The telltale sounds of construction — hammers banging, forklifts zipping around, drills whirring — filled the massive space at 3452 North Main St. in Columbia on a recent Wednesday afternoon.

The work is underway to bring a historic building back to life and launch a massive brewery and multi-use space a few miles north of downtown. Construction is in full swing at Peak Drift Brewing Company at the former Stone Manufacturing Company facility on North Main. The 65,000-square-foot building is being revamped as a full-production brewery and hospitality complex that will include restaurant space with indoor and outdoor dining options, a members-only gym, an entertainment stage, a duckpin bowling alley, a merchandise shop and much more.

The production brewery portion of the operation — which encompasses 25,000-square-feet of the facility — is being led by master brewer Ashley Kinart-Short, one of the few female head brewmasters in the nation. Kinart-Short had a long history in the brewing industry in Wisconsin and was previously the master brewer at Capital Brewery, a large regional craft brewery headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. Kinart-Short was busy prepping the brewery when a reporter recently visited at North Main, donning a hard hat as she worked on various tanks and equipment. She’s enthused about being a key part of an aggressive endeavor.