Oncore Brewing Ribbon Cutting Highlights New Beverage Options
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A ribbon cutting was held at Oncore Brewing, a craft brewery located at 14249 Airport Highway in Swanton in the small strip mall just west of McDonalds last Saturday to introduce a major addition to their beverage menu. Oncore Brewing opened its doors in the Summer of 2022 and quickly became a “go to” destination for beer lovers in the area. Owner and Master Brewer Kieth Baker and his wife Sheena turned a long-time vacant space into a warm and welcoming place for area residents to stop in alone or with friends and quench their thirst from a large selection of great-tasting craft beers brewed right on the site. And now, there is more.
Keith has created a drink menu filled with deliciously unique ales, lagers, stouts and porters, each with a distinctive flavor and a very creative name that will not let you forget it the next time you come in. For example, you can sample Coffee, Stills and Mash, a blonde ale infused with coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Or The Dark Order: Porter, an American porter. Maybe the Swantucky Slammer, an American lager. Perhaps the Nitro Stout, an Irish dry stout. Possibly, if you have a good lawyer, Smells Like Divorce Papers, a sweet apple ale infused with honey, cherry and grape might be more to your liking.
However, after two years of a relatively steady business, Keith decided it was time to offer adult beverages for the non-beer drinker. “Times are changing. The craft beer industry has, at the very least peaked and has started to trend down in the other direction. You can only hear so much of your customers coming in here and saying, ‘Hey. It’s six o’clock. We’re going to meet our friends somewhere,’ and we could keep those customers if we had something other than beer,” he explained.
With this concept in mind, Keith worked with the Toledo Spirits Company, which manufactures craft spirits, for about five months and developed a Signature Cocktail Menu which included Margaritas, Martinis, Mimosas, Manhattans and much more. Oncore uses approximately 90% of Toledo Spirits liquor in their cocktails and the early reviews have been very positive. “You can see it in their face,” said Keith. “You say to someone, ‘Try this,’ and when you see their face light up and you see how fast they drink, you know you are doing some good things.” The reaction has been very similar to what he sees from his beer-drinking clients. There are also five “Mocktails” as well.
Mr. Baker also has expansion plans that extend far beyond offering cocktails to growing clientele. Somewhere in the near future he wants add a kitchen to cook and serve food, which will require additional space. Currently, for customers that would enjoy food with their drinks, one of many local food trucks is parked out behind the business every night they are open. Customers are also allowed to bring in their own food, whether it be from home or from the Subway next door or anywhere else.
Oncore Brewing has one major advantage over other bars and restaurants with respect to their beer sales. They can sell their products, in kegs of course, to other establishments that serve alcohol such as the Swanton Sports Center and Benfield Wines. Outside sales is a significant part of their revenue. Live entertainment is also offered on many evenings.
For those curious about the business’s unique name, Oncore Brewing, it is a tribute to Keith’s late father, Kenny, who was a drummer in local bands around the Rising Sun, Ohio area. Both Keith and Kenny shared a passion for music and beer. At the end of a gig, Kenny’s band would play an encore after he would announce, “One More N We’re Goin!” The “E” in encore is replaced by an “O” which represents the power button on the sound equipment used by the band members. You can see more of the tribute reflected in the interior design and their outside marquee and with their beer tap handles, which are all drum sticks.
Oncore Brewing is open on Wednesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Friday from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm, Saturday from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, and Sunday from Noon to 8:30 pm. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Check out their website at oncorebrewing.com for their beverage menus, food truck schedule and special events.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO Charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Keith and Sheena cut the ribbon for their Grand Re-Opening
Fulton County Ohio Media 