USA, OK: Fat Toad Brewing Co. opens its doors in Pryor

Oklahoma has another new brewery, and this time, it isn’t in Tulsa or Oklahoma City.

Pryor, about 45 minutes east of Tulsa and home to a Google campus, now has Fat Toad Brewing Co. at 3986 W. 530 Road near the Mid-America Industrial Park, the Tulsa World reported on January 4.

Pryor resident David Miller has been brewing beer for quite a few years and has wanted to start a brewery in his hometown for just about as long. Miller has been attending beer events, where he gives samples of his beers and listens to feedback. He’s met other brewers this way and has learned a lot about the adventure of starting a brewery in Oklahoma.

“We support all other local breweries, and it is a nice fraternity of like-minded, interesting, fun people willing to help at any time. Breweries like Dead Armadillo, Marshall, Iron Monk and others have been a great resource for practical help with everything from federal labeling to price point to customer relations,” Miller said.

The beauty of this brewery is that the owners are starting small. They want to brew for their community on a one-barrel system for now, but there are plans for a bigger brewhouse in the future. A one-barrel system will allow them to develop different recipes for a wide variety of beers for tasting.

Fat Toad is using Oklahoma products when it can — barley from Forty-Six Grain Co. in Enid and some locally sourced hops. The brewery is trying to be as fresh with its beers as it can.

“We believe, like most modern craft brewers, that we are restoring beer to its rightful place as a local business and product that says something about its hometown and region,” Miller said.

“We want to make beer for real beer lovers. We are trying to convert some beer drinkers over to our style of craft and to tap into the ones that know about it. We are creating something, a real product, real ingredients, grown from the earth and with history. Grain to glass right here in Pryor, Oklahoma.”

Beers on tap at the brewery include Off the Rails Brown Ale, an American brown ale; Bob’s IPA, an India pale ale; Big Ol’ Hefe, Hefeweizen German wheat; Wrecking Ball, American red ale; Two-Hand Slam, dunkelweizen dark German wheat; Downshifter, American pale ale; Aunt Hazel’s nut brown ale; Long Strange Sip, American black ale; and Saison de Crapaud, a farmhouse ale.

Hours are 4-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.

06 January, 2018