USA, OK: Frenzy Brewing Co. ready to launch in Edmonton

Frenzy Brewing Co. completes a long, winding road to opening its downtown tasting room in the historic E.A. Bender Building, 15 S Broadway, Edmond, Oklahoman.com reported on June 10.

Plans to open the city's first craft brewery were intended for March, but the coronavirus outbreak scuttled those plans. Co-owners Matt and Beth Conner and Jeremy Estle opened the doors for curbside and to-go sales in the brewery and tap room last week.

Beth Conner said beer sales have been brisk, but merchandise has been even better.

"It's been really great," she said. "We ran out of some of the hats already. We had to order extra for the grand opening."

Longtime Edmond residents, Estle and Mark Conner made the transition from ranked amateur home-brewers to pros when they launched Frenzy in March 2019 with Beth's help.

"We built our brand presence while we were still doing home-brewing competitions," Mark Conner said. "A lot of people thought we already had a brewery when they saw our set-up."

With an audience in tow, Frenzy collaborated with Oklahoma City’s Angry Scotsman Brewing Co. to get the brand to market in kegs and cans last year.

Estle left 15 years in telecommunications, and Mark Conner left a 20-year banking career late last year, to focus on the build-out of the Bender Building, which was built in 1918 and has been an automotive garage and an Italian restaurant in its long history.

Natural light and reclaimed wood combine with digital menus to balance past and present in the guest area, which surrounds the brewery. The spacious venue is a lock to attract private events and play host to public ones.

The new tasting room is outfitted with 24 taps, which include beers exclusive to the brewery.

The preponderance of taps also allow for rotation, which is the lifeblood of a good craft brewery. More than a dozen beers will be on tap for the grand-opening week. If you need to take some home, stroll to the on-site cooler and choose from Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (‘Cause I’m a Blonde) Belgian-Style Blonde Ale and its Unspeakable Things New England IPA.

You'll need your wallet to show identification to purchase Frenzy beers, but you won't need it to pay if you use the Arryved app.

"You can use the app to make order while you're in the taproom," Mark Conner said. "Everything can be done on the tablet."

Kids are not only welcome but encouraged. The taproom has a gaming table stocked with family board games.

Frenzy will follow whatever guidelines the city of Edmond has in place on June 15 concerning COVID-19.

Grand opening hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Eventually, hours will be 3 to 10 p.m.; noon to midnight; and noon to 9 p.m.

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