One Eyed Buffalo opens Friday

If you've walked by and tried to sneak a peek over the brown paper on the windows of the old Storyteller building downtown, just to see what's going on, your wait is over.

One Eyed Buffalo will be opening its doors on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. and are inviting the community to come down and see what they've been up to.

Damien and Tanya Oliver said they've been working on this micro-brewery idea for more than a year, pouring everything they have into this dream for Thermopolis.

"We had to work hard and make sure we did it all right," Damien said. "It's all on us. Everything has gone into it."

"We just love Thermop," Tanya said. "We couldn't think of doing this anywhere but here."

The couple said the most daunting part of the whole process was creating their business plan, followed by the three levels of licensing they had to go through before opening day.

Opening day will feature their personal brew, "Protest Pale Ale".

"We did a contract brew with Ten Sleep Brewing," Damien said. "They let us come in with our own recipe and our own ingredients and they supplied the equipment."

They plan on having a variety of craft brews on tap, predominantly Wyoming made, known in the brewing family as "307's" for the area code.

With something for everyone, they will have beer tastings in the future and will have a certified tap room attendant on-site who has been professionally trained on how the different beers taste and how to properly pour them.

The tap room attendant will be able to guide guests toward something they may like as well as teach them how to distinguish the different nuances of the various micro brews.

But it's not all about the beer.

"We really want this to be a family atmosphere," Tanya said. "We want it to be fun and welcoming, a place where you can bring a date or bring the family.

"We'll have board games, live music and, of course, food."

The pair is going with a few menu items that they do really well to start with, like potato skins, chicken wings, smoked BBQ port, brats and ribs as well as pretzels and beer cheese.

For the kids there will be comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly.

The Olivers said they have had a lot of community support with their dream.

"Barb and Merlin Heinze have been super supportive from the beginning," Damien said. "Next thing you know, a couple of other people want to help, then a few more and a few more. It's really been a collaborative thing. We love hearing their ideas, too."

A trip out the back door brings you to the next thing on their idea list, a beer garden for the summer. While it's just a cement slab right now, they envision tables and chairs, propane heaters to keep the chill away and folks laughing and enjoying a bit of "pub grub" with their friends.

The opening will continue on Saturday at 11 a.m. and will feature a band on Saturday night.

Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, with Tuesday being the only day they're closed.

"We really want to be a part of this community," they said. "We have lots of ideas coming down the road."