Druid City Brewing Company’s new space is officially open.

A move nearly three-years-in-the-making, the new spot only requires a short walk from their original building in Parkview Center. Longtime Tuscaloosans will know they now occupy the old Comcast cable building, located at 700 14th Street.

With more space (4,500-square feet), a psychedelic live music room, “funky and weird” local art and all the original beers the community has come to know and love — they’re ready to rock and roll.

Take a look at the photos above and below for a tour through Druid City Brewing’s new location, and learn more about it from owner and brewmaster Bo Hicks as you go.

“We were very excited we had gotten this room, and then of course, COVID happened, which sort of shut down the world,” Hicks said. “We were lucky enough to have a landlord here give us at least a year grace period before we had to start paying rent. But then things behind COVID like the supply chain we all dealt with…it has been a long time coming. It’s been about three years of, ‘OK guys, stiff upper lip and press on.’”

The original space just across the parking lot took up about 1,400-square-feet, while the new building occupies about 4,500-square-feet, which will let them accommodate more patrons in ways they couldn’t in the event of inclement weather. Hicks credits the people of Tuscaloosa for helping this journey last for a decade so far.

“It’s just such a long, deep breath — mostly because of the community. We were really lucky the Tuscaloosa community rallied around us. There’s no way we could have made it through without the community wanting us to. That’s so gratifying and humbling. It’s made a difference for people to want to be a part of it.”

He said one of the most gratifying parts of the process is the support the business has received from the Tuscaloosa City Council, who officially approved the opening this week. “We’ve had a great relationship with the city,” Hicks said. “We’ve had no incidents here in the 10 years. The mayor [Walt Maddox] actually spoke very highly of us. I really appreciated that because there’s not too many times ol’ Bo will strap on a tie and his old driving loafers. A man in my field doing so much brewing, it’s a very dirty and stinky business, there’s very few occasions that I get to wear a tie. Every now and then, even an old dog can spiff up a little bit.”

The new spot will allow them to hire more people and include even more artistic and creative people as part of their vision for making a difference in Tuscaloosa. “Having more square footage, not having to worry about rain or freezing cold, it’s going to allow us to double-down on our original mission statement of real community involvement,” Hicks said. “I’m really proud of that. It’s been a long time coming.”

Hicks calls the venue’s architecture “funky and weird,” which he called “sort of our scene.” It has tables from another old favorite Tuscaloosa bar, The Chukker (and will soon display The Sistine Chukker painting that previously hung at Egan’s bar on the Strip). One cool detail locals will love: The new bar-top is a recycled bowling lane from Alberta’s Leland Lanes, which closed in 2019.

The walls are lined with framed posters from past shows featuring bands like Alabama Shakes, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires and more, plus a slew of Moon Winx Lodge imagery, which fans of the brewery will know is featured in its logo. Hicks said the Moon Winx design has special meaning for him as a landmark that meant he was nearing town as a child.

There’s even a gaming station, with familiar consoles (Nintendo 64!) and tried-and-true games (”Mario Kart”!) patrons can enjoy as they sip.

“We are super excited to be somewhere where there’s so much more room,” Hicks said. His favorite part of the new space: The music room. In the previous building, musicians and patrons would cram into the actual brewing room or line up on the patio. Now, they have the space to accommodate the crowds and sounds.

“To have an actual music venue room for poetry readings, singer/songwriter things, rock bands.” In fact, that music room — which he has dubbed “The Moon Room” — has a concrete floor and black cinderblock walls plastered with a trippy mural (from local artists Graham Townsend and Rachel Wakefield) featuring a crescent moon engulfed in pillowy purple clouds. “It’s all black light-active,” Hicks said. “It’s like you’ve been transported back to Super Skate in 1988 playing ‘Galaga.’ It’s a good listening room. It’s not going to be a bunch of people goofing and yelling when there’s a beautiful songwriter that’s playing.”

Hicks said the Moon Room will also allow for larger-scale events. They hope to book bigger acts in the future that will require a cover charge in some cases after years of hosting shows free to the public. They’ll start with an acoustic gig featuring Salvo, formerly known as Pain.

They’ll make the space available to rent if people want to book it for parties and other events. Hicks said they also hope to open a kitchen so patrons can enjoy a bite to eat with their beer, hinting at an “interesting” menu that isn’t “straight bar food.”

“It’s like Bill Murray in ‘What About Bob?’…it’s baby steps, man,” Hicks said. “We’re happy to be over here in our new place to get our legs under us, to continue to grow and be proud Tuscaloosans.”

It also allows the brewery to add more staff, including a full-time event booker, more bartenders and future kitchen staff.

Druid City Brewing is still mourning the recent loss of its co-founder, Elliott Roberts, who helped open the brewery in 2013, which merged with Huntsville’s Straight to Ale brewery in 2019

Hicks, who began home-brewing in Roberts’ driveway, credits his former partner with believing in the original “dumb, quirky idea” to make their community better. “It breaks my heart that he can’t be here,” Hicks said. “There’s no way Druid City would be here without him. Every now and then we would bicker like an old married couple, but we would always think better of it and tell each other we loved each other.

“One of the things I want to do is continue to make him proud and have him as part of the legacy. We wouldn’t be here without him. He believed. He was a major force in my life. I’m just glad I got to be part of his orbit for a little bit. I feel honored for that, and I’m going to make him proud.”

One way they’ll do that will be hosting “Sweetdog’s 10th Annual Crap-Out,” an annual birthday party for Craig Pickering, a founding member and drummer for The Dexateens. The party, which began at Egan’s a decade ago, promises “two nights of nonstop rock” Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. See the schedule for this year’s Crap-Out below.

March 3, 2023

POETRY

Jessica Kidd

Nathan Parker

Joe Hornsby

MUSIC

SQQUAT

Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks

Blip

Nowhere Squares

Haunted House Cat

March 4, 2023

POETRY

Abe Smith

Kwoya Maples

Michael Martone

MUSIC

Hans Condor

Maanta Raay

The Blips

Jeffrey Evans Band

The Ladies Of

Patrick O’Sullivan