Bricks loses liquor license; shuts down

A process that played out for almost a year has ended with a downtown watering hole locking its doors.

On Thursday, the front door and back patio gate at Bricks Bar & Grill, 320 Second Ave. SE, were locked. The bar was dark and empty of people and of some of its furniture.

Drew Munson, president of the partnership that owned the bar, declined to comment on the circumstances that led to the closing or to speculate on the future of the business, saying he “had a falling out” with his partners.

Bricks filed an application to renew its liquor license on Sept. 28, 2010. That application, which was approved by the Cedar Rapids City Council, was then sent to the state Alcoholic Beverages Division. The ABD discovered the corporation that owned the bar had been dissolved by the Secretary of State's office for failure to deliver its 2010 biennial report. As a result, Bricks “no longer met the standards of ‘good moral character,'” according to the ABD.

The liquor license application identified Daniel Oberreuter and Peter Moeller, both of Cedar Rapids, and Munson as each holding a 33.3 percent interest in the business. Oberreuter and Moeller could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Bricks failed to meet a June 27 deadline to pursue further appeal of the denial of liquor license renewal. Loss of the license was effective June 28.

As of Thursday, no tax liens were recorded against Bricks or its owners in Linn County. Assessments for delinquent accounts sometimes are not recorded as liens for several months. If the delinquency is paid, it's possible no lien ever will be filed.

On March 7, Munson notified ABD he was working with the Department of Revenue “to resolve the LLC issue at hand” and expected reinstatement of corporate status by March 21. That date passed without reinstatement, however.

Dozens of crimes were investigated at the bar by Cedar Rapids police in the past two years. Police linked the majority of the incidents to Bricks' “Bottomless Domestic Cup” nights, which featured unlimited beer refills for a set price of $5.