when a typo was discovered in a survey from 1902. The typo exposed a 10-foot difference between the survey and the plat, which led to two separate titles on the land under the building. Eventually, the city of Williston stepped in to assist in the purchase to smooth the way for the new brewery.

"In February we were the high bidders, out of three, for the building and began the process of obtaining funding, licensing and bids for renovation of the building," said B. Boreson. "We ran into more than a few bumps with the exposure of asbestos in the building, getting bids from contractors took much longer than anticipated, and there were some issues with the county needing to clear up the title."

J. Boreson and Kuester have officially joined their parents in partnership, making this Kuester's first venture into brewery ownership while this is another experience for J. Boreson as he is currently partners with his parents in the original brewery. Currently, J. and B. Boreson are working on the demolition and renovation work now in the Williston location, beginning with asbestos removal. J. Boreson said, "It is a shame we missed the good weather to work on the building, but there is a lot of indoor work to be completed and we will still be busy."

A major improvement the family is looking at is installing 10.5' x 8' windows, which had been bricked over, and will change the exterior of the building, letting in so much more daylight to the interior. The renovations are tentatively predicted to take between six and eight months, with the Boreson family planning a late 2020 summer opening.

E. Kuester, who will be managing the Taproom at BKB Williston, said, "Developing a a workforce that supports the brewery culture is so important. People come to a brewery specifically to relax and socialize. The staff is the front line fo the brewery, we want them knowledgeable about beer, about their community and willing to bring their strengths to help the BKB Williston be a success."

The new location also offers up a new opportunity for the BKB family. Pit #105, a barbecue restaurant owned by Caleb and Micki Hinrickson, will be attached to the brewery. The Hinricksons bring years of experience in the food industry and are looking forward to the new venture. In turn, the Boreson family is thrilled to have found "such enthusiastic and talented partners" to share in their new adventure.

However, the addition of the restaurant will not impact the ambiance the BKB is known for. As with their original Glasgow location, the Boreson family intends to remain true to who they are and what the brewery is. "Our hope is to bring a gathering spot to Williston that has delicious craft beer, made in house, a friendly atmosphere to chat, play games and relax. A place where neighbors become friends, and travelers are no longer strangers," explained the partners.

The Boresons remain humble and enthused about their continued success and plans for the future, telling the Courier, "We have been able to dream big about the opening of the Busted Knuckle Brewery Williston because of the support of customers and staff at our Glasgow location. We continue to have plans of expansion for Glasgow, including more outdoor seating and food offerings. Stay tuned! Cheers!"