Make wishtv.com your home page

‘Gr8 Comeback’: Oaken Barrel Brewing Company feeling ‘great’ about opening their doors again

GREENWOOD (WISH) — The Oaken Barrel Brewing Company has been serving award-winning food and beer from their location in Greenwood for 26 years.

The restaurant includes a family section, two bars, an outside dining area and a small banquet facility. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to shut down its dine-in services for eight weeks.

The closure made owner, Kwang Casey, eager for the day they could invite customers back inside.

“It feels great,” Casey said. “We’re trying to get back in the rhythm of things.”

Casey admits even coming back has created new challenges. They can only operate at 50% capacity and they’re keeping tables at least six feet apart.

“There’s a new norm,” Casey said. “You can see we serve ketchup in ketchup packets now instead of bottles.”

In the meantime, he’s just happy to be back around people and watching them enjoy their food again.

“I’m glad to see customers enjoying and dining in the restaurant and the noises and the sight of customers.”

Casey says their “famous” bacon dip has become their number one seller since the pandemic began. It’s a dip made with smoked bacon, cream cheese, and it’s baked with cheddar cheese and served with homemade potato chips.

With all that being said, Casey puts his name behind one particular item on the menu — their “dynamite shrimp.”

“It’s so popular here and so good it’s named after me,” Casey said. “It’s called ‘Kwang’s Dynamite Shrimp.'”

Patrons can visit Oaken Barrel’s website to read the full menu. The brewpub is located at 50 Airport Pkwy in Greenwood. It is open daily from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.