Esters is named for the compounds released during beer fermentation — the ones that read on the palate as pear, apple, or banana depending on the yeast and the conditions. The design takes that literally. Banana yellow runs bright through the space, and light fixtures in a range of greens carry the fruit reference without explaining itself to anyone who doesn't already know the term.

This first location, on Holly Street, sits in an ordinary shopping center in Virginia Village, which shaped the approach. The existing kitchen, bar, and patio were reused rather than rebuilt, and the work went into making the room clean, open, and bright enough to feel like a destination in a context that offers no help. The pub serves the families, sports fans, and working people already in the neighborhood, and the design is calibrated to that crowd rather than to a downtown audience.