The options are overwhelming at first.
Along an entire wall of Old Towne Beer Hall, digital screens showcase ales, stouts, fruit beers and other unique craft offerings from all of the country. Award-winning IPAs from Michigan, Georgia, California and other states are lined up next to Mexican-style lagers from Indianapolis and a Christmas ale from Cleveland.
Taking a swig from a raspberry ale called Rubaeus, blended with Brown County mainstay Quaff On! Brewery’s peanut butter porter, tastes surprisingly like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
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More traditional domestic beers are located around the corner, and wines and cocktails on tap cater to the non-beer drinking crowd.
“So you’re not locked into that pint. You can walk through, try half an ounce of that or half an ounce of this,” said Derek Gault, one of the founders of Old Towne Beer Hall. “People can play around with what they like, and fall in love with craft beer.”
Old Towne Beer Hall, which opened in downtown Franklin in late November, has brought a wealth of potential for beer, wine and cocktail lovers. A stripped down yet cozy atmosphere invites patrons to come hang out, and bar games and events such as live music keep people entertained.
Gault, along with his business partners Alex Cunningham and Douglas Rhude hope that they’ve created a place rooted in Franklin’s history and traditions, one that is a fitting addition to the courthouse square.
“If it wasn’t for the community support, we couldn’t have done this. The community has really had our backs on this,” Gault said. “We want to give something great to Franklin. We hope people come here to check this out and see how amazing this town is.”
The decor throughout the beer hall serves as a tribute to Franklin.
Stylized portraits of Ben Franklin hang on the wall. A flag of the city, created out of wood, is mounted above a row of seating.
Old wood, salvaged from a local barn, is used to create beams, decorative lighting and other accents throughout the adjoining rooms. A canvas print of that barn takes up nearly an entire wall as customers walk into the lobby.
The love letter to Franklin and the surrounding area makes sense, considering Gault has made the city his home for more than 30 years.
“I’m a local; I’ve been here all my life, bartending for 20-some years,” he said.
The idea to create a place like Old Towne Beer Hall grew out of a conversation between Gault and his brother Rhude, who live in North Carolina. They were impressed by self-serve beer-delivery systems such as iPourIt, which were popular on the East and West coasts.
Customers could choose from a wide range of beers or other beverages, pouring as much as they’d like, and paying a per-ounce cost for different selections.
But most of the ones that they had seen in North Carolina were simply beer halls — picnic tables set up in wide open spaces, with nothing else much to keep customers around other than the beer.
“He called me and asked if we could do it more like a bar, and I didn’t see why not,” Gault said.
The space they chose for the venture is located on East Court Street, in historic building with a sleek facade.
The interior incorporates historic brick and reclaimed wood. Construction stretched through the summer and into the fall, after stripping plaster and flooring down to the bare elements of the building.
Though tedious, the finished work has given the space a rugged quality that adds to the character of the space.
“It’s cool — you can see Franklin’s history in this,” Gault said.
When customers come in, they check in at a front desk with their IDs, and a form of payment, which is kept in the beer hall’s computer system. They are given a bracelet with an radio-frequency identification chip in it, which they hold up to the displays at each tap, and tracks how much they pour.
“Basically, the customer is the bartender,” Gault said.
Limits are placed on how much they can pour to begin with, with most beers capped at 32 ounces, though some of the stronger versions are less, Gault said. That ensures that they have to interact with one of the employees at the beer hall to get more, preventing customers from over-serving themselves.
Taps are available for 10 domestic beers, 30 craft brews, five wines and 10 cocktails such as Moscow mules and skinny winter margaritas — with the mixes made for Old Towne by a North Carolina company, then shipped to Indiana, where they add the liquor themselves, Gault said.
Seating is spacious, offering plenty of places to spread out. Plenty of outlets and wireless internet are designed for college students and those who want to work on their laptops while enjoying a beverage, Gault said.
Old Towne Beer Hall does not have a kitchen. But in keeping with its theme as an ode to downtown Franklin, Gault has partnered with Benjamin’s Coffeehouse and the Willard to have food delivered to customers.
“Pick up the menu, give them a call, and they’ll deliver it for free,” Gault said.
In the rear section of a beer hall, games such as Golden Tee and darts are set up, as are beer pong tables. Though it’s too cold to use right now, a patio and picnic tables will allow for live music and karaoke during the warmer months.
The plan is to start scheduling those types of activities during the weeks and weekends, though they don’t want to overload the calendar.
“We’re trying not to be that bar that’s always flooded with some kind of event every night,” Gault said. “The technology alone is going to bring people in.”
Old Towne Beer Hall
What: A Franklin bar that offers self-serve tap options, including 10 domestic beers, 30 craft brews, five wines and 10 cocktails.
Where: 55 E. Court St., Franklin
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily
Founders: Derek Gault, Alex Cunningham and Douglas Rhude
Information: oldtownebeer.com
New Year’s Eve party
What: Music by Meg & Mike
Where: Old Towne Beer Hall, 55 E. Court St., Franklin
When: 9 p.m. to midnight
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