USA, OK: Lazy Circle Brewing officially launches in Norman

Norman, OK has taken another step toward becoming a craft-beer hotbed, the Norman Transcript reported on November 16.

Lazy Circle Brewing, 422 E Main St., owned by Stephen Swanson and his wife, Holly, along with Holly’s brother, Stephen Basey, officially opened for business on November 16.

Lazy Circle joins 405 Brewing Co., 1716 Topeka St., as Norman’s second microbrewery with on-site tap rooms.

“We’re very excited,” Swanson said. “It will be the first time people can try beer from two different breweries in Norman. People can go try [405’s] beer and then come try ours.”

When Gov. Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 424 in 2016, it opened the door for brewers to sell high-point beer to consumers on the premises, in conjunction with Norman ordinance and zoning amendments passed in January.

“The more local breweries [Norman] has, the more the community will thrive,” 405 co-founder Jonathan Stapleton said.

Stapleton and 405 co-founder Trae Carson said it’s not 405 vs. Lazy Circle, but rather 405 alongside Lazy Circle.

“We’re all a part of the brewing community,” Carson said. “We all want to do the same thing: make a craft product. By working together, we can educate more consumers and reach more people. They’ve had to go through a lot of hurdles, and we’re excited for them to open.”

Swanson said it all started for Lazy Circle about four years ago while he, Holly and Basey were home brewing in Basey’s garage.

“It was more of a hobby,” Swanson said. “Over the years, we joked around about opening up a brewery. One thing led to another, which led to another, and here we are.”

Swanson said when Basey retired from the Navy, they all started looking at locations and found the perfect one on Main Street.

Swanson said the brewery will feature five traditional styles of beer at its grand opening.

One is the Dirty Bird Red, which is a red ale with a hoppy profile, named after Lake Thunderbird. Another is the Trail Ale, an American pale ale that is aromatic and got its name while Swanson was mountain biking.

“[Trail Ale] is a really good beer that pairs with hiking, camping and other outdoor activities,” Swanson said.

In addition, there also will be the Main and Porter, a porter that won best dark beer at Norman Wine Walk and Brewfest last month, 100K IPA, and Scrappy's Short & Stout, an imperial stout that was named after Swanson’s dog, which he described as a “stout” terrier.

Swanson said he hopes the brewery will have nine to 10 beers on tap within the next six months.

Lazy Circle’s normal hours will be 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

19 November, 2017