E-Malt.com News article: USA, OH: The Phoenix Brewing Co. to hold ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 10

The Phoenix Brewing Co. will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the historic Carrousel District at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 10 at the business, located off Temple Court, Mansfield News Journal reported on July 8.

Bob Schroer of Mansfield, a great-great-grandson of the Charles Schroer who built the Schroer Building in 1914, will cut the ribbon.

The building, a former mortuary on North Diamond Street, is 100 years old this year.

The Phoenix Brewing Co., which opened in April, serves seven beers brewed on-site. Customers can enjoy the mortuary theme when ordering.

The vacant building has been transformed into a showplace with its exposed brick and concrete and rustic wooden bar, the latter purchased from an Ashland woman who salvaged it from a former Mansfield bar.

The business is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursdays, 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays and 2 p.m. to midnight Saturdays.

The brew pub offers seven beers: Pale Ale 419, John Doe American Wheat, Ferryman Stout (an oatmeal milk stout), 5 Guinea ESB (extra special bitter), Redemption IPA (India pale ale) and Danger City brown ale. The newest beer is The Schroer-Pilsner.

Steve Zigmund, one of the partners in the business, said the new beer is a German-style pilsner.

“It’s a lighter beer. I think people who drink the lighter beers are really going to like to try it,” Zigmund said.

The 1,700-square-foot building includes a brewery in the basement and a large brick patio that opens onto The Brickyard next to the building. The building has an entrance that opens onto Temple Court.

The Schroer Building was built in 1914. As a former mortuary, it comes with a bit of a dark history. Embalming was done in a room in the basement and a hand-operated elevator was reportedly used to move the caskets between floors. The chapel was on the second floor, with viewing rooms on the third floor.

The mortuary history didn’t deter Phoenix Brewing Co. owners Josh Beard, Duncan MacFarlane, Zigmund and one silent partner, who last year said they hoped to bring more people downtown with their locally produced ales.

Each of the owners brings a different skill set to the brewery, but all have experience in home brewing.

Their plan is to allow food trucks next to their patio. They also encourage patrons to order food from local establishments. Plans include an old-style saloon sign outside and putting up an awning that was on the building a century ago.

Some of the original hardware remains on the building for the awning, Zigmund said.

“Everything we’ve wanted to accomplish in Phase I is done,” he said, including the new patio.

Phoenix Brewing Co.’s signature beer is an India pale ale. The owners sell beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, and they are licensed to self-distribute to other permit holders.

Beer is sold for on-site consumption and in growlers — 64-ounce glass containers — for carryout. The business also has mugs, T-shirts and other beer memorabilia for sale.


09 July, 2014