AKRON, Ohio – Missing Falls Brewery is embarking on an ambitious expansion plan in its Akron location that affects every aspect of its business: Beer, food, space and distribution.
The four owners of the brewery, which just passed its three-year anniversary in November, felt the timing was right to grow in their Canal Place home on S. Main Street not far from the heart of downtown Akron. The complex also houses R. Shea Brewing Co.
Two adjacent units opened, and “we just had to take it,” said Sean Hamilton, one of the owners.
Total area will increase to about 13,000 square feet after the conversion of two adjacent rooms - 2,200 square feet for fermenters and about 3,500 more for as event space, stage, bar and lounge area. They also eventually plan to knock out a wall to open up space even more between the expanded area and brewhouse/brewpub.
The brewery will maintain its seven-barrel system but will increase its number of fermenters to 17. The expansion will allow them to accommodate brewing four times a week from the current two.
It was “maybe a little quicker than we wanted, but the opportunity is there and we know we need to brew more beer,” Hamilton said. “If you don’t keep growing, you’re dying.”
The expansion plans don’t stop at the beer, though. Also in the works:
• A canning line will be added. Missing Falls wants to remain self-distributed, Hamilton said.
• Hamilton said he hopes to fill the dearth of live music in the area. The brewery – which will create a stage in the event-space room - wants to offer a wide range of tunes and not be pigeon-holed into one style. So they might have jazz one night, punk the next, he said.
• The kitchen and menu will grow. A prep area will take on additional equipment. Entrees might be added to the burgers-and-sandwiches mix currently offered. The brewery doubled its food sales from a year earlier, Hamilton said.
The project will be rolled out in phases and - barring supply-chain issues and hiring challenges – should take three to six months, he said.
Normally, he added, 16 beers are on tap, but during the holidays 20 have been pouring because of several barrel-aged versions – in addition to a Bud Light tap handle, which actually is the water tap.
Missing Falls isn’t limited by its beers, though. It also makes its own cider and seltzer, and even has a holiday-themed “Sugar Plum Seltzer” on tap.
“We’re also going to start making our own wine at some point, and probably some meads, too,” Hamilton said.
Any one facet would be a big project, but Hamilton takes the entire planned expansion in stride.
“It’s a lot at once,” he said, “but it’s not too much that we can’t handle.”
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I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.
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