After years of preparation and anticipation, Barking Armadillo Brewing had its grand opening celebration in Georgetown on March 14. On March 18 the brewery had to temporarily shut down after Williamson County mandated all dine-in areas close to the public.
Barking Armadillo is offering curbside pickup for growler orders, though, and co-owners Jacob and Amanda Trimm and Bryan Cantu said they look forward to opening the taproom back up once sanctions are lifted.
Brewing started out as a hobby for Jacob and Cantu.
“[We were] just homebrewing for our own enjoyment because we simply loved craft beer,” they said. “Over time, our beer was shared with our friends and family, and we got feedback that we needed to start our own brewery. Really it's all about sharing experiences with the community.”
The group was intrigued by the infinite amount of possibilities involving the four main ingredients in beer–water, hops, grain and yeast.
“There's so much science behind beer making and fine details to perfect recipes; we enjoy the never-ending learning that comes with perfecting our craft,” they said.
The team visited over 100 breweries nationally and internationally and sampled a variety of craft beers. Aspects and qualities from favorites have been incorporated into Barking Armadillo brews.
They also spent time training at a Colorado immersion program and gained access to a community of other microbreweries around the nation.
As for the name, it came to be while the group was brewing in their garage on a 100-degree day, Amanda said.
“We started out with wanting to name the brewery after our dogs, but also wanted something that was clearly from Texas by the name and to not be taken too seriously,” she said. “Under the influence of a few beers, of course, the name Barking Armadillo evolved–armadillos don't actually bark.”
Amanda said the forced closure has been hard on all businesses.
“Of course it's sort of soul-crushing to work so hard for several months to have things come to a halt, but we want the community to know we're not going anywhere,” she said. “The craft beer and Georgetown community have been very supportive, and we're staying positive through all this.”
The team plans to have a grand reopening celebration once things return to normal and would like to have more community events to help small businesses bounce back from a challenging time, they said, adding they are thankful for all the support received and look forward to seeing everyone back in the taproom soon.
