The Patriarch

Speed round one-ish state a day ‘til Tuesday. Seen some things in OKC and thinking another now just outside of town; my last stop before I a go-go out to Tulsa while it’s still early yet. Easily navigated the very squared grid out to ‘burbia as one does. It’s an 120 year old house on the corner but beer lives here now, and I suspect they’re an excellent neighbor…

Enter in and through to the rear room; the bar on the back wall there; Zig-a-zag wood plank topped, black panel base, and no foot bar but no seating to speak of, save the 5 stools to one side here (me, pointing). Barback holds phat piping with stretches of non-descript handles; 8-16-16-8, the maths dictates that’d be 48 in all. Above set are 6 rows of 8 numbered plank black boards listing tap selections done bright & colorful (brewery, beer, style, ABV, cost, & serving size, and oft times they’re done with elaborate drawings as are relevant) fronting a horizontal wood plank wall. ‘Flights, wines, & soda’ board further down the barback, and ‘to be tapped’ on deck slats in the corner, awaiting their day. Glassware, glassware, & glassware shelved below, and booze on the side wall. A ‘How your beer gets here’ step by step process above the bar seating on one side, and the logos of local/regional breweries chalked above the other side.

So, yeah, it’s an old house with a story, I presume. Lots of little rooms but I’m doing my time in the one with the bar. Wood slat floors & white ceilings. The walls done gray over gray painted play with white borders, and a trio of windows fore & aft; the large center one with stained glass accents and smaller ones to both sides angled. Mounted single bulb wall lamps, a sprawling 8 arm octopus candle bulb chandelier to one side, and a smaller 6 bulb lamp to the other side. Local art, and a corner piano below lined poloroids of people cooler than you and a horizontal wood plank OK piece. 5 mix & match tables, I am occupying one of them and contemplating a beer.

It's a great list. A handful of national craft brewery taps (Stone, Left Hand, Cigar City, Schlafly, Odells, North Coast), and then a whole lot of local & regional Oklahoma beers, and a bit of craft from beyond here. I don't know what a lot of this stuff is. Samplers of 4 come on an OK shaped paddle, but I was going with full pours as I’m tight on time. Again, lots of local & regional and counterintuitive as it was, I went elsewhere starting with Odell’s Octo (which was a goddamn delight) and then moved to Big Sky Moose Drool (because, Moose Drool, enough said). Beers were clean, things were in good shape.

So, there’s a sick ass backyard biergarten space I will look in on shortly but I’m going on walkabout throughout the in of side now. Small blue front room with cushy chairs & benchings, mounted glass lamps between angled triptych windows, and a handful of framed pics. Upstairs, more smaller rooms of the same with local art and comfortableness, I’m thinking ‘make out central’, you know? And now down and out(side), damn, this space is kind of totally amazing. Forward bricked areas lend way to gravel gravel ground, and then things get allllllll lawny if you know what I mean (I mean that the ground transitions to an area where grass is, what did you think I meant?) A dozen and a half mostly picnic tables in rows, many of them sitting beneath a large wood slat on I-beam pergola with strung lighting running outbound across the yard. A slight but tight food menu being doled out of the bar counter ledge lined Bistro 9 ½ backyard shed, a ping pong table, a far corner step-up stage area, & cornhole to the rear.

Max, who will be a fireman and Geology Girrrrrl ‘tending today; pleasant and attentive. He was wearing a Yankees shirt this shitty 9/11 afternoon. I asked if he’s a fan and he said "he was today". Respect. You know, there’s a whole lot of people who don’t get the whole 9/11 thing, but the Oklahoma folks sure do, as they’ve taken their own hit. Not a surprise but totally appreciated. Thank you, folks.

Great tunes; Wilco, Decemberists, Fleet Foxes. Excellent beer list and a chill scene seen. I really do dig it here and would like to stay but Tulsa calls. Bonus: I snagged an ‘Edible OKC’ up front, so that’s cool. I collect them on beer journeys. Seriously, I could do some time here.

I've always had an affinity for businesses that transform old spaces into new spaces. That blending of antiquity and modernity many times creates a unique atmosphere that can't be replicated from scratch. If that is something you also enjoy, then the Patriarch may be right up your alley.

While the Patriarch may seem austere to some (There's not much in the way of decor, and some areas seem somewhat empty), any lack of decoration is more than made up by the tap list and the large outdoor sitting area, that we were unfortunately unable to enjoy due to the weather (but which also makes for a great excuse to make the drive back across town).

The service was exceptional since we were lucky enough to have the very informed and informative Hunter as our bartender. He knew all the beers inside and out, and was even a great conversationalist who my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed trading travel stories with. It was obvious that he truly enjoyed what he was doing.

The tap list was also excellent with just about every local of consequence represented. The beer was fresh and it was evident that someone pays attention to the details (unlike some other beer bars in the metro that will remain unmentioned). This is a huge selling point. With the price point of a pint these days, everything better be in order, because nothing is a bigger turnoff than a 9 dollar pint of stale, off-putting beer.

Looking forward to heading back, enjoying the patio, and seeing what's new and on tap next.

 

 

 

 

40 taps. Looks like a house, but located right off broadway. Interesting hipster friendly set up. Nice backyard with lots of seating and room for live music. Prices are a bit on the high side per oz, but nice selection overall.