Beginning as a garage-based brewing operation, Lazy Circles Brewing is a welcoming taproom with community involvement at its core.
Stephen Basey began brewing beer in his garage with his sister and brother-in-law, Holly Basey-Swanson and Stephen Swanson, in 2013. At the time, Basey was in the U.S. Navy and both Swansons were working at a bicycle store in Oklahoma City.
In 2017, Basey’s Navy retirement coincided with a change in Oklahoma law that allowed breweries to sell their own products on-site.
The three decided to turn their home brewing into a full-fledged taproom.
Located on Main Street, just east of Porter Avenue, the brewery opened its doors in November 2017. Lazy Circles Brewing is the third craft brewery in Norman and the oldest standing taproom in the downtown area.
Basey said as the craft brewery industry has infiltrated Oklahoma, the brewery saw an increase in interest toward craft beer in its nearly six years of business.
“A lot more people are like, ‘Oh, this is cool, this is new,’ and they're trying it, or maybe they're just happy they don't have to go far,” Basey told the OU Daily.
Taproom manager and bartender Melanie Caudle first discovered Lazy Circles while finishing her undergraduate degree and said the brewery was key to feeling at home in Norman.
“Lazy Circles is such a special place to me,” Caudle told the OU Daily.
Caudle has worked at the brewery for about three years now. She said the welcoming environment at Lazy Circles is what makes guests come back and is a focal point of cultivation for everyone who works there.
“We really try to create a real hospitality-forward kind of familial, comfortable setting,” Caudle said. “Bring your kids, bring your dog. We will pretty much bend over backwards to make you happy.”
Lazy Circles Brewing specializes in small batch beer. The brewery is located in Downtown Norman.
Caudle said the taproom sees guests who are new to craft beer, and those interactions are some of her favorites.
“We have a lot of people who aren't familiar with craft beer, and those are the ones that we love having the most,” Caudle said. “We have all the patience in the world for people to ask questions and try beers.”
Lazy Circles hosts a variety of in-house events, including Drag BINGO on the first Sunday of every month. The brewery partners with local businesses for events such as Beer and Yoga in partnership with Fusion Fitness and Yoga. Basey said Lazy Circles is almost always involved in a fundraiser for a local charity.
The brewery is involved in the community at a citywide level in events that include the Norman Music Festival, the Norman Art Walk and the Medieval Fair. One of the brewery’s biggest partnerships is with Norman Pride.
“Pride has got to be one of our top, our favorite events to participate in,” Caudle said. “We brewed the official Pride beer this year and will again next year, so we're really proud supporters of all things Pride.”
Lazy Circles is located at 422 E. Main St. and is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The brewery is closed on Monday.
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard. Grace Rhodes, Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
