Homestead Beer Company is set to upgrade the beer scene in Delaware by opening a brewery and beer hall just east of the historic downtown district. The new Delaware Public House will take over the property at 59 Potter St., which has served as the Food Truck Depot since 2019.
Founded in 2013 by Adam Rhodes, Homestead Beer Company owns a production-scale brewery and beer hall in Heath, Ohio. Delaware will mark the second location for the craft brewers, who are leasing the property from Food Truck Depot owner Paul Rockwell.
The Delaware Public House will continue to offer customers a variety of food options to enjoy, along with the numerous beer offerings presented by Homestead. The beer menu will include everything from ales and Indian pale ales to lagers, wheat beers, stouts and porters.
“Foodies will never tire of the endless rotation of food trucks that visit from all over Ohio to feature a staggering buffet of styles, flavors and cuisines,” a press release from Homestead states.
In a move that is sure to please the avid volleyball players in the community, Homestead will keep the outdoor volleyball pits that exist on the property.
Asked what interested Homestead in identifying Delaware as its second location, CEO Joe Wilson said, “Delaware is kind of like Columbus, the sequel. It’s constantly growing, and you have massive population density. For more than the last decade, it’s crazy to see the density of bars and restaurants in that town, and it’s not even because of the college. A lot of times you’ll see that in a college town, but it’s not because of the college. It’s all driven by the people who live in and around the community.
“So, it’s kind of a no-brainer to be in Delaware. And then we love the physical property. It just screams, ‘This should be a brewery and a fun area to hang out.’”
Wilson added that while there is the saying that something is on the wrong side of the tracks, “we feel like we’re on the right side of the tracks.”
“We’re going first in what we hope is a lot of businesses that want to come to that side of Delaware and get it on par with the downtown area,” he said.
Wilson said it also helps that Homestead is no stranger to the community. For five years now, the company has sold its beers in Delaware, and it maintains good relationships with other businesses around town. To that point, Wilson said both Old Dog Alehouse and Restoration Brew Worx will always have a tap handle in the Delaware Public House.
“We’re not here to take over the beer scene in Delaware,” Wilson said. “We’re just here to be part of a growing scene. We might be the next one, but we won’t be the last brewery in town.”
Beer enthusiasts will also have the option to be involved in the process of brewing their own beers, Wilson said. Customers can sit down with a brewer to decide what kind of beer they’d prefer. From there, Homestead will order the ingredients from Barley Hopsters, and the customers can head to Homestead on a scheduled brew day to brew the beer.
Once the beer is brewed, the beer will then ferment for the necessary period of time depending on the type of beer. Wilson said the fermentation process utilized by Homestead in Delaware will be unique in that it will ferment the beers using oak barrels rather than the standard stainless steel tanks, a process known as the Burton Union system.
“You can make my flagship beer, Tenpenny, in stainless steel tanks and it tastes the way it tastes every single time,” Wilson said of the unique fermentation style. “But if you ferment it in oak barrels, then it’s going to take on way different flavors. Not only that, but each time you use that barrel, it will change a little bit … I don’t know if anyone else in the United States is doing Burton Union-style brewing.”
Homestead is still finishing the acquisition of its liquor license but hopes to have a grand opening Friday. To learn more about the company and its products, visit www.homesteadbeerco.com.
