SKOL Brewing Expands Atlanta Brewpub With 30,000-Square-Foot Gaming Lounge

Six times larger than the taproom that currently anchors it, the Valhalla Gaming Lounge is coming for downtown Atlanta this May. SKOL Brewing Company, the Nordic-themed brewpub inside the former Macy's building at 200 Peachtree, is expanding its existing 5,000-square-foot footprint by 30,000 square feet, converting a sprawling adjacent space into a full-scale eatertainment destination stacked with 40-plus gaming options, private event bays, and a regional food program built around poutine, smoked brisket, and local cheese curds.

The math here is instructive for anyone tracking how taprooms evolve. Co-creators Drew Tull and Gray Lane opened SKOL in 2025 with a handsome first floor: over 120 seats in a mix of high-tops and lounge furniture, hardwood floors, antler chandeliers, and a beer portfolio nudging close to 20 house offerings. That foundation did not change; the question was what you build on top of it. Their answer is Valhalla: golf simulators, soccer experiences, bocce courts, billiard tables, darts, and old-school arcade games, with a live-music stage and climbing wall potentially in the pipeline. SKOL already operates an axe-throwing venue on-site through a partnership with American Axes, so layering in more experiences was not new territory for them.

The timing is not accidental. Valhalla is targeting a full opening by May 2026, just ahead of FIFA World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a few blocks away. That is the clearest possible statement of intent: build the destination before the crowd arrives. Tull and Lane put it directly: "SKOL and Valhalla Gaming Lounge are designed to not only showcase Atlanta to out-of-town guests and conventioneers, but to create a destination for everyone."

For the brewing industry, the strategic logic is worth breaking down. Weekday taproom traffic is the persistent weak link for most craft operations. Adding games, private event bays, and simulators converts a Tuesday night from dead air into a corporate team outing or a league night. SKOL currently opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends, but Lane and Tull have announced plans to push hours to 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily once the World Cup window opens. Dwell time extends. Revenue per visit climbs. The beer program remains the anchor but no longer has to do all the load-bearing work alone.

Smaller operations watching SKOL do not need 30,000 square feet to run the same play. The transferable moves are leagues (darts, bocce, cornhole), rotating private-event packages sold weeks in advance, and branded activity partnerships like the American Axes deal, all of which drive repeat visits and group bookings without a full-scale buildout. Homebrew club nights, tap takeovers, and themed beer-food pairings occupy the same strategic category: low capital, high retention.

Portions of the Valhalla space are already available for private bookings while construction continues at 155 Carnegie Way NW.