Photo by Thomas Crone
Courtesy of Civil Life
Civil Life Brewing Company (3714 Holt) is serving sandwiches, pretzels, and more once again, after temporarily closing food service during the pandemic—though from a much larger kitchen: a 900-square foot space inside a shipping container next to the recently expanded patio.
The expanded kitchen is a significant upgrade from the previous incarnation, a 10-by-10-foot kitchen at the end of Civil Life’s bar.
At the same time, the new space invites some logistical questions for Civil Life owner/operator Jake Hafner. For instance, how should the menu be built, with both quality and speed in mind? How will food be efficiently delivered to tables? What menu items from the past iteration should remain, and which should go? Then there's the weather—on a busy day, the outdoor space might hold about 250 people, though “if it rains, we’re back down to 1,200 square feet” inside, notes Hafner.
These are some of the questions currently being answered during a soft-opening phase.
Courtesy of Civil Life
The Food
The Civil Life team is still tweaking the menu at the moment, though visitors can currently order liverwurst sandwich, pretzels, and more. "We’ve been trying to fine-tune a really solid menu based on sandwiches, which was the spirit of the place before," says Hafner. A few classic items from the previous menu will reappear as “an homage to ‘the tiny kitchen that could.’... We’re looking at a smaller menu that works for the space.
“We’ve got some really solid feedback from customers,” Hafner adds. “A lot of things have already come out of the kitchen that we’re really happy with, and we’ll take the feedback on other things and reposition those.”
Hafner suggests customers check the brewery’s Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.
The Beer
At the same time, Civil Life's beer offerings continue to evolve. With the return of onsite customers, following the taproom's temporary closure during the pandemic, the beer inventory has fluctuated, with some products running low. Hafner expects that temporary shortage to even out by this fall. Currently, the brewpub has 14 beers on draft, as well as other canned offerings available onsite.
The beer program is also undergoing industry certification, which will allow it to pour cask beers daily. “We’re a brewery that knows and loves beer,” says Hafner, who anticipates having one or two cask beers on draft at all times in the next month or two. "That’s up to the level that we should aspire to," he says. "We want to do things exactly right.”
The Hours
The bar is currently open from 3–10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon–9 p.m. Sunday. “Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be testing our hours,” says Hafner. “We’ll find the hours that will work for the staff we have. Eventually, our long-term goal is to have the kitchen hours that we used to have."
