EAT & DRINK
Brew cruise OKC BREW TOURS ESCORTS BEER FANS RIGHT TO THE SOURCE. By Brett Fieldcamp
Lloyd Vines believes in the power of good beer to bring people together. When he took over as the owner, manager, driver, tour guide, and sole employee of OKC Brew Tours in April of 2021, he’d only been with the business for about four months. After coming on board as a part-time driver and host for the local brewerycentric, curated taproom-crawl-onwheels, Vines quickly found himself being offered ownership of the entire operation when the original owner decided that it wasn’t for him. “It just wasn’t really working out originally,” Vines said. “Back then it was just an unmarked, black van pulling up to the breweries with a load of people and asking for pours. It really needed to have some input and some collaboration from the
breweries themselves or it wasn’t going to work.” That push for more collaboration with the breweries, and for more legitimacy among the Lloyd VInes. Photo provided. greater brewing comtending the bar at The Big Friendly munity, became Vines’ top priority part-time (a gig that he’s kept up even from day one. since taking over the brew tours) and “I knew that it needed to be benhe’s known a number of OKC’s head eficial for them as well. There needed brewers for years as part of the comto be some synergy,” he said. “At the munity’s beer fandom. end of the day, for this to be profitable Vines has parlayed that fandom at all, I have to know that the brewerinto a needed service for a city ies have my back, and they need to that suddenly has more than two know that I have theirs.” dozen taprooms. Proving himself to be a friend of “I always try to give them a call the brewers hasn’t been too difficult and a head’s up when I’m bringing a for Vines. He’s had a long stint group over. You don’t ever want to
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just show up and blindside them with a vanload of people,” he said. For St. Patrick’s Day, he’s considering a move into the “drunk taxi” space, helping to shuttle drinkers to and from bars and breweries to help reduce drunk driving. And, hey, if all goes well, he might even get a second van and a second employee. To check out tour times, or to book a private tour or event, visit okcbrewtour.com.
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