New in Fig Garden Village: A craft beer taproom. Here’s what you need to know about it
Fig Garden Village’s newest business is open – and it’s a little different than the shops and restaurants the center is known for.
Out of the Barrel Taproom opened earlier this month, a small craft beer taproom in what used to be the We Olive store (which closed last year), across from Jack’s Urban Eats.
While craft beer nerds probably know all about taprooms and have already been flocking to this one on weekends, it’s a concept that might be a little new for some Fig Garden Village shoppers.
So let’s focus on some basics.
What is a taproom?
It’s a bar, first and foremost. It focuses on craft beer, mostly from California.
There are at least 30 beers on tap, with lots of bottles and cans that can be opened there or taken home.
It’s for ages 21 and over and is dog friendly, with a water dish for pups outside. Big sliding doors open to the patio, giving it an open-air feel (not the dark mood of a traditional bar, though there is music).
“We’re going for a really relaxed environment,” said owner Evan Jaques. “We want to be welcoming for everyone.”
It doesn’t serve food, aside from packaged snacks like chips and nuts.
Customers are encouraged to bring in food from outside. Out of the Barrel has a stash of menus from Fig Garden Village restaurants and Jack’s Urban Eats will deliver food.
There’s also games like Jenga and cribbage for customers to play.
Most of the beer sells for around $8 a pint and you can get a 5-ounce taster size for around $4.
Out of the Barrel is open from noon to 10 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays, and from noon to 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
This is Out of the Barrel’s second location. The first has been open a year and a half in The Pruneyard, an upscale shopping center in Campbell in the Bay Area. Jaques had been looking to open a second location, but real estate in the Bay Area was expensive and crowded.
Fig Garden Village’s owners came to him with the idea of opening in Fresno. Fig Garden felt similar to where his first location opened, he said.
The beer
Of course, craft beer is not new to Fig Garden Village. Longtime Fresnans remember Bulldog Brewing Co., the restaurant and brewpub that sat close to Shaw Avenue and closed in 2003. It was later torn down.
Some of the restaurants in the center carry craft beer. Jack’s Urban Eats has a few taps pouring craft beer, and rotates through local beers (right now Full Circle Brewing Co. is on tap).
Out of the Barrel’s selection operates a little differently.
“We source all of our beer from some of the best craft breweries around, mostly in California,” Jaques said. “We’re trying to showcase what craft beer is and help our community fall in love with the beer we fell in love with.”
So you’ll see a lot of beer from Alvarado Street Brewery in Salinas, Moonraker Brewing Co. in Auburn, and Riip Beer Co. in Huntington Beach. That includes two West Coast IPAs and a red ale from Riip.
Jaques sometimes drives to the Bay Area, Sacramento or the Los Angeles area to pick up hard-to-find beer.
Right now, there’s no local beer on tap at Out of the Barrel.
There’s some local beer in the area that Jaques likes, especially Full Circle’s beer.
But getting on tap at Out of the Barrel is a bit like a competition, he said.
“There’s a lot of beer in the marketplace and I’m trying to (get) the best,” he said. “To me, what’s important is quality over proximity.”
You can see Out of the Barrel’s current taplist on Facebook.
Though most of the beers cost around $8, you will also find some “premium product,” like a $20 5-ounce glass of mead. The Berry White mead made with white chocolate from Arizona-based Superstition Meadery has been voted best in the world, Jaques explained.
Wine, kombucha and hard ciders are also available.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 9:47 AM.
