What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas, at least this time. In March 2018, Huntsville restaurateurs Tina Ford and Stan Stinson attended the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. While there, the Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza and Bark & Barrel BBQ owners, happened to see a self-serve beer tap display.

In December 2017, Ford and Stinson had purchased the cozy Clinton Avenue popsicle shop Frios, before closing it down in late 2018. That area is part of downtown Huntsville designated Entertainment District where visitors were allowed to perambulate between bars and restaurants with open containers of alcoholic beverages, in designated cups during designated days and hours.

“We thought that if we could figure out a way to sell beer and pizza slices, Clinton Row would be the perfect location,” says Stinson, referring to the retail and commercial development on Clinton Ave. That idea becomes reality March 14. Ford and Stinson’s new Self Serve Drinkery is holding a soft opening, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Self Serve Drinkery will boast 28 taps, - 24 beer and cider taps and four wine taps, two of those wines chilled.

“Our beer mix will be eclectic but most will be familiar to Huntsville craft beer drinkers,” Stinson says. “We are going to have roughly 10 nationally or internationally known beers and a dozen Alabama-centric craft beers.” The nationally known tap wall will scale from budget hipster/everyman fave Pabst Blue Ribbon to Louisiana product Abita to Czech Republic import Pilzner Urquell. The craft wall of taps will boast libations like New Holland Brewing’s Dragon’s Milk Stout and Goat Island Blood Orange Berliner-Weisse.

The Self Serve Drinkery in downtown Huntsville. (Courtesy photo)

A number of locally made beers will also cycle through, Stinson says, “Our initial offerings will include beer from STA, Yellowhammer, Blue Pants and Main Channel. As the weather warms, we will host some sours and other offerings from Fractal Brewing as well. We will have a monthly ‘people’s choice’ tap that we will highlight on our social media pages. We’ll list three choices and the highest vote-getter gets a tap for the month.” Pricing at Self Serve Drinkery will start at 31 cents per ounce and, for some higher end wines, go up $1.50 or per ounce.

Stinson say the operational concept is pretty simple. "Customers will swipe their driver's license and credit card into the POS (point of sale) system and that information will be tied to an RFID (radio frequency identification) bracelet. Each tap has a computer tablet tied into it. Customers tap the bracelet to the tablet and that activates that tap. The customer pours the beer and is charged by the ounce. If they want to sample five beers an ounce at a time, they can do that. The taps will be slowed down to assist novice users with the taps to reduce foam."

Given their expertise in pies with their outstanding Earth and Stone Wood Fired pizzas, adding pizza to the options at The Drinkery was a natural fit. And a masterstroke. The Drinkery will serve three or four different large New York style pizzas by the slice, as well a couple hot sandwiches with chips. Slices will go for $5. Sandwich and chips, around nine bucks.

The Drinkery is employing a staff of eight. The owners anticipate three or so employees being on hand during peak hours. Outside of the March 14 soft opening, normal hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. During weekends, Stinson says, “We will stop serving beer at midnight but have slices and sandwiches for the late night crowd looking for something to eat on their way home from downtown Huntsville.” Given the times we now live in, with the coronavirus pandemic and concerns thereof, The Drinkery staff will frequently disinfecting their tap handles. Drinks are served in one-use to-go cups.

Converting an 800-square-foot popsicle shop, built with just enough for a counter and one table inside, took more than just installing a few taps. They removed the counter and interior room that housed popsicle freezers and replaced those with a large walk in cooler. Amid Huntsville competitive craft beer market, Stinson thinks Self Serve Drinkery’s format fills a niche. " Our location is perfect for grabbing a beer and a slice and walking to Big Spring Park or anywhere downtown to enjoy them."

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