Former aid workers open taproom in downtown Durham

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Pour Taproom, a new spot in downtown Durham that allows patrons to pour their own beverages, officially opened on Thursday.

But when the bar's owners met a few years ago, they were doing something very different: aid work for refugees in Africa.

Dan Enarson, part owner and general manager of the business, said the two fields aren't as different as you might think.

"Believe it or not, it's a really entrepreneurial type of process, doing aid work," Enarson said. "You have an idea on a piece of paper, you're given money by a donor, and then you've got to make that idea happen, which is very similar to starting a business."

He said during his seven years working in East Africa, he found that nearly everywhere he went, the locals offered a drink to bond over.

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Pour Taproom aims to bring that community spirit to Durham and create a place where anyone can relax and have a drink.

After opening a tab, patrons grab a glass and wear wristbands that use RFID chips to track their drink consumption by the ounce, which makes it easy to try something new without committing to drinking a whole glass.

"We hope that people come check us out and try a different style of beer than they'd be accustomed to trying, just because they can literally pour two ounces of it and move on," Enarson said."

The taproom is located on the ground floor of the upcoming Unscripted Hotel and offers over 60 drinks pumped directly from fresh kegs. Those include wine and local craft beers as well as brews from overseas. The taproom also has a small food menu.

Enarson said the taproom is designed to complement the existing craft beer scene in Durham, not compete with it.

"We're here to promote local breweries," he said. "We want to promote their craft to the downtown Durham scene."

You can catch up with Pour Taproom on Twitter @PourTaproom, on Instagram @PourTaproomDurham, or on Facebook at facebook.com/pourtaproomdurham.