The men who want to open Butler Brew Works on Main Street always see the glass as half full — even during a difficult battle to get funds for their proposed brewery.

That optimism paid off Tuesday when the three partners finally closed on a construction loan through the Progress Fund, a nonprofit lending firm.

“It’s been a very long process,” said Nick Fazzoni of Butler Township, one of the owners of the proposed pub. “Banks aren’t always looking to give money to anyone starting a new business.”

Fazzoni, Gregory Deal of Butler and Travis Tuttle of Bridgeville bought the property at 101-107 S. Main St. in December 2011.

The men originally hoped to open their pub in 2013, but hit a wall in terms of funding.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs,” Fazzoni said.

But with financing in place, the aspiring brewers hope to open in some capacity in the next three to six months, barring any major setbacks with construction or licensing.

The pub may start out with a soft opening, offering a light appetizer with beer while the kitchen continues renovations.

“For obvious reasons we need to get revenue as quickly as possible,” Fazzoni said. “So we might open it in phases.”

But there is still plenty of work to be done.

“The building is gutted,” Fazzoni said. “It’s a hollow shell right now.”

The next step will be to finalize plans for the structure and submit them to the city for approval.

“We’re finalizing a lot of specifics from the brewery,” Fazzoni said. “Now that we know what we’re working with, we can finalize plans and submit them to the city.”

Fazzoni said the building needs a lot of electrical and plumbing work.

“It’s an old drugstore that we’re converting into a brewery,” Fazzoni said. “So you can imagine the work that needs done, especially with plumbing.”

The owners also want to begin ordering equipment, including the tanks that will hold their beers.

Fazzoni said the brewery may open with a handful of brews, depending on the equipment available.

“Eventually we want to have 10 to 12 beers at a time,” he said.

Each of the three owners will have a hand in crafting the beer.

The pub also will be able to sell Pennsylvania wines and hard cider.

But to sell anything the pub will have to get the necessary licenses. That may be the most time-consuming process of all.

The brewery is under review at the federal level for a license to sell beer. Once that is approved, the pub will need to get state approval.

“That’s why we’re saying three to six months,” Fazzoni said. “We could be renovated in a month or two once the city has the drawings.”

To complement the brews, the pub also will have a unique food menu.

“We want to have as much a focus on our food as our beer,” Fazzoni said.

To do that, the pub is looking to hire an experienced chef who will have the ability to design the menu around the general concept the owners have in mind.

“It’s a concept currently not in Butler,” Fazzoni said, not offering too much detail on the specifics. “It’s food people here don’t see so often.”

The idea for the brewery is something Fazzoni thinks Butler needs.

“I think it is more important than ever for the city,” Fazzoni said. “Especially with Natili (Restaurant) signing off their liquor license. We need to bring something downtown that isn’t there.”

Chelynne Curci, Butler Downtown’s Main Street manager, agrees.

“We’re very excited they were able to secure funding,” she said. “We look forward to working with them and helping them promote their business.”

Mayor Tom Donaldson said he was excited to see another business on Main Street.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s going to be a great addition.”

Curci said craft beers should be a big hit in the city.

“Look at the success North Country Brewery has had (in Slippery Rock),” she said. “Craft beer is becoming more and more popular.”

Curci is happy the owners were persistent in securing funding.

“There were a lot of rumors they would sell the building,” she said. “It’s exciting to see that wasn’t the case.”

The struggles the pub had getting financing isn’t anything new.

“It does seem like it is getting harder for small businesses to get loans,” Curci said. “Especially when they have no past experience.”