Bigger and Better: Oil Well Craft Beer Expansion Begins
Since it first opened in 2017, Oil Well Craft Beer (OWCB) has been a beloved watering hole, growing organically to meet the needs of a loyal clientele. Their first location was a small taproom in a single unit at the Ave Maria Park of Commerce. In 2019, they added the next-door unit to accommodate extra seating and a three-barrel brewery that fulfilled co-owner Matt William’s dream to create custom craft beers.
Today, he and his co-owner wife Daneé are planning a new expansion. By early to mid-2025, almost 3,000 square feet will be added to include an event room, expanded kitchen and substantial upgrades to their craft beer operation.
“Everybody seems thrilled, and I’m excited to be able to bring it to Ave Maria and to see what the future holds for us and the community,” Daneé said. “This expansion is needed, and we know it’s time. You can just feel it. I’m really proud of my husband, myself and our staff because we’re growing the right way. We didn’t come into Ave Maria and take on four commercial units from the start. We grew steadily, and the community is the reason. They support us, they love us, they tell people about us, and we just feel very blessed.”
Additions include four eight-barrel fermenters, as well as a half-barrel brewing system that will enable Brewmaster Ross Wright to experiment, making small batches without risking a lot of material. A new canning line will allow them to distribute their most popular beers in stores and other key distribution points around Southwest Florida.
An Italian wood-fired pizza oven is expected, plus expanded lunch and dinner menus will feature a larger selection of sandwiches, salads, charcuterie boards and soups. A new event room will be accessible via a 10-foot, barn-style sliding door. “This space will give us a little bit of extra seating for diners, as well as a social room where we can have all of our regular programming like bingo, paint parties, karaoke, Rotary Club meetings, trivia nights and holiday-themed parties or private events,” Matt shared.
The room will also include a small stage for live music, a film projector for movie nights, televisions to watch sports games, a shuffleboard table, regulation-size cornhole platforms and dartboards over astroturf for tournaments, cozy booths and high-top seating, and a small bar with five taps. “One other cool thing is that we’re putting a glass garage door in the storefront of unit 700, so when the weather is nice, we can have that door up with an air curtain and have an indoor/outdoor beer garden feel,” Matt said.
Workers broke ground on the expansion in October, directed by Ave Maria architect and loyal OWCB customer Oscar Amaro. OWCB will remain open during their latest expansion phase, with the new event room, brewers and new dining options available in early 2025.