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Silverton's young craft brewery making things work through pandemic

Matt Koesters
Special to Cincinnati Enquirer

Though I don’t claim to be an expert, I know the village of Silverton pretty well. My dad and I were once regulars at the Silverton Cafe back when the Bengals were fielding winning teams. Although I don’t know the people well, I knew what they prefer to drink: macrobrewery-made lagers (or so I thought). 

So I was skeptical when I heard last year that a new craft brewery would be opening in Silverton. Breweries tend to gravitate toward neighborhoods with high concentrations of the young and well-to-do. But in Silverton, HighGrain Brewing Co.’s founders met a kindred soul in Village Manager Tom Carroll.

“We had actually started our search in the area because of how dense the population is around Silverton and neighboring Deer Park, Amberley, Kennedy Heights and the other five neighborhoods which border our lovely little village,” HighGrain co-founder Josh Jansen said. “After talking with Tom and hearing his pitch, our interest was piqued by his own interest in sustainability.”

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Along with good beer and good food, sustainability was a key value for Jansen and fellow co-founders Matthew Utter and Brian Liscano. HighGrain began by up-cycling the Silverton Memorial Municipal Building, adding a geothermal HVAC system, LED lighting and insulation – the latter of which the building didn’t even have when Highgrain took over. 

HighGrain got off to a good start. Jansen estimates the brewery only had four or five beers ready to go for opening weekend, but they’ve since expanded their offerings to nearly 20 varieties. By October, the small brewery’s beer started finding its way onto the tap lists at nearby bars and restaurants. But with about 50% of its revenue coming from food sales, HighGrain had cemented its status as a destination brewery. 

HighGrain Brewing Co. in Silverton.

Then COVID-19 happened.

“As a new brewery, we were only just reaching a profitability point just as the shutdown took place,” Jansen said.

HighGrain had to make some painful changes.

“We had to lay off kitchen staff because we were not set up to properly sell for carryout and delivery of food,” Jansen said. “Brian worked with everyone we employed to help them navigate the resources they need to survive through unemployment and other support.”

HighGrain’s founders knew they had to make it easier for their customers to buy their beer. Like many of its peers, the brewery began to offer delivery orders and canning small runs of select beers for carryout and online sales.

Now that breweries, bars and restaurants have been given the go-ahead to serve customers on a limited basis, HighGrain is running its COVID-19 playbook. It plans to take advantage of its sizable outdoor seating area by adding more tables, as well as adding seating to its brewhouse area. The plan is to take it slow as it ramps service back up. The kitchen will initially remain closed; outside food will be permitted. 

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HighGrain Brewing Co. in Silverton.

“We are keeping busy and doing OK, but only time will tell if it’s safe to invite people back to fill our taproom and dining room,” Jansen said. 

I was wrong the first time I bet against HighGrain – I won’t make the same mistake twice. 

Baby steps toward normal

Last weekend, we saw the first draft beer poured for onsite consumption in about two months. I didn’t experience it because I’m a bit overly cautious, but what I saw on social media was a mixed bag. Some establishments clearly didn’t do a good job of enforcing social distancing protocols, while others seemed to have everything well in hand. To the latter, kudos. 

One brewery in particular deserves a shout-out for a job well done, though: Big Ash Brewing. The winner of this year’s Cincinnati’s Favorite Beer competition has a sprawling parking lot thanks to its unique location, and it was put to good use last weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the brewery handled a big crowd. 

HighGrain Brewing Co. in Silverton.

Speaking of normal ...

When I first got this gig at the beginning of February, I thought a lot of the fodder for this column would come from events. Clearly, that hasn’t been the case. While I’m concerned about whether the timing was right for things to reopen, I’m optimistic that this column can get back to dishing out recommendations for your craft beer-filled weekends.  

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to continue pushing forward the craft beer conversation.