CONNEAUT LAKE — Moving forward last fall with plans for a new brewery in downtown Conneaut Lake, Jason Mulligan understood it would take some time to get it built, licensed and opened.“What I thought at the beginning was opening in late April (2023),” Mulligan said last week. “I knew it was going to be a process. Opening on time is a huge thing.”Last Tuesday, Rising River Brewing Lakeside and Curley’s Barbecue Pit officially opened at 115 Water St.“The response we’ve had through the community already has been great,” Mulligan said.“It’s a good feeling to be open. It’s exciting,” added Ethan Curley of Curley’s Barbecue Pit, which is handling the food side of the business.Over the winter, the building was renovated to suit the needs of the two enterprises. While major work was contracted, some of it was done by Mulligan and Curley.They put the bar in, built the kitchen and smokehouse plus the handicapped-access ramp, and built the tables.“Not just having contractors do everything — it’s a little self-rewarding,” Mulligan said. “It’s not just brewing the beer, serving food and having people enjoy that, but you’re creating the environment itself.”Rising River Brewing Lakeside’s location is right at the eastern entrance to the borough, with Ice House Park and the lake itself just across the street.“It’s just a great location right out by the lake,” Curley said.“We’re excited to be downtown,” Mulligan added. “We want to have some good vibes here.”The good vibes began April 22 when the business held a soft, private opening for family and friends to celebrate and help train staff. There’s about a dozen employees at the business between bar and kitchen staff.Rising River Brewing Lakeside has 10 taps — nine beers on tap and one tap for cider from Davenport Cidery & Winery of Meadville.“We’ve got about 30 to 40 beers in our profile and they’ll rotate — some depending on the time of year,” Mulligan said. “We’ll have beers like winter ales around Christmas and pumpkin at Halloween.”Mulligan and a fraternity brother from college, Ron W. Beitler, own Rising River Brewing Co. in the borough of Macungie in Lehigh County. That company was established in late 2021 and opened in early 2022. Rising River Brewing Co. won Best New Brewery and Best Destination Brewery for 2022 in the website Breweries in Pennsylvania’s third annual Readers Choice Awards.Mulligan said beers will be brewed at both Conneaut Lake and Macungie as another brewer has been hired for the Macungie location using Mulligan’s recipes.The food side of the business features Curley’s Texas-style barbecued brisket with sandwiches, burgers, tacos and other fare as well as fresh-cut Curley fries, the famous fries at the Crawford County Fair.Hours of operation are: Tuesday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.; and closed Mondays.