Joymongers plans barrel house for Winston-Salem’s West End

Joymongers Brewing Co. has announced plans for a barrel-aging facility and taproom in Winston-Salem’s West End.

Head Brewer Mike Rollinson says the new spot will be at 480 West End Blvd., in a former crossfit gym that was once a GMC truck dealership, across the street from Hanes Park.

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“We will still do all our brewing in Greensboro,” Rollinson says. “But here we will do barrel-aging, with a big bar and tasting room with about 20 taps and some different beers than we’ll have in Greensboro.

“We wanted to create something that’s pretty unique for Winston-Salem,” he continues. “There aren’t that many barrel-aging facilities around.”

Like the spot in Greensboro’s LoFi neighborhood, which opened in July 2016, they will have trivia nights, food trucks and an extension of the live music scene for which its become an outpost.

Rollinson says the renovations will begin on Oct. 1 — they’re adding skylights, large bathrooms and garage doors similar to the ones at the Greensboro brewery.

“We’re returning it somewhat to what it was as a GMC dealership,” he says. “The building itself is Spanish Revival, historical [architecture]. We can’t do much to the outside so it looks like the Alamo.”

It will be only the second place in the world that serves Joymongers beers, which lean towards the classics. Joymongers does not can or bottle its beers, nor does it wholesale them to other bars.

“We are still one of the only breweries in the  state that’s 100 percent retail,” Rollins says. “If you want our product, you have to come to us.”

The tentative opening date is February 2018.