The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘LEAP OF FAITH’
Mentor Brewing Company owners celebrate opening amid coronavirus pandemic
Providing a gathering place for good company and great beer is among the goals of Mentor Brewing Company owners. While opening such a business is a tricky ambition during a pandemic, that’s just what Brian Seelinger and Rick Mack are doing this weekend at 9528 Diamond Centre Drive.
The business partners built a 1,000-square-foot addition onto The Brew Mentor, which originated in 2010 across town. It moved to the current location six years later.
A soft opening was held Feb. 4, and the public is being welcomed starting at 4 p.m., Feb. 5.
Stewart’s Smokin Backyard BBQ of Kirtland will be on hand Feb. 5 and 6. “During the warmer months, we will have a rotation of food trucks,” said Mack, adding that some local snack options will be available as well.
The business expansion added seating for 98 people — 57 with social-distancing measures in place — and a patio.
The existing space is now the taproom.
Along with beer, Mentor Brewing Company will feature locally crafted wine, cider, seltzer and kombucha.
“We are taking a big leap of faith by opening the taproom during this time, but we look at it as an opportunity to reinvest in our business and community,” Mack said.
The project was completed with an intentional emphasis on supporting other community entrepreneurs.
“We strive to work with as many local small businesses as we can from the woodwork, bar tops, vendors, contractors to the apples used in our cider,” he said. “Small businesses are the backbone, and we will continue to include them as much as we can.”
The Brew Mentor will be offering all the same products as it did prior to the remodel. Pre-pandemic, online shopping already had put a dent in the retail supply sales, said Seelinger, when the project went through Mentor Planning Commission in 2018. But he said the sale of finished products is growing.
Like many other retailers, The Brew Mentor closed down in the spring, then reopened with callahead/curbside pickups, and slowly reopened the inside to the public with abbreviated hours.
“We have a ton of community support and are very appreciative because, without them, we’d be nowhere,” Mack said. “That said, it certainly has hurt our business tremendously as people are not out shopping.”
While COVID-related restrictions remain in place, Mentor Brewing Company hours will be 4 to 10 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays; 4 to 11 p.m., Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays. Hours will be extended once the curfew is lifted.
“We are super excited to open, but we need to respect that we are still in a pandemic, so we are always going to err on the side of caution,” he said.