The microbrewery scene in Columbus has continued to grow at a rapid pace in 2013, and another local operation seeks to be up and running before the end of the year. Pigskin Brewing is the name of this new venture, which will be launching out of a warehouse at 1400 Dublin Road sometime this fall.

We spoke recently with the Pigskin Brewing Team (President Tarry Summers, CFO and PR Director Matt Drummelsmith, and COO and Brewmaster Mike Rockwell) to find out more about the new venture. Our full interview can be found below:

Walker Evans: First, can you tell us a bit about your personal and professional background as it relates to beer and brewing?

Mike Rockwell: I went to school at The Ohio State university and have been in the electrical engineering field since 2010. This obviously has nothing to do with beer brewing but its a stable field and a good income to supplement the hobby of home brewing. I have been doing this since 2006 and recently have converted to all grain in 2010. This is my first professional brewing gig, and I hope to learn as much as possible from Head Brewmaster Victor Gonzales so that I can make this into a life long career.

WE: What caused you guy to want to start your own business?

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Tarry Summers: I had always been an entrepreneur, but have always lived by the motto that when an opportunity presents itself you have to recognize it and take full advantage of it. After having the idea of a sports/football based brewery for a few months I presented the idea to local brewer and college football friend Nick Bailey at party. After I tasted his beer I knew we were onto something big. It’s always been a dream to do what I love and this industry is so great, especially here in the Columbus scene with all of the great people and the marketplace. What we ultimately want to do is not just present our brewery to the world, but to present a whole experience.

WE: Can you describe to us exactly what your physical location entails, because I understand it’s more than just a brewery?

Matt Drummelsmith: Our physical location will be unlike anything ever done in Central Ohio. Under one roof we will have our craft brewery, two commercial test kitchens, an indoor event space and a working commissary. We’re also still working out the kinks on an outdoor event space and community garden. Our current plans are to build the space to accommodate other local area vendors, which might include craft soda producers and other food-based small businesses. Our commissary will have enough room for up to 15 of Columbus’ best food trucks. The idea is to have other like-minded small businesses as tenants, so that we may all benefit from one another through this group collaboration. Guests can be treated to tours, cooking classes, brewing classes, and other special events.

WE: What drew you to the Dublin Road location?

MD: We were already looking for space in the area when a close associate and friend, Brad Dehays, brought 1400 Dublin Road to our attention. The timing could not have been better. They were getting ready to close on the property, and we were looking for raw space to build. The property he showed us was a virtual blank slate when it came to interior build out and the fact that it was in the Marble Cliff/Grandview area (near where most of us live) made it even better. Geographically speaking, the location is ideal. Riverside Drive is major road in and out of Downtown, and with the completion of the bike path in the near future, our space will become easily accessible to walkers and riders from all over Columbus. We’re very excited to become a part of the Marble Cliff community, and think that this space will provide a perfect home for us, and others like us, for years to come.

WE: What is your current timeline for getting the various pieces and parts operational?

MR: We are hoping to be open for operations in the fall. We started talking about this idea in February of this year and as we progress through the spring and summer we have slowly acquired what is necessary. We started off buying our brew house, and now we are in the process of securing our permits from the state and federal governments as well as the rest of our equipment.

WE: Are you planning on operating a brewpub out of the space? Will you also be bottling your beer, filling growlers, or distributing it in kegs?

MR: We plan on operating a manufacturing space and a tap room. We hope to sell most beer on site in pints and growlers, then what we don’t sell will go to bars around the area to get our name out. Hopefully in the coming years we will open a brew pub, and start bottling, but we’ve gotta crawl before we can walk.

WE: What types of beers will you specialize in?

MR: We are going to have four staple beers on our list to start out. Our flagship is going to be a smooth citrusy pale ale/IPA, then we will also have a hop-blasted west coast style amber ale, a nutty toasty brown ale, and an american wheat.

WE: Anything else we should know?

MD: We have plans to expand throughout Columbus and other Ohio markets in late 2014 / early 2015 and plan on being a mainstay in the craft brewing industry. On a lighter note, we look forward to creating a lot of long lasting relationships within the community, the brewing world, and ultimately our customers.

More information can be found online at www.facebook.com/PigskinBrewingCompany.

Photo by Erin Bloodgood.

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