Known for their flagship taproom in this historic MacArthur Park neighborhood, Rock City’s Stone’s Throw Brewing is gearing up to open their newest addition – the Stifft Station Taproom. The official opening will be May 7th and they will celebrate the opening all week.
Fans can expect 20 taps (two of which will be set up for nitro) and ample seating in a historic building a step down from the Oyster Bar. After participating in a Pop-Up event in 2018, Stone’s Throw felt they could be at home in the neighborhood.
“That’s one of the big attractions to this,” says co-owner Ian Beard, referencing the similarities between the new location and the flagship.
“They’re both historical locations at trolley stops,” he continues, “they’re both built for the same purpose during the same time span to be businesses that were a center of the residential neighborhoods.”
When the Stone’s Throw crew began readying their MacPark space nearly six years ago, they had plenty of work to do and not a lot of help from their landlord. This time around was a different story, as the Stifft Station location qualified for historic tax credits.
Co-owner Theron Cash said, “Luckily this time the majority of the construction done this time was done by the landlord before we got this space. […] So we had to paint, put down the floor, put in the cooler, add the bar, and supply the furniture. And after that, we’re pretty well ready to go.”
The taproom is welcoming, bright and spacious with 12-foot tall ceilings and about 1600 square feet of prime real estate for beer drinking. Plus, fans can get excited about those taps, as Beard says, “They’ll all be ours – we’ve been saving up. We’ve been ready to open for a while.”
There could be a chance down the road, however, for beer lovers to find the occasional guest tap from Gravity BrewWerks and/or Prestonrose.
The new space comes equipped with a killer team – with have Megan Wylie as Manager and Cetera C. Key as Assistant Manager. The two bring energy, excitement, and a vision to the taproom that will be all its own.
“I’m just excited about getting a good team of people in there that are enthusiastic about selling good beer to people […] and share that with the neighborhood,” said Megan.
“I’m of the neighborhood so I was excited that we were opening over here anyway – I can literally walk to work which is awesome,” Key echoes. “Plus, I’m ready to work for a brand that goes really hard for their products. I’m super excited about being involved with this energy.”
“We’ll at least start off with hours that mirror the current location – so we’ll be closed Monday, open four weekdays, open from noon Saturday, and then on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.,” says Beard.
While the Stifft Station location will mirror a lot from the MacArthur Park location, it will still have its own identity. There will be new things for fans to look forward to including live music. Geeks Who Drink Trivia will also move from the flagship location to the new taproom, as seating for 90 opens up the amount of people able to participate.
Stone’s Throw is proud to be a part of a movement to reconnect with the neighborhood – as was the case with their flagship location that has become a staunch part of the MacArthur neighborhood. The goal with Stifft station is nothing less.
“People are starting to reconnect to how towns used to be laid out,” Beard notes, “these small commercial areas are located where they are because they’re walking distances to people’s houses.”
As far as beer goes, Beard claims the “brewing culture has evolved,” and as long as beer enthusiasts are clamoring for something more, Stone’s Throw will do their best to provide.
