This Garden City taproom was ‘perfect.’ But closing it will ‘help tremendously’
When Brown Beard Brewing expanded with a second location in late 2024, it was a leap to another level for ex-home-brewer-turned-pro Bryce Tuttle.
And now that he plans to close his original watering hole? It’s another positive step.
Brown Beard’s taproom at 9165 W. Chinden Blvd. in Garden City will pour beers for the final time on Jan. 17. But Tuttle has plans at his larger Brown Beard Barrelhouse, 5270 W. Chinden Blvd.
Shrinking from two relatively close locations to one is an efficient evolution for the brand, which started in 2023 — plus a welcome personal transition, he said.
“That original place ... was the perfect launching ground. It was small, inexpensive for a startup to run, and it helped us build a core group of regulars — like a Brown Beard family.”
Now Tuttle wants to focus on distributing Brown Beard beer — seeing it poured from taps outside his own brewery for the first time — and grow the Barrelhouse’s intimate “House of Brews” concert series.
A brewer stretched ‘thin’
Speaking of family, Tuttle is the thrilled father of a 6-month-old daughter. Shuttering the original taproom will allow him to savor more precious moments during this fleeting period of a dad’s life.
“I’ve got so many great projects at the Barrelhouse — personally, maybe it’s stretching me thin, where I’m not spending as much time with my daughter as I should be,” Tuttle said. “And I think that’ll help tremendously.”
Known for flavorful recipes such as the Beard Lebrewskie, a golden coffee stout, Brown Beard Brewing quickly earned a neighborhood following at its original spot. A farewell celebration will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. on the final Saturday, Jan. 17, with hourly drink specials and live music from local performer Nik Mathews.
Next up: Noble Mead
Despite the looming closure, regulars soon will have a replacement brewery to enjoy, Tuttle said. Brown Beard’s original brewing system has been “collecting dust” at the taproom, so Tuttle sold it to another home brewer taking the next step: Noble Mead.
That fledgling brewery plans to take over Brown Beard’s former spot, pouring mead and braggot, a beer-mead hybrid, Tuttle said. He’s been enjoying samples of Noble Mead concoctions “for a long time” and expects the newcomer to find a niche.
“It’s a lot of really good stuff,” Tuttle said.
