Expanded Taproom, Music Draws Record Crowd
Main Street was rocking Friday night as the Water Liars took the stage at Yalobusha Brewing Company’s weekly “Tours, Tastings and Tunes.” The event attracted 327 people. – Photo by Justin Geurin
Expanded Taproom, Music Draws Record Crowd
By Justin Geurin
Herald Contributor
WATER VALLEY – Last Friday night, Yalobusha Brewing Company unveiled their new, larger taproom as a part of their weekly “Tours, Tastings, and Tunes” event. The event was cited as a huge success, with over 300 people walking through the doors throughout the day to tour the facility, listen to the music of Water Liars, and taste free samples of the Main Street company’s product.
For owner Andy O’Bryan, after getting a lot of feedback and requests from friends and customers seeking new entertainment options in Water Valley, committing to putting these events on every Friday is a no-brainer.
“We added music the second week of January and already have bands booked throughout April,” O’Bryan says. Friday night’s event also welcomed the Yoknapa Taco food truck to Water Valley, which sold out of food before the event ended. In addition, it was no coincidence to have Water Liars, a band headlined by Water Valley native Andrew Bryant, as the opening act for the new taproom.
The best part of the night, for O’Bryan, was seeing the incredible number of families who came and brought their children.
“We usually have a pretty steady rotation with the Crawdad Hole,” he explains, “we will have a lot of families earlier in the evening, which will be replaced by a younger crowd later in the night.”
The time slot for the music (beginning at 6 p.m.) helps to promote more of a family atmosphere and brings a host of people to Water Valley for dinner, promoting local restaurants. In addition, due to the Brewery’s distribution reach, the events bring in people from a wide range, with visitors from six different states stopping in this past Friday.
The space the new taproom provides also creates more possibilities for the brewery in the future. For starters, O’Bryan reported they will continue to provide live music every Friday, while they also plan to re-launch being open on Saturdays in the coming months. O’Bryan is working on new entertainment ideas for those events, which may include a movie night, trivia competitions, or even tailgating-style games. “We are constantly seeking ways to improve,” says O’Bryan, who has gotten a lot of comments from friends and neighbors who are excited about the business’ future in Water Valley.
If you missed out last Friday night, you can come check out the new taproom this Friday night (March 25) with tours running from 1-9 p.m., with music by John Paul Keith, who many people may recognize as the frontman for the Thacker Mountain Radio house band, beginning at 6 p.m. Additionally, everyone can keep track of the Brewery on social media, either through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to get updates on upcoming shows, future events, and exciting new brews. As O’Bryan states, “I have a very high standard for the product we put out and the quality of musician we bring in.” For many, Yalobusha Brewing Company is providing a long-awaited family-oriented entertainment option for Water Valley and the surrounding community and everyone should take the time to stop in and check out the exciting things going on right here in downtown Water Valley.
