USA, OH: Uniontown Brewing Co. planned to open in downtown Ashland
In hopes to continue to bring more traffic to downtown Ashland, an Ashland University employee and his wife are in the process of opening up a microbrewery downtown, The Collegian reported on September 8.
Doug Reynolds, who currently serves as the supervisor at the Eagle’s Nest is working to open Uniontown Brewing Co. in the building that once housed Gilbert Furniture Company.
Because of renovations and licensing through the state and federal government, Reynolds does not yet have a projected opening date, although he estimates it will not be until after the school year ends.
Reynolds explained that he and his wife had always wanted to own their own business, but life and familiar routines got in their way. That is, until now.
“We were just sitting one day and everything kind of clicked,” said Reynolds. “Breweries are huge [right now] and we always wanted to own our own restaurant in Ashland. We’ve talked about it for years, that Ashland needs something new and something local.”
Uniontown Brewing Co. will be home to a five barrel brewhouse that is being specifically built to meet the restrictions of the Ashland location. The brewhouse will be kept in the basement, and the first floor which boasts a 41,000 square foot area will be used for the kitchen, dining, and bar area.
Reynolds wants to create a menu with a lot of “scratch-cooking” and beer-infused dishes. Eventually, Reynolds plans to hire a chef and then design menu from there. He has already started talking to local farmers about fresh ingredients for the menu including salmon and trout farmers along with greens and beef farmers and really wants to focus on the local aspect when choosing the ingredients that make up his dishes.
Reynolds hopes that the microbrewery will draw in various different groups in the Ashland area including locals, students and their families, and visitors looking to try something new.
“Our target market is mostly millenials, but the craft beer industry is so widespread from 21 up to 60 [year olds] who travel to [visit microbreweries],” Reynolds said. “We’re going to classify ourselves as casual fine dining; Very casual and family oriented. We’ll be open six days a week and open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.”
The name Uniontown appealed to Reynolds because historically it was the name of what is now Ashland before it was changed when the town applied for a post office.
Reynolds, who is an Ashland native says he cannot help but get a little sappy when remembering his childhood in Ashland and his desire to see the downtown area come back to the way he remembers it. He recalled visiting his mom during her lunch breaks while she worked in a store downtown called Jupiter and always going to the Ashland Restaurant. Downtown was where the people of Ashland did all of their shopping.
“My wife and I are proud to be part of the revitalization of downtown, and we hope to be the catalyst that gets everyone going,” Reynolds said. “Ashland is a great town. There’s a reason why 23 hundred people want to come here for school. [Parents] feel comfortable leaving their kids here for four years. It’s a nice quiet town.”
11 September, 2016
