Take a look inside Park Bench Brewing Co.
Nikole Babb
nbabb@cherryroad.com
After an unavoidable delay in opening, Park Bench Brewing Co. made its debut in Augusta’s downtown Red Brick District last weekend. After a successful grand opening, Owners Adam and Julie Kraft rang in their second weekend open with the Red Brick Pub Crawl. The duo say they couldn’t be more thankful for the supportive community.
The Kraft’s, while not native Augustans, found a home very quickly in Augusta on their journey of finding the perfect spot for a brewery. Adam is originally from Greensburg, Kan., before moving to Wichita to work for the Wichita Police Department for just under 10 years. He then moved to Clearwater, Florida where he continued his policing career and learned how to homebrew beer, growing his love for the craft beer industry over the last seven years.
As Adam was passing through the town one day, Julie suggested he “check it out” to see if he likes it. He recalls it feeling just like home as he walked downtown, remembering how inviting people were even though they were strangers.
“I walked the brick street down here and just thought, yes, this is it,” said Adam.
He said the welcoming atmosphere and hometown feel of downtown Augusta is exactly what he was looking for. The brewery dons the same feel inside with vintage furniture, exposed brick walls, and as the name suggests, several park benches.
Adam now works for the Coast Guard Reserves where he is a Chief Petty Officer and Senior Enlisted Reserve Advisor for Station South Padre Island, which is part of the cause of the delay in opening the brewery.
“Everyone I talked to in the business said add three months when planning the opening,” said Adam. “It’s true and I understand that, and I get it. Would I have been open in September as planned if I wasn’t deployed? No but it could’ve been December.”
Adam was deployed to Florida to help assist and work hurricanes Milton and Helene for six weeks, causing the delay of opening the brewery.
“Then you’ve got to remember it isn’t a good idea to open a place like this in the winter,” said Adam. “The winter is already hard on the industry as it is.”
So as spring crept closer, Park Bench Brewing Co. came to an opening. On March 6 they hosted their soft opening and commemorated the grand opening on March 8. The brewery is located just two buildings south of the also new Redbud Brewing, which opened last June. While many raised concerns over two breweries opening side-by-side, both owners have disclosed that they aren’t competing but merely creating a community and options for residents to explore. As a matter of fact, owners of both breweries frequented each other’s buildings as they opened in support of the other.
It was clear over this last weekend that there is room for both breweries as both buildings were packed for the Red Brick Pub Crawl on Saturday afternoon.
Park Bench Brewing Co. emphasizes on a relaxed, homey feel while offering Adam’s favorite style of beer, in-house German inspired brews. Adam credits his wife Julie and three daughters Sabrie, Claire and Olivia for the curating of the design and atmosphere of the brewery. While living in Florida, Adam began to collect wrought-iron park benches because he had an unexplainable affinity for them, which also inspired the name.
“This place is unique,” said Adam. “It’s comfortable. We’ve been to so many breweries around the country and we wanted to do something that stands out that makes people say they liked visiting and it was comfortable, that’s what I want them to say.”
Unique aspects inside the brewery include a hand-painted wall mural by his daughters, an axe throwing game area, and a full Park Bench green LED wall that shines through panels of wood that curve into a full-length wall bench. Adam says it took four and a half days for him, Julie and Olivia to build together in an assembly line.
The brewery currently offers a Light Wheat blonde wheat brew, Dark Czech malty lager brew, American-style Red Ale, and Cologne, Germany Kolsch brew. Park Bench Brewing Co. will also host guest taps like the current Gert Lush, a sweet cider from White Crow Cider.
Adam, who is also the Head Brewer, says he will be rotating new brews out fairly often and already has two more in the works. On the way is a sweet malty German Pilsner and golden malty Helles Bock. For those who want to visit but don’t want to consume alcohol, craft soda, bottled water and coffee are also available for purchase. Light snacks are also available for ordering.
“We are so thankful for the city and the community,” said Adam. “They’ve been more than gracious and supportive; I can’t say that enough.”
Park Bench Brewing Co. is located in downtown Augusta at 414 State St. Operating hours are Sunday 12-6pm, Monday 3-9pm, Thursday 3-9pm, Friday 3-10pm, Saturday 12-10pm and closed on Tuesday/Wednesday.
