A craft brewery with an ‘80s vibe more than two years in the making is finally opening its doors in Stone Mountain tomorrow.
Outrun Brewing Co. will celebrate its grand opening from 5-10 p.m. July 3 and noon-10 p.m. July 4, offering four beers on tap, merchandise, beer to go in 32 oz. crowlers, live music and food trucks.
The brewery will offer limited seating both days in its taproom and in its more extensive outdoor area.
The brainchild of former Three Taverns Brewery brewers Josh Miller and Ryan Silva, Outrun, whose name is an homage to the Outrun Sega arcade game, is “not an ‘80s-themed bar,” Miller said.
Rather, the pair, who started planning out the brewery about three year ago, are trying to evoke “an easygoing, approachable, relaxed attitude, and the ‘80s embody that,” he said. “We want to play off of people’s nostalgia, but make it for today’s age.”
To that end, look for a bright pink neon “Outrun” sign hanging in the taproom, ‘80s arcade games and merchandise, beers with names like “Members Only” and crowler and can labels designed to look like blank VHS covers.
The brewery’s 5-barrel system will put out four to five beers to start, with no more than 10 beers total when Outrun is brewing at full capacity. The small output is by design, Miller said, in order to “keep everything as close to us as possible,” he said, and to “relieve people of choice fatigue.”
That means Outrun doesn’t have any plans for distribution, but will focus on selling beer in its taproom and to-go.
“We’re a mom and pop-style place,” he said. “And this way we can have the freshest beer possible.”
Outrun’s beers will match its vibe, he said, with “easier going” brews suitable for the hot Georgia weather. While Miller said he and Silva take beer brewing very seriously, the beers themselves are meant to be accessible.
“The IPAs aren’t very bitter and the stouts aren’t too roasty,” he said. “We want people to have a good time, and we want to make people to get into craft beer.”
This weekend, look for 89 Kalani, a sour with passionfruit, orange and guava; Night Drive, a chocolatey stout; Lo-Fi, a “light dry hop with Hallertau Blanc”; and Members Only, an IPA with a “big fruity aroma” of melon, pineapple and citrus.
Outrun will start its to-go offerings with 32 oz. crowlers, and in a few weeks plans to offer cans from 8 oz. to 16 oz.
The taproom has a maximum 48-person capacity, which will be considerably lower during the coronavirus pandemic, and an outdoor gravel pit offers seating at picnic tables.
Outrun plans to be open Fridays and Saturdays to start with, and will host a variety of local food trucks.
Miller said while it’s been a challenge to open a business during a pandemic, Outrun’s model makes it adaptable.
“Being this small helps with flexibility,” he said. “We’re very nimble, and we can change what we need to.”
5368 East Mountain St., Stone Mountain. 770-696-5246, outrunbrewingco.com/
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