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We like it, and we like being a part of Temple’s downtown boom.” “There’s a huge veteran population here, and the folks are super friendly. “I had a military buddy who retired here, and we came to visit,” McBride said. The couple - Zemp is from Las Vegas - came to Central Texas to visit friends and decided to call the area home. McBride, a native of Juneau, Alaska, served in the Marine Corps then the Army before getting into the bar business. “We were very surprised that we got selected as finalists,” McBride said. Last year, Fire Base and another Temple business - Treno’s Pizzeria & Tap Room/First Street Roasters - were two of four finalists for the Texas Downtown Association’s President’s Award for the best downtown business in a Texas city with more than 50,000 residents. “We have a lot of events and a lot of regular customers.” “Business is definitely better,” Zemp said.
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It also has become a popular “First Friday” stop. Folks pack the place for Texas Red’s trivia and game show nights, and the brewery routinely hosts bands and guest food trucks. That’s ancient history: Today, Fire Base is one of the most popular stops in Downtown Temple. But, by late June, a second shutdown returned the brewery to a to-go only format. “We had pint and 32-ounce cans, as well as 32-ounce and 64-ounce growlers.”Ī few weeks after opening, Fire Base and similar establishments were allowed to open at 25 percent capacity and that was increased to 50 percent after a couple weeks. “We sold screw-top cans and growlers,” McBride said earlier today. While customers couldn’t sit down and enjoy their beer with friends and good music, they could enter the business wearing a mask and get beer to go. So, for the first several weeks, Fire Base was a to-go brewery.” It wasn’t the start we had envisioned, but we were too stubborn not to open. “We all know what happened during that time. 19, 2019, and it took six months to renovate,” McBride said. The little microbrewery on 1st Street opened its doors in May 2020, smack-dab in the middle of the COVID-19 shutdown. David Stone photoįire Base Brewing Company turns 2 in May and owners JD McBride and Stacy Zemp plan to celebrate with a bang. The 1st Street business turns two next month and will hold a day of music, games and, of course, beer. JD McBride brews a batch of beer today at Fire Base Brewing Company.