Alexandrea “Alley” Kneece had been eyeing a second location for her taproom.
“I looked at North Augusta and in Georgia and Columbia. Augusta’s got good bones,” said Kneece, whose Draft Society Taproom at 875 Broad St. opened May 1, just in time for the James Brown Birthday Block Party. Cole Phail showed the time-lapsed video of his creation of the James Brown Mural at the taproom.
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Kneece owns The Alley Downtown Taproom in Aiken. It’s a play off both her name and her location. For the Augusta spot, she wanted something different when it came to the name.
“The Draft Society is like a secret society of craft beer,” she said.
The building has some elements that lend to that mood, such as the rustic remnants of the fireplace in the front and the crooked walls that outlined the former alley space, where it’s located.
The Draft Society will serve 43 craft beers.
“The craft beers will be rotating,” she said.
While most of them will be regionally-sourced from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, other beers will pop up as well.
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“There may be a random beer from Belgium,” she said.
Patrons pay by the ounce, so they can try different types of craft beers they might not otherwise try.
While sipping the suds, they can play different types of games including the oversized Connect Four or foosball. Skee-Ball and basketball are on the way.
The business also offers wine, kombucha and coffee.
On May 8, Kneece said the taproom will be the site of some special activities. She’s planning some live music as well as having food trucks nearby to celebrate the official opening. She was still waiting for confirmation on the food.
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Kneece said she’s excited to be in the location near Laziza Mediterranean Restaurant and Vance’s Bakery Bar and looks forward to the return of shows to the Miller Theater and Imperial Theatre.
“I really like being close to the theater. When I come to Augusta, it’s usually for theater,” she said.
Draft Society Taproom is open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and noon to midnight Thursday through Saturday. It’s closed Sunday. For more information, call (706) 305-1152.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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