Sometimes there is such a thing as coming home. The opportunity to return home is one of the reasons Jake Miller came to Tulsa after Melissa and Zach French contacted him about opening a new brewery. The Frenches are both full-time dentists, but Zach has homebrewed since 2001 and splits brewing duties with Miller while Melissa brings a flair for design to the brewery as the creative voice behind the taproom design. In November 2017, Heirloom Rustic Ales opened in a former automobile repair shop in the Kendall Whittier District. With the Crosstown Expressway (formally I-244/U.S. Highway 412) behind it, the Heirloom Rustic Ales taproom stretches across a long parking lot. The…
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A pint at Iron Monk Brewing in Stillwater, Okla.
Only in a college town would a guy with a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a guy with an MBA meet and start a brewery. However, that was precisely the recipe that led Jerod Millirons and Dave Monks to start Iron Monk Brewing in Stillwater, Okla. Due to Oklahoma alcohol laws, production in the brewery started in advance of the taproom opening. The brewery, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary within the past month, did not open its taproom until late 2015. The modernization of Oklahoma beer laws has given the taproom new life, as they are now allowed to sell beers above 3.2% alcohol-by-weight. Now the taproom is open…
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A pint at Cabin Boys Brewery in Tulsa, Okla.
Great ideas often originate at communal gathering places. That is certainly the case of Cabin Boys Brewery. The idea germinated at a cabin Jeff McIlroy and friends built on his land in Catoosa, about 15 miles east of Tulsa, Okla. From fellowship fostered at the cabin, Austin McIlroy and Ryan Arnold realized the potential of their joint homebrewing endeavors. Their passion and skills led to Austin and his wife Lisa and Ryan opening Cabin Boys as a placed “craft for community.” Visitors to the brewery will notice the distinct Cabin Boys logo that Lisa designed as they come to the intersection of Utica Avenue and 7th Street. There is parking…
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A pint at Marshall Brewing Co. in Tulsa, Okla.
As craft beer was already experiencing a boom on the West Coast, Eric Marshall opened a production brewery in Tulsa, Okla. Considering the laws governing alcohol in the state, it was a potentially risky proposition given that distribution regulations heavily favored the major beer producers. However, Marshall Brewing Company found a niche of loyal drinkers and has grown since starting production in 2008. When Oklahoma began to modernize its alcohol laws, taprooms became more popular with customers because breweries could serve beer stronger than 3.2 alcohol-by-weight. I visited Marshall Brewing because the company took advantage of the new beer laws and had its inaugural “Dark Side of the Taproom” event…
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Five great places to drink craft beer in Oklahoma City
There are a lot of great reasons to visit Oklahoma City. Many visitors think about dining at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, exploring the history at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, or watching the NCAA’s Women’s College World Series at the OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex. There are countless other things people think about when they consider visiting OKC (see a full list here). When people think about destinations to visit for craft beer, Oklahoma City probably isn’t on that list. However, considering recent changes in the state’s beer laws and the growth of breweries in the city, Oklahoma City should be on beer drinkers’ list…
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A pint at Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing in Tulsa, Okla.
The armadillo is an animal closely associated with the American Southwest, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that a brewery in Oklahoma seized upon the animal for its name. So when Mason Beecroft and Tony Peck started a commercial brewery production, Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing was born. In 2016, the brewery opened its own taproom in an industrial area of town. Like most craft breweries, Dead Armadillo celebrates the unique tastes it brings to beer drinkers. Customers see this irreverent humor on the door before walking into the taproom. The taproom used to be home to Fourth Street Auto Repair, which was ideal for a brewery because it provides plenty…
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A pint at Anthem Brewing in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Transitioning from an 8th grade U.S. history teacher to become a brewmaster isn’t usually in the cards for most people, but it’s the path Patrick Lively took. Lively came on board at Anthem Brewing Company in 2014 after founder and brewmaster Matt Anthony left the company (read more about the brewery’s early history). Patrick spent five years working at COOP Ale Works before coming to Anthem, which had just relocated to its current location on S.W. 4th Street following a 2013 tornado that destroyed the brewery’s previous co-operative location on North Meridian Avenue that it shared with OKCity Brewing, Redbud Brewing, and Black Mesa Brewing. Like many breweries, Anthem is in…
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A pint at Twisted Spike Brewing in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Since 2016, Oklahoma has taken strides to modernize its beer and liquor laws. One of the biggest changes was the state allowing breweries to sell beer on premise that was above 3.2 alcohol-by-weight. The change in the law motivated Bruce Sanchez to finally open his own brewery after 25-plus years as a homebrewer. So on December 10, 2016, Twisted Spike Brewing Company opened its doors. Like many home brewers who realized their dream of opening a brewery, Bruce has a technical background that prepared him for his current undertaking. He worked for 25 years as a software engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He also won a handful of…
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My night with the Oklahoma City Dodgers – July 4, 2017
There are a lot of pluses and minuses to regularly visiting Minor League Baseball stadiums. The biggest minus for me is that I only starting blogging about my ballpark visits consistently five years ago. So I haven’t blogged about all the stadiums I’ve visited over the years. However, that is also a plus because it gives me incentive to re-visit and blog about those parks. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is one that I originally visited in 2009 while in graduate school at Oklahoma State University, but I hadn’t started blogging about my stadium visits at that time. So when planning my summer road trip to visit my wife’s family in Oklahoma,…
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My night with the Tulsa Drillers – May 25, 2013
When you attend games at a stadium on a regular basis, you don’t think about taking photos and sharing your experiences. For me, this is definitely applies to ONEOK Field in Tulsa. I have a close friend who lives in the area, so I’ve seen at least one game at the stadium each season since the ballpark opened in 2010. Additionally, I’ve been to the stadium to watch Bedlam baseball games on two occasions. However, I’ve only taken photographs on one previous trip. So I wanted to make sure that I took some photos during my next trip to attend a Tulsa Drillers game. My most recent trip to ONEOK…
