USA, OH: Aeonian Brewing Co. aims for everlasting mission in Alliance

If its name is any indication, Aeonian Brewing Co. will be around for quite a while, Cleveland.com reported on August 9.

Owners Brandon Benson and Dean Economous initially chose “Catalyst” as the name, but they lost it in a trademark situation to a company that doesn’t even brew craft beer. No matter; their second choice is working out well.

“My wife and I found it,” Benson said of ‘Aeonian’. “Because it is Greek, I thought ‘I don’t know if this is exactly what it means’,” he said. But he put it on the list, and eventually conferred with Economous, who is Greek. Turns out it was on his list, too.

And, he told Benson, the definition was correct.

“It means what we’re trying to achieve here,” Benson said. “The property has been here forever. … Everyone knew the Mount Union Mill (pet and garden supply). It had a lot of history anyways in Alliance, and we just wanted to continue it.”

The name also piques the customers’ interest.

“It actually ended up working better because now most people ask us how to say it,” Benson said. “It’s Aoenian Brewing Company, it’s Greek for ‘eternal and everlasting.’ What does it mean? There’s all of our ice breakers. All of our servers go up and have to explain it to them. And we’re number one on most lists alphabetically.”

Business since the brewery opened March 31 has been “steady” as the state slowly emerges from restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Benson’s sole professional experience comes from nine years of working at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Summit County’s largest brewery.

“I had great mentors there,” he said.

But he started to get the inkling to strike out on his own. He helped the Akron brewery finish up with its popular 12 Dogs of Christmas – a busy time - and then left last year.

“Just like every other brewer’s dream, if I had my own place I’d do this, that or the other,” said Benson, who is from Salem and lives in North Canton.

A three-hour chat with his business partner and longtime pal Economous at a Dunkin’ Donuts hashed out ideas for the brewery.

They looked all over for a spot, but the West Chestnut Street address had “all the boxes checked,” he said, from accessible utilities to a welcoming community. Aeonian is Alliance’s first and only brewery.

Benson was a home brewer starting in college, perfecting his craft.

“Made really (bad) beer,” he said about his beginnings. “I lived with a house of nine; they drank it. So it was fine then.”

He got better. Benson has a degree in biology and minor in chemistry, so he had a leg up when it came to brewing, which draws primarily on chemistry and sanitation skills. He kept brewing, and Thirsty Dog’s John Najeway hired him in 2011.

“He’s a good brewer,” Najeway said of Benson, who worked his way up from bottling to head of brewing operations at the Akron brewery. “He’s got a lot of talent, and obviously his biology background has helped in brewing and has made for good, clean beers. He understands the production side, so they should do well.

“He’s got a lot of talent.”

Benson’s talents now have him working in the tasteful space, which covers around 10,000 square feet with plenty of room to expand. A clean, smooth gray cement bar top wraps five sides. The main room holds about 120 people and has a fireplace. Back patio holds about 40 people, and they have plans to expand it. An upstairs area can serve small private parties. Benson worked on the tables himself, finding time during the pandemic, crafting them out of maple and walnut.

The building’s original part is 160 years old, a former grain and feed mill. One room is being converted to one of two event spaces for beer dinners, small parties and other gatherings. They are hustling on this aspect of the business, since they are booking fast already for the remainder of the year.

Out back, noise from street traffic is diminished.

“It still makes you feel like you’re not in a city, you’re not in a busy place. You’re kind of in your own little area,” he said.

Business since the brewery opened March 31 has been “steady,” Benson said.

“There is no normal for us at this point,” he said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to make it as normal as possible.”

And normal means serving consistent, quality beer. Aeonian uses a 15-barrel system with five 30-barrel fermenters. A recently put-in-place canning line will be able to accommodate eight cans a minute. That will take a bit getting used to.

“Coming from Thirsty Dog, I’m used to doing 135 a minute,” Benson said.

OPA! – keeping with the Greek name – is the brewery’s best-selling beer, a Belgian Wit, a balanced quaffer that is a testament to Benson’s brewing ability. It’s not often that style is a brewery’s best seller.

“One of my favorite styles,” he said. “I just feel like you can have that any time of the year, anytime of the day. It’s just an easy-drinking beer.”

Others among the dozen taps include Summer Illusion, a Hefeweizen; Nickel & Dimed, a Double India Pale Ale; and Replacement Santa, a holiday ale that has a nice balance of spice but definitely is not a spice-rack bomb.

“We tried to get something for everyone,” he said.

Benson’s wife works on the beer signs, the creatively chalked list hanging behind the taps.

Samples are four 3-ounce pours, and crowlers are available.

Distribution is a consideration but not a key goal right now.

“That part we just haven’t got our heads wrapped around yet. We just trying to get the brewery up and running, get the canning going, and get our event spaces taken care of because that’s starting to take off,” he said.

“What we wanted the brewery to be is a social, community place for people to come and hang out,” he said. “We try to invite people in. We don’t try to push people out like in some restaurants. We’re not looking to flip tables. If you want to sit at a table and drink beer all night with us, by all means, that’s what we’re here for.”

So consider it an eternal bar of sorts.

09 August, 2021