Back in 1986, Fred and Debbie Callaway were looking for a place to start a new restaurant.The restaurant business was Fred’s idea. According to Debbie, Fred turned to her one day and said he’d like to own a fine dining establishment.After the initial surprise wore off, Debbie said, Why not?At the time, Fred was working at the True Value Hardware store in O’Fallon and Debbie was employed at the O’Fallon Kroger. During their off hours they went restaurant shopping.One day Debbie found a condemned rental property for sale in downtown Warrenton. It didn’t look like much then — in fact, their realtor told them they were “nuts” — but Debbie thought the building had potential. It looked like one of those Italian restaurant buildings on The Hill in St. Louis.Eventually, the fine dining idea went by the wayside. “We saw how hard they worked at Yesterday’s Fine Dining Restaurant, so we decided to open a beer garden,” she said.They kept their day jobs and lived on the second and third floors of the building while they renovated. The renovation, including stripping down all the original woodwork, went on and on for a total of seven years.They put in an outdoor patio or biergarten with a stage for performers and they turned the second floor into a dining room that can be rented out for private parties.Finally, in 1993, they opened their doors. They called their restaurant Brewskies.The Callaways would raise three boys in their restaurant-home. All three sons would serve as bartenders.Debbie says like any restaurant business they have had their share of struggles. “The worst was in 2006 when 11 restaurants opened in town,” she said. “I don’t think any of them are still open.”In 1999, they added the downstairs bar. The booths are made from old church pews and the bar was handmade by Fred. The bar features a copper top, while the front is made from the building’s original antique cabinets. The bar was famous for carrying 99 selections of beer on the wall. Those who tasted all 99 brands got their photograph on The Wall. Altogether 76 people are featured on The Wall.Debbie and Fred say they owe their longevity to their home cooking — Fred makes the homemade soups and meatloaf, and Debbie’s specialty is the lasagna — their awesome employees and fantastic maintenance men Warren and Travis, who keep repairing the equipment whenever anything breaks down.“I love all my regulars,” Debbie said. “I can’t thank them enough for keeping us in business.”Added Fred: “Twenty years! Who would’ve thought?”Brewskies is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, for lunch and dinner. Debbie and Fred will celebrate Brewskies’ 20th anniversary this Saturday. There will be a beer tasting starting at 3 p.m., and the owners hope those musicians who have played at the restaurant in the past will show up and bring their instruments and play a tune.Brewskies Celebrates 20 Years Downtown