The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Beer is artistry for this family
‘We put a lot of heart and care into our beers”
At Avon Brewing Company the secret of the brew is all about artistry of flavors and family.
So when brothers Brian and Dan Weaver and brother-in-law Mathias Hauck opened the pub and grille less than seven months ago at 37040 Detroit Road in Avon, their flagship beer was Ohana Wheat.
“Ohana means family,” said the 39-year-old Hauck of Avon. “We all teared up. After we brewed it professionally and had it on tap here, our first pour was emotional. We all teared up. It’s like all that hard work getting to fruition. It’s like how we do everything. We put a lot of heart and care into our beers.”
As much as possible, they infuse the brews with local ingredients, he said.
“From our fruit to our hops,” Hauck said. “Since we don’t distribute our beer, we’re not necessarily worried about driving down the cost. So we use the best ingredients we can find.”
Creating one batch of beer requires several days of sourcing ingredients, writing the recipes, and choosing the hops.
“It is an artform,” Hauck said. “Hops all have a different flavor profile. That takes time and effort. We always make a trial batch.”
“And we sample. And we sample again,” said Brian Weaver, a 39-year-old Elyria resident.
Hauck said it takes about a day to put all the ingredients together.
“We brew 15 barrels of each flavor, one at a time,” he said.
The idea to open a restaurant had been a family muse for years, ever since Brian Weaver became a chef.
When the trio experimented with brewing beer in a garage — and liked the results — they found a location in their home town and opened for business.
The men said they still brew sample batches in the same garage, but brew craft beers for the restaurant off site in Madison.
“When we found out we weren’t able to brew onsite,” Hauck said, “we looked at other sites and we found we could brew in Madison. It was a good decision. We didn’t know how much beer we were going to need. In the first six months, we brewed 255 barrels of beer and we only sell it here. It’s a very intimate experience. They come for the food and stay for the beer, or they come for the beer and stay for the food. Either way it’s okay with us.”
From starting with five of their own beers on tap, the list has grown to include: Gold Dust, Barista Blonde, French Creek Pale Ale, Ohana Wheat (pineapple), Eagle IPA (India Pale Ale), King Kokonut, Black Widow, and Christmas Miracle.
“Which was a huge hit,” Hauck said, adding more beers will hit the pub and grille soon.
“Clash of Clanns, that’s our collaboration beer with Portside, a brewery in Cleveland,” Hauck said.
“Sometimes brewers get together,” Brian Weaver said.
“They’re selling it at their spot, and we’re selling it at our spot,” Hauck said.
“Restaurants aren’t typically like that, to have that collaboration is kind of cool,” Brian said. “It’s fun.”
“We did a Mango Habañero French Creek, which is more of a fusion drink,” Hauck said, “and a Strawberry Jalapeño Gold Dust.”
In the restaurant kitchen, Brian Weaver said he blends the ingredients into sauces for making the beer.
“We didn’t buy it; he made it so we used it as one of the ingredients,” Hauck said. “We also brewed Ugli IPA. Brian is making the puree from ugli fruit. We tried it, cut it up. We thought it would be good with beer.”
And the Avon crew collaborates with Franklin Brewing Co. in Elyria, he said, in a peanut butter-chocolate-coffee stout they’re calling Stoney Ridge Stout.
For the guest taps, Dan Weaver, 35, searches for unique beers that the coowners would like to drink.
“We try to find rare beers that people know about, but they’re hard to find,” Dan said.
“We’re very confident in our own product, our beer,” Hauck said. “And we’re not afraid to have other stellar breweries in our spot because we love what they do and we know people will love what we do.”
“Black Widow is a beer nerd’s beer,” Hauck said.
“We’re passionate about what we do.”
So far the homebrew team won four awards, Hauck said.
Since opening the pub and restaurant, Brian, the chef, says he held steady on the regular menu. He includes more creative dishes through seasonal fare.
“I’ve branched out and done specials I didn’t think I was going to be able to do,” Brian said.
For example, specials for the Lenten season include seafood and vegetarian dishes, he said.
“Not everyone likes to eat fish or seafood when they’re observing Lent,” Brian said.
The inspired flavors of Avon Brewing Co. find a way into his cooking in sauces and soups, he said.
“Every beer we’ve ever made is used in a dish,” Hauck said. “That’s a fun connection we have with our beer and our food. We push the envelope a little bit on purpose. And Brian pushes the envelope with his food because he’s an artist. Dan pushes the envelope with his beers, too.”
Dan works out deals with breweries in other locales to bring a keg or two of Pub Exclusive Beers to Avon Brewing Co., Hauck said. An example is a house beer from Jackie O’s Public House and BrewPub in Athens.
“A lot of Ohio University grads will come here,” Hauck said. “Instead of driving four hours to go down there, we let people know we have it here.”
When toying with a question of what they might have done differently when they started the business, Brian said they could have built their own brewery closer to home instead of the one they use an hour away. Or they could have added more parking, he said.
“We needed the ability to brew way more beer than we thought,” Brian said. “We were going to build a little room over there and have a nano brewery. We would have needed three shifts working non-stop.”
They agreed they picked the right place and the right time.
“Being here, doing what we do with no debt, people love what we do here,” Hauck said. “This spot is great. Avon is perfect for us. And we’re making beer.”
To contact Avon Brewing Co., call 440-937-1816. Online ordering also is available at www.avonbrewingcompany.com.