Platz Beer Garden is set to hold its grand opening celebration Saturday, Nov. 7, inside a restored 1869 church at 34 Court Street in downtown Keene, New Hampshire, just off Central Square.
What’s planned for Platz Beer Garden’s opening day
The official event page promises music, activities, giveaways and the launch of The Sacred Order of Hop & Vine, which a press release describes as Platz’s beer and wine membership. The event page’s listed time range looks unusual, so check it, or Platz’s regular hours, before you go. Times there are Eastern.
Platz Beer Garden is a beer garden, not a brewery. It hasn’t said it brews its own beer. The press release describes about 20 rotating taps, curated wines and “simple German-inspired fare.”
The building
34 Court Street is the former Grace United Methodist Church, built in 1868–69 to a design by Boston architect Shepard S. Woodcock. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its 1985 nomination form calls it one of the largest and more interesting religious buildings in southwestern New Hampshire.
According to the Platz press release, the restoration repaired the stained glass, kept the cathedral ceiling and choir loft, and built the bar from original altar woodwork and pews. Founder and owner Zach Luse is quoted in the release: “None of this was about erasing what the building was, it’s about keeping it standing for another 150 years.”
Regular hours
Platz’s website lists Thursday 4–11 p.m., Friday 4 p.m.–midnight, Saturday 11 a.m.–midnight and Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday (Eastern time). The press release gives Sunday as 11 a.m. to midnight, so confirm Sunday hours with the venue.
Platz is one of several old churches that now pour beer. If you’re planning a trip around good pints, our San Diego Beer Week guide covers the other coast this week.
Featured image: Exterior of the former Grace United Methodist Church, 34 Court St., Keene (Oct. 2025); not event photography. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: cropped, padded, color-graded and overlaid with BeerAlien graphics. This edited version is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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