Since it first opened its doors in November 2013, Blackwater Draw has become a popular venue for locals to eat and enjoy house-brewed craft beer. Now a new venue for families and students to get food and drinks will be available as a new Blackwater Draw is planned to open in downtown Bryan.
“When we opened the brewpub we always intended to expand,” co-founder Chris Steele said. “Initially we had projected that happening after at least five years.”
Steele said Blackwater’s Bryan location will not only include another brewpub, but will also house a complete brewery located in an attached warehouse.
“We’ll not only serve our beer on location to customers, but they will now be able to leave with their own to take home that was crafted and bottled right here,” Steele said.
Steele said he and fellow co-founder Chris Weingart were longtime friends before they started their own brewing company on Northgate and due to their rapid success, they’re able to expand their business less than two years later, with plans to distribute beer through local stores like HEB and Specs.
Weingart said he learned aspects of brewing beer by working with restaurants and bars as a craft brand distributor.
“I started to feel like I was doing a lot of work for other people that I could be doing myself,” Weingart said.
After attending craft beer festivals around the country and gaining knowledge of the process, Weingart and Steele teamed up to bring a unique service to the restaurant and bar scene in College Station.
Now they will carry their brand to downtown Bryan, which has seen a resurgence in business and culture evidenced by the number of locally owned restaurants, monthly festivities and the active nightlife scene.
Weingart said he and Steele are confident in the future success of their brewery because “people like a good product.”
Sam Zitterich, a bartender at the Northgate location, said Blackwater’s cool environment is one reason why he works there.
“It’s the only brewing company or restaurant of its kind in the area that offers a homemade product customers can enjoy,” Zitterich said
Blackwater Draw’s Bryan location is scheduled to open later this fall.
