Loose Rail Brewing opening set for May 5

BrewDog isn’t the only craft beer player in Canal Winchester any more — Central Ohio’s latest craft brewery, Loose Rail Brewing, will open Friday, May 5 in the historic Central Ohio city.

In 2015 the owners of Harvest Moon Craft Kitchen decided to diversify into the craft beer arena and began working on Loose Rail Brewing Company. The new brewery is housed in a 115-year-old building that was originally the powerhouse for the Ohio Valley Traction Company, an interurban railroad that connected Canal Winchester with a number of local towns. Given this history, the name “Third Rail Brewing” was their first choice, but a New York brewer beat them to the punch. Loose Rail retains the character and intent with a bit of whimsy — their tap handles are even railroad spikes.

The venue is a large two-story open brick building that will accommodate nearly 100 beer lovers between the first-floor taproom, the second story mezzanine and the spacious patio. Take note of the hand built pine tables, chairs and bench seating; they were all built by Loose Rail’s lead brewer Jon Woodruff. When you’re waiting months for permits to clear, you have some time to spare, and Woodruff used that time to turn out some nice furniture pieces.

The grand opening is set up Friday, May 5 from 5pm to midnight. Two food trucks, Burroloco and Paddy Wagon, will be on hand, and the seven-barrel brewing system has been work hard to churn out the opening beer lineup: Hit The Grit IPA, Dead Man’s Throttle IPA, Full Steam Saison, Ashcat Amber and Coal Burner Stout. Woodruff says the the tap list will evolve over time.

“We want the community to tell us what they like,” said Woodruff. “We will adjust our recipes and line-up based on the feedback from our patrons.”

After the opening, expect to find food trucks and live music on most weekends at the brewery. Taproom manager Josh Hale says they hope to make Loose Rail family friendly, with sodas and snacks for the kids and lots of board games for the family.

Loose Rail distinguishes itself from other local breweries with its support of patriots — they will offer a 10% discount to all active and former military personnel and first responders. Go up to the mezzanine and you will find the flags for our US Armed Services on display. And take particular note of the framed 48-star flag by the entry. This historic flag was flown on the USS Compton in 1945 in Tokyo Bay at the end of WWII. It was the very first US flag to appear in Japan, and preceded the signing of Japan’s formal surrender on the USS Missouri by five days. Have a beer and toast the flag!

Loose Rail Brewing is located at 37 W. Waterloo Street in Canal Winchester.