USA, OH: Thunderwing Brewing eyeing fall opening in Columbus
Sideswipe Brewing may be winding down operations in Columbus later this month, but craft beer fans won’t have to wait long for a new brewery to fill the void, the Columbus Underground reported on July 18.
Long-time home brewer Jason Wing will trade his basement for a five-barrel brewhouse, taking over the space at 2419 Scioto Harper Dr. to launch Thunderwing Brewing this fall.
It all started 10 years ago with a turkey fryer and a Cincinnati Pale Ale out of John Palmer’s How To Brew.
“It was ok, but it was cool because I made it,” Wing says.
He kept brewing in his garage, graduating from a turkey fryer to a keggle (keg + beer kettle) before building out a home brewery in his basement about two years ago. Wing’s also been an active member of Columbus’ home brewing club, SODZ. (Scioto Olentangy Darby Zymurgists… aka the science of fermentation.)
Trading a career in IT to pursue his passion, the step to retail brewery has been several years in the making, and not without some careful calculation from Wing.
Wing says every home brewer has the “I could totally do this as my job” moment, and he initially was no different.
“I really tried to learn about the business side of this, and there’s kind of a misconception in the home brew world – oh, well, if you’re a professional brewer you just get to have fun and brew all the time, which is not the case,” Wing says. “Owning a brewery – you’re just a small business owner and you’re actually in the business of selling beer. Making beer is like 25% of this.”
But Wing wants to be in the driver’s seat. Coming from IT, he wanted to find a way to maintain the lifestyle for his kids – and show them it’s ok to pursue your passion, even if it means shifting gears.
Plans had been coming together for a few years, but Wing had the luxury of waiting for the right opportunity.
With a number of the area’s craft breweries opening seven to 12 years ago, Wing says he’s seen a cycle of people ready to get out for whatever reason, and a number of breweries going up for sale. Elevator sold to Jackie O’s. Lineage to Combustion. Rockmill Brewery announced it was for sale last year.
Sideswipe checked the boxes for Wing on equipment, location, amount of space and price point.
“It’s turning out really to be a win-win for us,” Wing says. “He [Owner Craig O’Herron] can step away and go to his next stage of life and he also can see someone that’s going to come in be passionate and keep that space… a real craft brewery.”
Sideswipe / Thunderwing’s space is comprised of four connected units, clocking in at just over 3,800 square feet.
In the taproom, Wing’s eager to make it an easy and welcoming transition for Sideswipe fans. The bones of the taproom will remain the same, with a little paint here and a new logo there, but Wing says it will feel similar for existing customers. (He says a number of the staff are also staying on.)
In the next unit, Arcade Super Awesome will depart the space it shared with Sideswipe, and Wing’s exploring options for that area, including using it as event space.
Moving down the line, the next space is currently being sublet, but represents a number of possibilities. Any kind of expansion requires space, and this one’s got it, setting Thunderwing up for future growth. Wing also sees potential to invite in a resident food truck (think Ray Ray’s at Nocterra or Land-Grant).
And then there’s the brewery. Thunderwing will look to ramp up production at the five-barrel brewhouse.
Wing has already outlined a core lineup of four beers: a golden ale called Bolt; American IPA Arise; Hazy IPA Star Seed and a fruited wheat dubbed Tropican. There will be plenty of others, though – seasonals, infusions and one-offs. Wing says the taproom setting lends itself particularly well to infusions, meaning there’s always something new on tap for regulars.
In addition to the taproom, Wing will aim for keg sales to restaurants and bars. He’s also planning to do some canning, but more for to-go taproom sales and bottle shops. There’s currently no plan to distribute through large grocery chains like Kroger.
As he moves from home brewer to brewery owner, Wing’s letting a tagline of ‘Take Flight’ and three words guide the way at Thunderwing: quality, creativity and community.
Quality’s simple: make the best beer possible. Wing says that as breweries are maturing, there’s starting to be a dichotomy between breweries that are making high-quality beer and those that aren’t.
For Wing, creativity not only applies to brewing beer, but creativity in the taproom with collaborations and events. Which leads to community. He wants Thunderwing to be the type of brewery that connects with other organizations, brews that collaboration beer, hosts the event for a nonprofit and raises awareness for a cause.
Wing also admires the community that he’s entering into.
“The craft brewing community seems to be more of a community than other business verticals, and they help each other out,” he says.
Sideswipe Brewing will host a going away party on Saturday, July 22 and its last day pouring beers will be Sunday, July 30.
After a few months of work, Wing is aiming for an October debut for Thunderwing.
19 July, 2023
