USA, OH: Bad Tom Smith Brewing owners hoping to be able to open in November

A pair of break-ins have delayed the launch of Bad Tom Smith Brewing in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, but the owners are optimistic they can open in November, Cleveland.com reported on October 31.

Owners John Vojtush and Sheryl Gittins own the Ohio City brewery, which is catty-corner from Nano Brew on West 25th Street. The planned outpost of the Cincinnati-based brewery aims to focus on the home-brew market in Northeast Ohio. Brewers can apply to work in the Home Brewers Shoot Out for several weeks at a time under the tutelage of lead brewers Garth Moore and Scott Weaver.

This has been a challenging year for Vojtush and Gittins. They had planned to open around Memorial Day, but red tape between city inspectors and owners delayed that until September. Now, two break-ins have pushed back the opening yet again.

Thieves pilfered about $30,000 worth of equipment on Oct. 2 and Oct. 25, Vojtush said. Electronics, a commercial air-conditioning condenser, bar equipment, uninstalled security system and "a significant amount" of construction tools were stolen, he said.

"The most challenging thing is we had just delivered the electronics, and they were going to be installed," said Vojtush, who said police told him other job sites have been hit in the area recently.

"The thing that's really unfortunate for us: We were putting electronics up on the 26th - the next day," he said. "Nobody knows what our schedule is; how in the heck is this happening?"

The second time, he said, "they ripped down the back door."

The air-conditioning unit alone cost $5,500 and weighted about 300 pounds, he said.

"They had a good sense of what they wanted, they found it, they were gone."

Despite the break-ins and delays the couple is maintaining a level-headed approach, and Vojtush said "for the most part" insurance covered the items.

"It's obviously disappointing, but Sheryl and I are keeping our heads about us and continuing to move forward," Vojtush said. "We'll be open before Thanksgiving; there's not much you can do about it."

Adding to the stress and work leading to the opening: The couple's wedding date is Saturday, Nov. 18.

Through it all, Bad Tom Smith's focus remains on the home-brew community, he said.

"We're real excited to work with the home brewers," Vojtush said. "We're focused on Northeast Ohio, but there are a lot of people all throughout Ohio who want to participate."

02 November, 2017