Steadfast Spirits, a distillery on Hall Street in Concord, has purchased the nearby Lithermans brewery and the owner plans to take the brewpub back to its earlier “vibe.”

“The focus is on going back to those original beers, small batches of really good beer, and the original feel and vibe of the brewery,” said Charles Lundergan, who founded Steadfast Spirits, which sells a variety of whiskeys and clear liquor, in 2020.

Lithermans Limited helped bring Concord into the state’s then-new brewpub scene when it opened in a Hall Street industrial park in 2016. Its founders sold it last year to new owners who leased some of their space to 603 Bar-B-Q, made some changes to the bar itself and opened a taproom in Portsmouth, which has since closed.

Those owners have now sold to Lundergan, who has been operating Lithermans since mid-October. “When it sold the last time, the opportunity didn’t really work out for us – but this time we made it work. It came together a lot faster than anybody was expecting.”

Lundergan will be dialing back many of the changes made over the past year.

“They tried to expand. I’m kind of trying to do the opposite – not to shrink it but to go back to the community feel and community vibe that Lithermans had,” said Lundergan.

He pointed to a personal example: “My daughter wasn’t even a week old and she was sitting on the bar at the original Lithermans and (the owner) was holding her. That’s the vibe I love and want to get back to.”

603 Bar-B-Q will continue as before and may expand in the future, he said. It leases part of Unit A, one of three units that Lithermans owns in the former industrial space. 

Steadfast Spirits will also continue as before, Lundergan said. “We’re growing a fair amount. The moonshine line has done really well. Two years ago we launched our first aged whiskeys and are slowly releasing those.” 

The brewpub and the distillery have largely distinct clientele, although there is some overlap.

As for long-term plans, Lundergan has a dream: “Down the road I’d like to have our own building – brewery, distillery, restaurant all in one place together … with space for a music venue.”

That won’t be easy but he has experience with things not being easy: Steadfast Spirits opened right before before COVID came along and shut everything down.

David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com