For more than 30 years, Casa Video, located at 2905 East Speedway, has provided Tucson residents popular, classic, foreign, and obscure films. Now, the independent film rental and sales shop will offer a new element to its patrons — craft beer.
Beginning December 26, Casa Video will open its doors to the Casa Film Bar, which encompasses nearly 1,000 square feet of space within the video store. The bar will house more than 300 craft beer bottle and can selections and 20 draft taps.
The bar will feature both on and off-site sales pricing. Patrons can purchase any amount of beer to-go, whether in bottle or cans or in growlers and “crowlers,” which are 32-ounce sealable aluminum cans provided by the bar. Customers who wish to drink at the bar or in the bar area can enjoy 13 to 16-ounce drafts or bottles and cans for a $1.50 capage fee.
Given the skyrocketing craft beer industry and the video store’s loyal patronage, Casa Video owners expect to provide another opportunity for customers.
“Of course we want to please our current customer base but we also want to attract anyone who loves film and craft beer,” said Casa Film Bar co-owner Kyle Schwab. “It seems in recent years the video industry has been given a lot of bad publicity, when in all honesty it’s the best way to be able to watch almost any film you may want to.”
Schwab hired 10 bartenders to not only pour and sell beer, but educate beer drinkers of all experiences about different styles they may have not encountered. Schwab expects to house film and beer-related events and promotions in the large bar area throughout the year and is looking to partner with local organizations for additional programs.
Two of the five 55-inch flat screen televisions will display the daily draft list, while three others will play movies. The surround sound system in the bar can be adjusted to suit guest preferences and can be used to show live broadcasts such as sporting events.
Schwab said he and the other Casa Video owners have been working on the project for more than a year. The response since the beginning of the year — when the store began providing a much more limited selection of off-site beer sales — has been overwhelmingly positive, Schwab said.
“A lot of our customers expressed a desire to drink the beer in our store. It just started making a lot of sense to do it,” he said. “The craft beer industry seems to be exploding in Tucson right now. We feel a lot of people who love local craft beer and love supporting local businesses are our customers already.”
Finding space to store all the beer — and the displaced film selections, was not easy, Schwab said. But through clever organization and optimizing a variety of storage areas, the staff was able to place more than 6,500 beers without removing any of the nearly 60,000 films, he said.
Along with beer, the bar will offer local coffee options from its hot, French-press, or its cold-brew nitro tap. A variety of wine — two on tap — will be available for purchase as well.
The bar officially opens Saturday, December 26. Popular craft brewery Oskar Blues will provide eight draft beer offerings as well as promotional items starting at 6pm. Casa Bar hours are from 10am until 1am seven days a week.
(Editor’s Note/Disclosure: Ty Young, who writes the Beer Buzz column is also a new employee of Casa Film Bar. )
