Big Dogs Brewery, named after two great dane and mastiff mixtures Zeus and Althea, has opened up in Walden and is excited to continue providing beer and great tunes to the local community.

Domestic partners Tim Santiago and Melissa Raap are taking over the Brewery at Orange County Hops, a business previously owned by Michael (Mike) and Alva Antonelli. The Antonellis officially retired after owning and running the successful brewery for years with live music and beer. Their last day open was December 30.

Santiago and Raap, friends of the Antonellis, have always been in love with the brewery which is located at 771 State Route 52 in Walden.

“We fell in love with the place because I used to play here quite often as a musician and she (Raap) worked here. Mike told me that they were going to be retiring at the end of the year, so when they did that, I told Melissa and we put our things together, made an offer, and purchased the location from Mike and Alva,” said Santiago.

Santiago, a retired state trooper, mentions his passion for music. “I’m a musician now and pretty much every weekend I was playing all over Sullivan and Orange Counties, out of the breweries and wineries,” said Santiago. He has been a musician for over 20 years and served as a state trooper for 31 and a half years.

Raap, who is a certified nail technician for 25 years, has plenty of hospitality experience since she helped run a pizzeria her parents previously owned in Middletown for years. She also bartended at the Brewery at Orange County Hops when it was open.

The combined music and service experience is just what Walden needs, since Santiago and Raap aim to keep the same atmosphere the Brewery at Orange County Hops created, with just small changes.

“We are going to continue the vibe that was here. We’re gonna have live music on the weekends and when spring comes we can open up our back area and we’ll have music outdoors as well. So, we’re going to continue with what Mike and Alva had initially started here, but put our own spin on things,” said Santiago.

They already have craft beers on tap but will also offer liquors like vodka and bourbon. They also will have non-alcoholic choices. “We have a little lounge area over here with coffee, so if you don’t want to come in and drink beer or other spirits like wine, you have a non alcoholic option. We have sodas as well if you don’t want to drink beer,” Santiago mentioned.

The brewery will also have food truck vendors on most weekends, but guests are invited to bring their own food if they’d like.

After their first weekend open, Santiago and Raap decided to make the brewery 18 and older to really feel like an “adult brewery.” The first few days were great according to Santiago. “We had an amazingly successful weekend,” said Santiago, after having their grand opening. It was full of live music and crowds of people this past weekend.

Santiago and Raap are also both parents and have two dogs, Zeus and Althea. They both aim to be a welcoming and dog-friendly (when spring comes) brewery to the community.

Make sure to check out the new brewery when they’re open. Their hours are Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.