The Beer's Still Good at Overtime Brewing

The beer was always the reason to walk into Overtime Brewing, and that part hasn't changed. What has changed is nearly everything around it.

The Elm Street brewpub has pulled back hard as it fights to stay open. The kitchen that built its reputation for comfort food has gone quiet, no food service for now and the hours have been trimmed to a tighter window. But the doors are still open, and the taps are still pouring. For a downtown Fort Bragg spot that spent years as a gathering place, "still open" is not nothing.

The uncertainty is real. With its lease in question, Overtime's future came up at the May 26 city council meeting, where co-founder Stephen Duerr and a string of residents used public comment to ask the city to help keep the business alive. Vice Mayor Marcia Rafanan asked staff to look into ways the city might assist. No promises were made, but the room made clear that a lot of people don't want to lose this place.

So here's the honest state of things for anyone thinking about a visit: come for the beer, not the burger, the kitchen's on pause. Check the current hours before you head down, because they've changed. And know that walking in and buying a pint right now is a small vote for a local business trying to make it to the other side of a hard stretch.

The beer is still worth the trip. Whether Overtime gets to keep pouring it is, at the moment, an open question and one the town is clearly paying attention to.