Local brewers hopping

A new local brewery and another proposed one are helping push the number of Ohio alcohol manufacturers to an all-time high.

The Ohio Department of Commerce on Friday issued a press release stating Ohio alcohol manufacturers are thriving with 579 alcohol manufacturing licenses issued across the state by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, "nearly double the number issued just five years ago."

"These businesses produce high-quality, world-class products made right here in Ohio, many with locally sourced ingredients," commerce director Jacqueline T. Williams said in the release. "They benefit the state by offering the kind of products Ohio consumers want and contributing to job creation and economic growth."

Twenty-nine new craft brewery licenses were issued this year for a total of 156, according to the release. One of those new licenses went to Moeller Brew Barn of Maria Stein, which had opened earlier this year.

Another license is pending in the county, an Ohio Department of Commerce official confirmed. Barnstorm Brewing, set to open in March, will be located in Coldwater.

The Department of Commerce release credited Ohio's business-friendly environment and improving economic environment, noting the 4.4 percent unemployment rate is the lowest since 2001. However, local brew company owners credit something else with their decision to open up shop in Mercer County - the lure of their hometowns.

Owners of both the Moeller Brew Barn and Barnstorm Brewing have local ties that brought them back to the area. Nick Moeller of Moeller Brew Barn graduated from Marion Local and Teresa Waite of Barnstorm Brewing is a Coldwater native. Owners of each brewery cited Mercer County's hometown appeal as a major part of their decision to pursue craft breweries in the area.

"We really wanted to get back to this area for our family and the quality of life. We really appreciate Mercer County and Coldwater for the ethics, the hard-working attitude that everybody brings every day," Jack Waite of Barnstorm Brewing said. "We wanted to be a part of that so this is our little addition to it."

Nick Moeller of Moeller Brew Barn echoed Waite's sentiments.

"My wife and I were interested in moving back to the area (from San Diego) but we wondered what we could do in Mercer County," he said. "I was exposed to San Diego's breweries, which there are over 100 of. I got this Moeller Brew Barn concept and it made sense to start it in the county and make it more of a destination than having to have foot traffic. ... When I found out there was space in the (Maria Stein) industrial park, it just made sense."

Moeller said he knew interest in craft beers would be high in the area.

"There's a lot of beer consumed and I knew that as long as we made good beer, there'd be a market for that," he said. "It's more about giving people the choice of having fresh, local craft beer because you can't get any fresher beer in the world."

Waite, who is opening Barnstorm Brewing with his wife, Teresa, said deciding to go into the brewing business was an easy choice when choosing a business to start in the area.

"It was something that we were really interested in as far as an opportunity to be an entrepreneur. Looking at things I enjoy doing, making beers has been a hobby of mine for years, so the opportunity to do that on a grander scale sounded like a dream job," he said.

Waite said he learned how to brew beer through self-study and trial-and-error.

"I didn't realize until I started brewing how much chemistry was involved in the process. There's a lot you have to understand as a brewer, like water qualities and their effect, types of malts, characteristics of hops," he said. "The worst thing that could happen is you brew something people don't want to drink but, frankly, I haven't found that yet. It's hard to make something people don't want to drink."

Moeller said he's seen many converts to craft beers over the years.

"I've seen so many people convert. Why not craft beer? It supports the local economy and it's delicious," he said.

According to the Department of Commerce, the Division of Liquor Control licenses more than 24,000 privately owned and operated manufacturers, distributors and retailers of alcoholic beverages. More than $40.2 million was collected in permit fees in 2015, with $38.9 million distributed to various local and state entities.