Grain to glass

Grain to glass

Delaware’s Restoration Brew Worx focuses on quality over quantity

Story and photos by Glenn Battishill

Changing palates and an evolving downtown are two of the reasons Restoration Brew Worx is succeeding in Delaware, according to Managing Partner and Head Brewer Frank Barickman.

The numerous micro-brewed flavors on tap at Restoration are also probably a factor.

Barickman said he’s been a long time home-brewer and is a Grandmaster Beer Judge. In 2015, he decided to get into the professional game after observing the commercial and technical side of beer judging for so long.

“The last ten years have been awesome [for home-brewing],” Barickman said. “When I started to get into craft beer, you’d be lucky to find anything. That’s why I wanted to start a place with a mom and pop local feeling.”

Barickman said micro-breweries have gone from 2 to 3 percent of the market to 13 percent in the last decade and attributed part of that rise in popularity to changing customer habits.

“People are drinking more for flavor than quantity now,” Barickman said. “That’s why we try to keep a balance of styles of beer. People’s palates are changing. Beer really has a lot of flavors.”

Barickman said Restoration offers dark beer, light beer, Belgian beer, English beers and hops-forward beers. He said Restoration also brews some seasonal flavors like Gingerbread Tripel during the winter season.

“We are basically grain to glass,” Barickman said. “We have 10 barrels that can brew 20 half kegs. We brew once or twice a week.”

He added that many places will order beers to compliment their food, but said at Restoration they make food to compliment their beers.

Barickman said Restoration has many local accounts in Delaware County and delivers to bars in Marysville and Columbus.

“We are focused on smaller communities,” Barickman said. “We go out to give them personal attention. We fill a lot of niches.”

According to Barickman, the rise of microbreweries is similar to the story of downtown Delaware, which he said has grown and blossomed into a destination. He added that Restoration shops from local vendors as much as possible to help grow a strong community.

“We really appreciate the support of the community,” Barickman said. “It’s fun to see people get into craft beer.”

Barickman said more microbreweries are opening in Delaware County and Central Ohio, but said he doesn’t see them as competition.

“Nobody eats at one place seven nights a week,” he said, laughing. “The more we have here, the more we have in our community.”

Restoration is also part of The Columbus Ale Trail and Barickman sees a lot of people travel to Restoration as part of the trail, only to come back again and again to try more flavors.

Restoration Brew Worx

25 N. Sandusky St., downtown Delaware

Closed Mondays, 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 4-11 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays

Visit restorationbrewworx.com to see what they’re brewing.

Salt Magazine




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