Tom V.
Yelp
Sure, it used to be a church. And they serve up beer & other spirits whilst you sit on the repurposed pews. The stained glass might conjure memories of Sunday sermons, but the message that is really being served is COMMUNITY.
There is no shortage of choices if you want to go enjoy a glass of craft beer or Oregon wine in the Eugene/Springfield area. But Public House offers up over a dozen styles of craft beer and marries that with a space that is fully utilized, both inside and out. Add in a small handful of separate 'food kitchens', large, picnic-style tables that can be shared amongst friends or new friends-to-be, and the community aspect just gets brewing.
You can saunter up to the bar and order a glass of beer on tap, a craft cocktail, or a fine glass of Oregon wine. The choices of beer are both local and non (hello, von Trapp from Vermont) and range from dark to light with everything in between. If that is all you're there to have, then find a seat inside or out and enjoy. You can also scan the QR codes that are at the tables, view the food and drink menus, and a server will bring your selection(s) to your table. I would suggest anything from Shalosh or Pizza Cue (pizza in cast iron!) but the vendors are varied. The 'outdoor' areas are sensational, covered and heated for weather's sake, or able to be opened on comfortable afternoons or evenings. The nooks that a church offers could make it fun to explore, like 'The Study', which sounds like a Clue room ('so the suspect was Colonel Malt, in the Study, with the hazy IPA'). There is even a Whiskey Lab, which seems curious and daunting all at once.
But the overwhelming sense of *community* is infused throughout Public House. Like German bierhalles, the community can gather, sit with one another, and enjoy. Isn't that what a church often brings, a social fabric that can be woven and remade time and again? Pets are welcome, mostly because dogs are better than a lot of humans, and all ages are allowed because, hello, community. Find your neighbor or even complete strangers, introduce one another, find commonality, or just enjoy discourse. Now more than ever community should hold great importance as we navigate division. I would bet that we could solve any number of world problems with lively conversation over a glass, or several glasses, of beer.