CLEVELAND, Ohio - Akronym Brewing might have the best parking situation of any brewery around, and it hasn't even had an official grand opening.

That because the brewery, at 58 E. Market St., is nestled along a busy thoroughfare in downtown Akron and tucked tightly against a city garage.

"There are cars above and below," said co-owner Joshua Blubaugh.

The central-location garage holds vehicles heading to this arts-entertainment enclave of downtown Akron. Crave sits across the street, with Blu Jazz nearby, High St. Hop House bar and Uncorked Wine Bar half a block away. Akron Arts Museum is across the street to the east, and the main library is nearby.

"The more traffic that gets down here," Blubaugh said, "the better."

The official opening is still up in the air, as the point-of-sale system is one of the final pieces to be installed.

"If everything goes well, I'm posting hours to the website Friday night," Blubaugh said.

Summit County has been a boon for breweries recently, with several opening throughout the region, including Lock 15 Brewing Co.

Akronym's owners and their current jobs:

* Shawn Adams, firefighter and head brewer

* Joshua Blubaugh, IT manager

* Aaron Cruikshank, electrical engineering / sales

* Kevin Johnson, engineering/accounting

All but Cruikshank hail from Danville, a village about 70 miles southwest of Akron. Adams and Blubaugh have been friends since grade school and used to race road bikes.

"I've always wanted to run a bar," Blubaugh said. "Shawn and I were getting into brewing a lot of beer. We were sitting around and tossed the idea 'We should do this for a living.' Pretty soon that evolved into 'Oh what the heck, let's do it and go all in.' "

'All in' means the owners spent three and a half years in preparation, location research and business-plan stages. And in the beginning there was trial and error with a lot of beer that didn't meet their standards and, as such, was dumped.

"We're trying to educate so consumers can understand" more about craft beer, Blubaugh said.

During one of the recent soft openings, a woman said she didn't like Akronym's Pilsner. Blubaugh asked what beer she usually drank.

"The kind that comes in a green bottle," she replied.

"That's actually light-stricken," he said, and proceeded to explain why certain mass-produced beers in clear or green bottles can take on a skunky smell.

That Pilsner - Sundale Pils - is a wonderfully made, quaffable beer at 5 percent and 40 International Bittering Units. It is one of nine beers on tap with the goal of having 11 to 12 on a regular basis, Blubaugh said.

The bar seats 15 with high-top tables and a 14-seat beautifully finished communal table nearby. Much of the wood in the 3,700-square-foot tasting room comes from a barn more than 100 years old.

Speaking of reclaimed wood, Blubaugh said on the day Adams closed on his house about a year ago, lightning hit a pin oak on the property. Thanks to family and friends, that fallen tree has been turned into a table in the tasting room.

Blubaugh and Adams belonged to the Society of Akron Area Zymurgists, but it's Adams who is head brewer. Initially, they thought about having a tiny brew system. They kept adding to it until finally they decided on a 10-barrel, mostly American-made system, Blubaugh said.

The brewhouse is in place, the chilling lines are ready, the cooler is operational, and internet recently was connected.

"We basically did a fresh buildup," Blubaugh said. "I knew it would be chaos."

But the owners are united in their one, main goal, its simple message scrawled on a whiteboard near the fermenters and brewhouse:

"Make Awesome Beer!"

Six-pack of facts about Akronym Brewing

* It's BYOF - as in food.

* Guest taps and wine will be coming with the owners' liquor license.

* Three televisions hang in the space. Charging and electrical outlets, along with purse hooks, are under the bar.

* Tours will be offered.

* The owners are definitely interested in barrel aging, Blubaugh said: "We're going to get some oak barrels and do some crazy stuff."

* A little nook is home to a kids area.