MEDINA TWP. — Aaron Wirtz discovered an eye-opening fact researching his family history as he prepared to open Planted Flag Brewing.



He’s not the first Ohio brewer in the family.



Wirtz found that his great-great-grandfather August Uehlein, a German immigrant, worked at Oppmann Brewing in Cleveland in the 1880s and later owned the Lezius and Uehlein, and Diebolt & Uehlein breweries. Not to mention that another side of the family married into the Schlitz empire and ran that brewery.



Considering Wirtz and his wife Karen are building their brewpub around family and locally sourced ingredients, he’s proud to resurrect the family’s grand brewing tradition in Northeast Ohio.



Planted Flag will open Monday (March 16) at 3594 Pearl Road. The brewery features a 10-barrel brewing system, and is nestled along Medina County Park District property just a few miles north of the Medina Public Square.



The brewpub, located in a standalone building with light green metal roofing, isn’t big at just over 3,000 square feet. It can seat about 60 people at the small bar and tables inside, where former tree sap metal buckets hang from the ceiling as offbeat lighting and the seating is green.



The Wirtzes set up the brewery with a neighborhood feel. There’s even a wooden fence separating the brewing area designed to allow people to set their beer on top and engage in a conversation with their neighbor, in this case a brewer.



On one wall, there’s an American flag with the phrase "Salute to our Heroes." It holds a special meaning for Wirtz.



The 43-year-old, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, flew the flag over Iraq during a combat mission in 2003. Karen Wirtz also served in the Air Force as a Russian linguist and logistics officer.



"I’m proud to share that," he said.



On opening day, Wirtz, who previously served as the brewer at The Jolly Scholar in Cleveland and was a high school chemistry and physics teacher, expects to have five beers on tap: an IPA, higher alcohol IPA, farmhouse blonde, farmhouse saison and German light lager. All of those were made with 100% Ohio grown malts.



A German schwarzbier is expected to debut on St. Patrick’s Day.



The beers will be named after family and friends, including Tillie’s Lunch Run German light lager (which refers to Wirtz’s great-grandmother making a lunch and taking it to her father), Eliakim Shot the Taxman farmhouse saison (referring to the fact that a family member shot and killed a tax assessor), and You Wish You had a Beard Like Phil IPA (a nod to Wirtz’s brother-in-law’s beard). Future beer names include Karen Isn’t a Meme IPA (they don’t like that the internet has adopted the name Karen as a meme) and Aaron’s Thunder Chief IPA (he once thought the AC/DC song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was "Dirty Deeds Thunder Chief.")



"I want the names to mean something," Wirtz said.



Planted Flag — the name refers to the Wirtzes planting a flag in the ground and claiming their stake of the community — plans to offer anywhere from eight to 12 house beers when it’s fully up and running. It also will offer cocktails with local spirits, and has plans to add its own cider in the future.



The flight paddles are in the shape of a waving pennant, as are the beer signs behind the bar.



Planted Flag has no immediate plans to distribute its beer, meaning people will have to come to the brewpub to sample.



The goal is to source the beer ingredients from Ohio such as West Branch Malts, Barn Talk Hops and Auburn Acres Hops.



"We’re really trying to find the best local ingredients and showcasing them," Wirtz said. "It’s not just occasionally we have a local beer. It’s occasionally we use other ingredients."



It’s the same philosophy the Wirtzes are using for the small kitchen, which will serve sandwiches, stews and soups. There’s no fryer in the kitchen, which will be overseen by Karen Wirtz.



Wirtz noted that their beef will come from the local Destiny Farm Cattle.



"We’re Medina residents," he said. "We’re focused on this as a family business and we want to be respectful and sustainable.



"I’m making the best with what I have here just as my great-great-grandfather probably did with his brewery. They were brewing beers pre-Prohibition and I highly doubt he was pulling ingredients all the way from Germany."



Wirtz said he’s looking forward to joining the growing craft beer scene in Medina County. The county is home to Blue Heron, Jilbert, Lager Heads, Vine n Hop, Wadsworth and Wrecking Crew, with Medina Brewing and MAD Brewing looking to open soon.



"We’re kindred spirits and growing our relationship," he said.



There’s already discussion about forming a Medina brewery trail.



Planted Flag will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. It’s closed on Sunday.



For more details, go to: https://plantedflag.com/.



— When Rick Armon isn’t writing about beer or visiting breweries, he works as editor at The Daily Record in Wooster and Ashland Times-Gazette.