Athens
Brewing
Co.
Handcrafted beer and
ambiance at Athens
Brewery, Athens
Bringing Urban Life to Athens
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHELLI PARKER
I
f a bar and a coffee shop had a love child it would
be the Athens Brewery. Walking into the Athens
brewery is a wonderful combination of stepping
back into history yet into a cool nighttime won-
derland. A hip place to go have a handcrafted beer,
listen to live music and have some incredible food. Small
towns tend to lack nightlife and the Athens Brewery pro-
vides a nice retreat nestled in the heart of downtown Ath-
ens. Whether you want to drink a seasonal beer, such as
my favorite, the “Pumpkin Pale Ale”, or dine on “Shrooms
of Destiny” this is a great place for a night out. The pa-
tio features board games, twinkle lights and corn hole all
while listening to a rockin live band on most weekends.
Athens Brewery, located on the town square at 101 E.
Tyler St, was opened in 2016 by the Pierce family who also
own Tara Winery. William Pierce, the manager worked at
the winery growing up, starting off as a waiter around
14 and grew into management. Pierce’s inspiration for
opening it was a desire by the family and the city to bring
something into Athens. Brittany had been home brew-
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T H E T E X A S F O O D IE
ing for about five years, and he had just finished school
in Austin where he attended Austin Community College
and was looking for something productive to be part of.
“I really just needed an outlet for my skillset.” He started
learning from his sister and went to her alma mater UC
Davis to take a class in brewery management, learning
what it takes to run a brewery and craft beer. The city
sold the building for a song and after a $100,000 pur-
chase the family has invested about $400,000 additional
in renovations. The cutouts to expose the first floor and
the firmentors were custom created to create the open
unique vibe. They tried to preserve the feel of the build-
ing and went through painstaking efforts to repurpose
materials throughout the project. The floors are original
from the 1900s, when the building was a hardware and
drug store. Plaster was removed to expose bricks which
were repurposed to make the gate and in the face of the
bar. The doors were custom made to fit the firmentors
into the building, and a patio was revamped for live enter-
tainment, socializing and games. “It was a fun project for