The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Beerhead Bar and Eatery: Craft beer playground comes to Lorain County
Avon’s east end is getting a boost to the delight of craft beer enthusiasts. Beerhead Bar and Eatery, 1813 Nagel Road, Suite 100, opened this week offering 50 beers on tap with about 450 to choose from. However, don’t make the mistake of asking for your typical mass-produced brew. Specializing in local and regional craft beers, Beerhead is looking to help beer lovers expand their palates. Although Beerhead hosted a soft opening March 5, it has been difficult to keep under wraps, its owners say. Officially opening March 7, Beerhead brings a new live music venue to Avon and offers a nearly 2,000-squarefoot outdoor patio. “Our vision for this particular location is to be the craft beer location for the west side,” said Beerhead pro Bob Lesher. “Cleveland has a great craft brew scene. “Cleveland has a Beerhead in the Flats, and it’s a very different clientele. They’re very event driven, and out here, there’s nothing like this.”
Exposure
Lesher said his goal is to expose people to as many different craft beers as possible and constantly rotate taps and bring in beer leagues and things not normally seen in local watering holes. “The seasonal beers from the regional local guys,” he said. “I’m going to do at least 50 percent of my taps regional and local to support all of our brewing partners that are in Ohio which is exciting.” Lesher said he puts together the beer list for Beerhead and develops their style. He said he revels at the chance to develop and build Avon’s beer identity. “So I think for me, it was kind of like a desert beer wise,” Lesher said. “Even if I didn’t work here, I would still come here. “There are beers here that you would never see anywhere else. And now I have the ability to bring them in. It’s like a playground.”
Other attractions
Nestled into a recently constructed multi-unit retail complex next to Levin Furniture and across the street from the nearly completed Meijer grocery store, the Nagel Road and Interstate 90 interchange is building its identity in that area. Beerhead announced plans in November 2018 to open three Ohio locations: Avon, Concord and Columbus to be owned and operated by Aaron Rasmussen, Jim Maclellan and Eric Engelke of Three 30 Ventures LLC. “It came down to, we were looking demographically for an area that had future growth,” Maclellan said. “This is really it with I-90. “But most importantly, when we did analytics behind the scenes, we looked at average purchase of craft beer per household by credit card swipes that got us the information, and Avon lit up on the map. “So whether they’re spending it here, downtown or neighboring communities, there’s craft beer purchasers here. So that brought us here. It takes us to Concord and that’s a key element.” The group had explored franchise opportunities in the hospitality industry and were drawn to the uniqueness of the Beerhead concept. “Here, it’s about the experience,” Engelke said. “We want our customers and our patrons to come in, and we want them have a great experience. “We want them to follow a certain beer and be interested in the beer they’re drinking. We want our staff to be able to explain the background of it so when they do come here, they’ll come back and learn about the next beer. “And when you have almost 500 beers, there’s a lot of learning.” With Northeast Ohio’s role as a craft beer oasis, the Avon location is bringing something unique in an area starving for this kind of business, Engelke said. Working with the city of Avon’s economic development team really inspired confidence and trust that the city was a perfect location for their needs, Maclellan said. “They’ve been a pleasure,” he said. “They’ve welcomed us with open arms and they really get into it. “From the economic development director (Pam Fechter) walking us through, and holding our hand through the process and making sure we were comfortable coming into the city before we chose this location, they gave us all the information we ever needed about the future growth of this area. “With the economics of what’s going on and the business they are attracting, it was a good fit for us.” The company based in Vernon Hills, Ill., was founded in 2012 and currently has seven locations across the Midwest. It is expecting to open 30 stores over the next four years. Avon’s role as one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Ohio has built its economic development identity in attracting unique businesses to Lorain County, expanding the footprints of these brands, Engelke said. “The interchange was a big reason why we came, but we felt that Avon had a need for this type of environment,” he said. “We studied the area, we’re familiar with it being northern Ohio people and knowing what’s around here, and we’re just real pleased to bring it to this area,” he said.