Good news: Nipomo’s got its own local pub now—and according to the business it has attracted in its first month open, the town’s residents really wanted one.
“They’re actually telling me they were waiting for a place like this,” Old Town Brew Owner Daniel Reyes said. He enjoyed a crowd of 75 at the pub’s soft opener, even more at its grand opening on June 11, and he’s seen a steady stream of customers in the time since.
The place gives off an almost coffee-shop-type vibe, serving tasters in tiny Mason jars and inviting patrons to a sunny, flower-clad outdoor patio. It makes you want to place an order, settle in, and soak up the atmosphere and company.
And Reyes—a Central Coast native and Nipomo resident—said that’s exactly the kind of place he wanted to open. He didn’t want the pub to become a party spot, but rather somewhere for “people to feel like they’re at home.”
Starting July 1, Old Town Brew customers will enjoy a wider array of comforts and entertainment: live music on Saturdays, weekly beer and wine tastings, cornhole, cards, WiFi, pint nights, live sports, bottomless mimosas on Sundays, taco Tuesdays, and food trucks on the weekends—that pub’s future is looking bright.
At Old Town Brew, craft beer is the name of the game. Reyes said he’ll keep the place’s beer and wine selection Californian, and the more local, the better. Following its opening, the pub featured Firestone Walker, Elysian, Founders, TapIt, and Maui Brewing Co. (which of course isn’t California-based, but maybe we could let that slide).
But Reyes said what’s on tap now might not be there in a few weeks.
“That’s kind of our theme, to change beers at least every month or two months so people are trying something new, so it’s not the same thing over and over,” he said.
The selection has some expanding to do, but Reyes said he’s aiming for 32 beer taps as well as 32 varieties of wine. His long-term goals for the place include house brews, which he hopes to offer in the next year, and a kitchen on wheels.
You wouldn’t know it off the bat, but opening this kind of place is “all new territory” for Reyes. Old Town Brew is his first beer venture—and in fact, he’s brand new to the entire food industry. But after more than six months of careful research and training, he feels he’s ready to take the leap, he said.
“I knew we needed something in Nipomo,” Reyes said. “Craft beer is the thing that’s in right now, and I figured I’d give it a shot, and here I am. I took the risk, and I did it.”
Old Town Brew’s final opening hours were relatively up in the air as of press time, but Reyes said he expects them to go as follows: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
This summer’s already thrown some heat-wave action at the Central Coast, and there’s surely more to come. So if you find yourself craving a late afternoon on a sunny patio surrounded by greenery, sipping on some cold craft beer created by your own neighbors, Old Town Brew is certainly the place to do it.
Brenna Swanston loves drinkin’ beer outside on a hot June day. Send your idea of summer bliss to bswanston@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.