Arrogant Goat, the long-awaited nanobrewery in downtown Bucyrus, plans Jan. 7 opening
The three owners of Arrogant Goat Brewing are starting small. Very small.
The tap room at 125A E. Rensselaer St. seats 12 people. They have room for six taps, two brew kettles, two 60-gallon fermenters, a cupboard for grains, a cool room kept just above 40 degrees F, and a tiny bathroom.
That's precisely what they wanted, agreed Mark Burke, David Jones and Zach Osborn.
"You couldn't do it with anything smaller than this," Burke said Thursday evening. "This space has been great for us. For us, I think it's perfect size, because none of us are quitting our jobs. This is a hobby business, if you will, so I don't think we would want much more than this right now. We're pretty excited about it."
Ribbon-cutting set for 3 p.m. Jan. 7
The nanobrewery will have a ribbon-cutting at 3 p.m. Jan. 7. An hour later, its doors will open to the public for the first time. It will be open 4 to 9 p.m. Jan. 7-8.
"It's limited hours; we just want to see how does the process go," Burke said. Since none of them has ever run a business before, they're waiting to see how the beer is received and what kind of feedback they get before charting a plan for what comes next.
"But I think ultimately, the goal is to be open several times a month, and we'll post that on social media," he said, encouraging local beer lovers to follow the business' Facebook page.
By early spring, they hope to be distributing their beers to local restaurants and other establishments in Bucyrus and surrounding communities.
"It's limited space," Burke said. "We're a small nanobrewery. That's why we hope to get our beer out into other establishments and let them enjoy our beer, and we'll just enjoy brewing it. But we will be open several times a month to serve and to do growler fills."
They also plan to be open during special events downtown.
Initial offerings announced
In the tiny tap room, they'll offer pints, flights and growlers.
Initial offerings will include two blonde ales, Blue Line Blonde and and Hot Church Mom; an English IPA, No Less Days IPA; an American IPA, With All Due Respect; an American amber ale, The Goat; and an oatmeal stout, Dark Times.
"Something light, with the blondes, for those who like a pilsner or a light ale," Burke said. "The IPAs are popular everywhere, and Zach enjoys porters and stouts."
They also offer an American red.
The owners are already starting to think about their spring lineup, when they expect to offer a wheat beer.
"That's always subject to change; we'll see," Burke said.
The trio are optimistic about Bucyrus' planned Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, which would allow people to purchase beer in specially marked cups at the Arrogant Goat and take it with them. Such drinks cannot be taken out of the DORA.
"Being right downtown, that DORA's going to be great for us," Burke said.
Getting the nanobrewery ready to open has taken some time as the three owners worked through the process of getting everything inspected and certified, but nothing beyond what they expected. Once they had their occupancy permit, they were able to start brewing, a process that takes several weeks — thus the January opening.
"Everybody we've worked with has been very, very good to us and very helpful," Burke said. "We appreciate that very much, because we're just three guys trying to do something... everybody's been very, very helpful and the city's been very supportive. ...
"I think we've got some excitement built up, and just kind of jokingly, I hope they all come 12 at a time — because that's how many seats we have."
ggoble@gannett.com
419-559-7263
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Arrogant Goat nanobrewery announces Jan. 7 opening in Bucyrus
