Folks can throw back pretzel bites and beers while looking at a 10-barrel brew system in a former Ford dealership in St. Francisville.

After two years of planning and 14 months of construction, Bayou Sara Brewing Co., 11943 Ferdinand St., will have its grand opening from 5 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 24.

The idea to open a brewery goes back to 1995 at Camp Zama, Japan, where one of the four owners, Steve McKinney, was stationed in the U.S. Army with his wife, Amanda McKinney.

“I realized beer was expensive over there,” Steve said. “I was complaining to my mother one time, and she sent me a homebrew kit. I started making beer, and Amanda and I were like ‘Wow. This could be really good.’”

Thirty years later, the McKinneys began Bayou Sara Brewing Co. with Doug Cochran and his wife, Abby, who is a

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