Our Story
A McLeod Family Affair
What does it take to make a dream come true? Well, if you ask Susan & Carol McLeod - sisters, owners, and master brewers of Hold Fast Brewing - they will tell you, “Passion, courage, fear, and a little bit of crazy.”
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You never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball; the trick is learning how to catch it. After the sudden loss of their father, the McLeod Clan was faced with some of life’s toughest questions. Realizing that life is both short and precious, the family rallied together.
What started out as a passion for beer and home brewing has blossomed into a successful family business celebrating delicious craft beer, the vibrant Springfield, Missouri community, and the memory of a father.
Carol was accepted into the American Brewer’s Guild and through that organization accepted an internship position with Rahr & Sons Brewing Company to learn how the big dogs play. She contrasted that experience with part-time work at a small brewery in Tulsa and topped off the adventure with an extended tour of the highest-ranked breweries in New England.
Susan enrolled in classes to learn how to work on industrial systems, fluid power, and electricity - becoming the brain and the brawn. As a result, Hold Fast has its very own in-house Brewery System Repair Person.
Hold Fast Brewing is a brick-and-mortar representation of all the principles important to the McLeod Family. It is a place of community, friendship, family, creativity, and love. It is a welcoming place to all. It is a place where everyone who walks in the doors is reminded to “hold fast,” and to do it with love
Our Historic Fire Station #1 Location
In 1962, the Springfield Fire Department moved the location of their headquarters from Commercial Street to 235 N. Kimbrough Avenue. Our location remained Springfield's Fire Station #1 for 50 years before being decommissioned in 2002. The space was later used for SWAT training by the Springfield Police Department and then storage for Public Works.
The hunt for the perfect location was not one that the sisters took lightly. Once this abandoned fire station became available and the space was toured, their ideal vision began to piece together. Once again, the pair jumped through every hoop and over every hurdle they had to to secure Springfield, Missouri’s decommissioned Fire Station #1.
