Beer flows once more in Chapel Hill’s old Rathskeller, courtesy of a Raleigh brewery
It’s been a bone dry decade for one of Chapel Hill’s historic watering holes. But beer is once again flowing at the old Rathskeller, in what will be one of the very last openings of 2019.
Last week, Raleigh brewery Gizmo Brew Works opened its new taproom in Chapel Hill, serving the first drinks in the former Ramshead Rathskeller space in more than a decade. The renovation of the space took about a year to complete, turning the dark bar into a bright new taproom.
Gizmo owner Bryan Williams said the building’s owner gutted the space and lowered the floors, then the brewery got to work on the new bar, finally opening the Friday before Christmas.
“We still have a little more work to do, but we wanted to kick the tires and drink some beers,” Williams said. “It’s been amazing.”
The Chapel Hill taproom will have 50 draft lines, currently serving 25 of Gizmo’s own beers, plus a couple guest taps, wine and cider.
On the other side of the Triangle, Gizmo also built an expanded production facility in Raleigh.
New look for ‘The Rat’
Affectionately dubbed “The Rat,” the old Rathskeller opened in Chapel Hill in 1948, but closed for good in 2007, despite recent attempts to revive the bar for a new generation. Now it will be a major satellite for one of Raleigh’s busiest breweries, sending its beer to another part of the Triangle. Williams said Gizmo respects the space’s past but also hopes to write its own history.
“The Rathskeller was a staple in Chapel Hill, everyone knows it,” Williams said last year when he first announced Gizmo’s new taproom.
The Gizmo taproom in Chapel Hill is still in a soft opening phase, building up to a mid-January grand opening. Still, it will be open Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve for anyone looking to make a new tradition and drink some beer.
“That’s where I’ll be,” Williams said.
The Chapel Hill Gizmo is in the alley at 157 E. Franklin Street.
