Photos: Jeff Schear

The taps at DryHop, which run straight from the fermentation tanks, serve brews like Velvet Divorce and Angry Samoan to thirsty Lake View patrons.

After three years of planning, hop head Greg Shuff’s vision for Lake View’s first-ever craft brewery and kitchen come to fruition.

At the just-opened DryHop Brewers, Shuff has teamed up with seasoned brewer Brant Dubovick and Charlie Trotter’s alum Pete Repak to create a brew/food experience inspired by the relaxed and community-focused vibe of brewery tasting rooms (versus the raucous brewpub).

A half-dozen varieties of beer—from the wheat IPA “Shark Meets Hipster” to the coconut milk stout “The Angry Samoan”—flow directly from tank to tap to glass to mouth, and the kitchen turns out unpretentious, yet inspired fare. Shuff said he likes to keep it simple, reciting a favorite quote: "Beer is a very simple ten minutes of pleasure."

By the way it looked, people were staying longer than ten minutes. DryHop was packed.

Here’s a glimpse into the scene from Saturday night.