Best Wishes to Zauber Brewing and Geoff Towne

When Zauber Brewing in Grandview first opened its doors back in 2011, my wife and I used to visit every Thursday evening (or at least every one we could).  At the time, they didn't have their full brewing equipment operational and could only brew on their smaller-scale system. That meant that each Thursday they could offer some of their own beer.  The rest of the week, they were (mostly) selling beers from other craft brewers.  After they started full-scale operations we didn't visit quite as often.

I met Zauber founder Geoff Towne a while later, at Barley's Ale House's "Afternoon with the Brewers" event.  Geoff was a very nice guy and told me that if I was enjoying home brewing (which I am) that I shouldn't make it a business.  Once you do that, you're spending time dealing with employees, making payroll, paying a lease, meeting government regulations, etc.  You're spending very little time brewing and a lot more time doing mundane, sometimes stressful, business activities.  It was advice that I took to heart.

I've met Geoff a couple of times since then.  He once took a few of us on an impromptu tour of Zauber.  His passion for the brewery and Belgian/German beer styles was evident.  I always thought he seemed like a good guy and I wanted very much to see Zauber succeed.

The casual but friendly atmosphere at Zauber made it one of my favorite places to go have a beer. One thing that always stood out to me about Zauber was Towne's focus on Belgian and German beer styles.  That is pretty unique in the Columbus craft beer market.  Many breweries focus on IPAs, Pale Ales, and other hop-forward styles - rarely venturing into other territory.  I understand why they do it.  Those styles tend to be among the best-selling these days, and they are in business to make money.  But there is an underserved market around town for styles that aren't hop-forward.  Most of my friends and family members are perfectly happy drinking a well-balanced Kolsch, Cream Ale, Stout, Belgian Single/Dubbel/Tripel/Quad, Brown Ale, etc.  Few of them will happily crack open and drink a hop-forward Pale Ale, IPA, or Double IPA.  When they visit some of our local breweries, there's nothing on the menu they find palatable.  Zauber shined in that regard.  While I felt that some of the beers were a little hop-forward for the style (or for my taste), I could nearly always find something on Zauber's beer menu that appealed to me.

It saddened me to learn recently that Towne had found it necessary to sell his brewery.  The new owners are letting him keep the Zauber brand name, but they're taking over the equipment and facility.  They'll be re-branding it some time in the near future.  I haven't seen much from Geoff Towne since then.  In one interview, Towne was quoted as saying "I'd like to move to another site and re-emerge. Zauber isn't dying or dead, just evolving."  In another article I read, it seemed like Geoff had not decided if he'd return to craft beer or not.

If you are out there and read this, Geoff, I want you to know that there are folks like me who appreciated you and Zauber.  I hope you don't give up on craft beer and find a way to bring Zauber back as a successful local brewery.  When you do, I'll be there.

No matter what you do, I wish you success and happiness.

Middle West Spirits Tour - August 19, 2017

Located next door to Brothers Drake Meadery, Middle West Spirits produces a number of well crafted liquors.  I took a tour of the facility with my brother on Saturday, and it was very cool to see what Middle West has already accomplished and have a glimpse at what is to come.

When you enter the facility, you pass through the gift shop area, with lots of beautifully crafted wood counters, shelves, and product displays.

Walking around the corner, you enter what will eventually be their restaurant and bar.  The restaurant will feature a full range of cocktails made with Middle West spirits as well as spirits from many other companies.  They're promising an incredible array of beverages when they're up and running.

The tour starts in a small conference room or private dining area off the main restaurant/bar. The tour guide talks about the history of the company, its plans for the future, and its success to date.

After this brief introduction, you're shown the massive fermenters where the beverages start.

You then see the distillers and have the chance to look inside one of the fermenters to see the beverage fermenting inside it.

I knew that Middle West made a number of products. I've seen their whiskey, vodka, and other products on store shelves around town.  Until the tour, I had no idea how many different products they make.  It's quite an impressive selection.

We had a nice time on the tour, learned a lot, and got to try many of their products. I'd definitely recommend taking the tour if you get the chance.

Fermenters

Whiskey making still

The top side of the fermenters

Sampling/testing port for spirits in-progress - reminds me of a steampunk gadget

Spent grain ends up in these containers and is offered to local farmers to feed livestock

Massive distillation columns - practically works of art in themselves

Brothers Drake Meadery Tour - August 19, 2017

I've visited Brothers Drake Meadery a few times since it opened, and always wanted to take the tour to see how they make their mead. On Saturday, my brother and I arrived there and took the tour with Sarah, who makes their mead these days.  That's her at the left.

The first thing that will strike you upon entering the mead-making area is that it's relatively small compared with most Columbus brewing and spirit-making facilities.  (You're seeing pretty much the entire facility in that picture, minus maybe six feet of additional equipment behind where I was standing.)

The tour gives a great background on the history of mead, the history of Brothers Drake itself, their emphasis on local ingredients and equipment where possible, and their relationships with businesses in the Columbus area.

Sarah (whose name I may be misspelling, and my apologies to her if so) was a great tour guide and spokesperson for the business.  She clearly enjoys what she is doing and is excited to be sharing what she brews with the community.  Her passion for the beverage and its potential is very clear.

After the tour, visitors can taste the various meads available and order glasses or bottles of any that interest them.  Brothers Drake also offers a variety of Cysers (which are kind of a combination of cider and mead, made with honey and apple juice) and a selection of local craft beers (not made by Brothers Drake).  Some mixed drinks are also available.  In short, if you visit with friends who prefer beer or mixed drinks to mead and cyser, you should all find something interesting to drink there.

I definitely recommend taking the tour if you get the chance.  It's a fun introduction to the meadery and the process of making mead.

The equipment in the meadery

Meads being aged in Middle West (OYO) spirit barrels

The list of Cysers on tap, along with bottles of mead and cyser

The list of Meads on tap

A sample of Wild Ohio mead, made with Ohio honey