DARLINGTON - A microbrewery has come to Darlington and hopes to include a number of hyperlocal brews and its own selection of beer on tap.
Their own beverages may take another month or so, noted operator Dick Tuescher, a Darlington native who runs City Service Brewing along Main Street with his wife, Jody. His entire family serves beer from Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening.
Originally a full-service gas station, the building currently home to City Service Brewing and a soon-to-be antique store opened in 1931. Current owner Ted Thuli noted that the Iowa Oil Co. station named Cities Service Station was the inspiration for the current look of the building.
"We kind of did a restoration of the building," Thuli said.
Thuli worked as a full-service attendant in the late 1970s for Gene Meyers, who took over for his father, Hank. A black-and-white photo of Hank Meyers hangs above a table as an homage to the building's past. Now Thuli and his wife, Angie, own the building.
Thuli, who also owns Thuli Family Creamery and Darlington Dairy Supply, wanted to see the building utilized for a better purpose.
"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him deciding to buy this building and saying, 'hey, you want to brew some beer?'" Tuescher said. "Who knows what it would have become."
While the brewery opened June 1, Thuli's antique shop is still a work in progress as he organizes a number of items he has collected throughout the years.
The brewery tasting room also doubles as the Thuli Cheese 'n' Beans coffee shop Tuesdays to Saturday mornings. Of course, the brewery also sells cheese and cheese curds.
The tasting room is decorated with items Thuli has collected. From the retro oil cans stacked on multiple shelves behind the bar to the beer menu written in chalk on the hood of a mid-century car, the brewing company motif draws inspiration from the former auto shop.
Decorations and work on the building were somewhat of a family affair. Tuescher, who works for Thuli, has carpentry skills, his brother is an electrician, and Thuli is a welder. All of these skills came together to update City Service Brewing. The bar was created from scaffolding materials and pieces of a collector car. The women's restroom sink and faucet is comprised of an old oil can and drain pan. All of the table surfaces are made from common roadway signs.
Tuescher said a goal of the tasting room is to provide a family experience more than a bar. The taps, comprised of drained oil drums and rusted tools, pour out beer only found in small communities throughout Wisconsin while a number of in-house soda pop flavors like strawberry and root beer are available for those looking for a nonalcoholic beverage.
Though food is not served at the brewery tasting room, the business has food catered from nearby Pizza Pantry.
"If you want to bring your food with you, sit down and wash it down with a beer or soda, that's OK," Tuescher said.
Since opening, both men said a number of people have stopped in to grab a drink or learn more about the new place. Busy was "steady" opening weekend, Tuescher said.
While Tuescher has not been able to make more than small batches of his own beer so far, a feat he has been performing for nearly a decade after originally starting with a small kit gifted to him for Christmas, he said the equipment will soon be installed for bigger barrels to be made and sold to the public; hopefully before August. He plans to brew a variety, such as American pale ale, Indian pale ale, Irish red and a northern German altbier, to name a few.
In the meantime, customers interested in taking in some sun can sit outside in the makeshift beer garden, formerly the station's filling area and observe passerby along Main Street. It is the only bar within the city limits where that is possible, the duo noted.
"We're not here for ourselves," Thuli said. "We're here for the community."
Their own beverages may take another month or so, noted operator Dick Tuescher, a Darlington native who runs City Service Brewing along Main Street with his wife, Jody. His entire family serves beer from Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening.
Originally a full-service gas station, the building currently home to City Service Brewing and a soon-to-be antique store opened in 1931. Current owner Ted Thuli noted that the Iowa Oil Co. station named Cities Service Station was the inspiration for the current look of the building.
"We kind of did a restoration of the building," Thuli said.
Thuli worked as a full-service attendant in the late 1970s for Gene Meyers, who took over for his father, Hank. A black-and-white photo of Hank Meyers hangs above a table as an homage to the building's past. Now Thuli and his wife, Angie, own the building.
Thuli, who also owns Thuli Family Creamery and Darlington Dairy Supply, wanted to see the building utilized for a better purpose.
"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him deciding to buy this building and saying, 'hey, you want to brew some beer?'" Tuescher said. "Who knows what it would have become."
While the brewery opened June 1, Thuli's antique shop is still a work in progress as he organizes a number of items he has collected throughout the years.
The brewery tasting room also doubles as the Thuli Cheese 'n' Beans coffee shop Tuesdays to Saturday mornings. Of course, the brewery also sells cheese and cheese curds.
The tasting room is decorated with items Thuli has collected. From the retro oil cans stacked on multiple shelves behind the bar to the beer menu written in chalk on the hood of a mid-century car, the brewing company motif draws inspiration from the former auto shop.
Decorations and work on the building were somewhat of a family affair. Tuescher, who works for Thuli, has carpentry skills, his brother is an electrician, and Thuli is a welder. All of these skills came together to update City Service Brewing. The bar was created from scaffolding materials and pieces of a collector car. The women's restroom sink and faucet is comprised of an old oil can and drain pan. All of the table surfaces are made from common roadway signs.
Tuescher said a goal of the tasting room is to provide a family experience more than a bar. The taps, comprised of drained oil drums and rusted tools, pour out beer only found in small communities throughout Wisconsin while a number of in-house soda pop flavors like strawberry and root beer are available for those looking for a nonalcoholic beverage.
Though food is not served at the brewery tasting room, the business has food catered from nearby Pizza Pantry.
"If you want to bring your food with you, sit down and wash it down with a beer or soda, that's OK," Tuescher said.
Since opening, both men said a number of people have stopped in to grab a drink or learn more about the new place. Busy was "steady" opening weekend, Tuescher said.
While Tuescher has not been able to make more than small batches of his own beer so far, a feat he has been performing for nearly a decade after originally starting with a small kit gifted to him for Christmas, he said the equipment will soon be installed for bigger barrels to be made and sold to the public; hopefully before August. He plans to brew a variety, such as American pale ale, Indian pale ale, Irish red and a northern German altbier, to name a few.
In the meantime, customers interested in taking in some sun can sit outside in the makeshift beer garden, formerly the station's filling area and observe passerby along Main Street. It is the only bar within the city limits where that is possible, the duo noted.
"We're not here for ourselves," Thuli said. "We're here for the community."