Mother Stewart’s gives Springfield its first brewery

With a population of nearly 60,000, Springfield ranks as the 12th largest city in Ohio, and until July 15th was probably the biggest city in Ohio without a craft brewery. Thanks to brothers Kevin and John Loftus, that indignity has been rectified. Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company is now up and running in downtown Springfield and attracting large crowds. Mother Stewart is something of a Springfield icon, having been very prominent in the temperance movement 130 years ago. To her credit, I am told, she was for ‘temperance”, not “prohibition”.

When the Loftus brothers bought the former Springfield Metallic Casket Company in the fall of 2015, they made a commitment to ‘go big’. With an investment of $1.75M, they transformed the 105 year old building into a bright, spacious and friendly venue that looks to be destined for success. The taproom itself accommodates upwards of 200, with seating for another 100 on the beautiful outdoor beer garden. The bar top and table tops are made from wood reclaimed from the old factory. The exposed brick walls have been filled with large windows to brighten the taproom and provide a view of the elevated beer garden. The beer garden itself, is a user-friendly mix of concrete and grass. Customers are invited to play bocce or corn-hole, while chalk and games are available for the kids to entertain themselves, as Mom and Dad enjoy a refreshing beer or two.

The brewery itself, features a 20 bbl. brewing system. Kevin, who does the brewing, is a Seibel grad and brewed at Vermont’s Otter Creek Brewery back in the ‘90’s. He learned a lesson back then, that starting too small often leads to growing pains, so they are out of the gate with the 20 bbl. system. His brewing objective is to brew “clean, drinkable styles that the locals will like”, nothing too crazy. Currently four of the eight taps are pouring house beers. They are a Kristalweizen, an American Pale Ale, a Belgian Pale Ale, and an IPA. I sampled all four, and I think Kevin is hitting the mark for clean, drinkable beers. The brewery has a Vienna Lager, a Belgian Blonde, an Octoberfest and a Pilsner coming soon.

The second and third floors of the brewery have not yet been renovated, but as time and money allow, there will be upwards of 20,000 square foot event space added. Food trucks are on-site Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, or you can order in a pizza or even BYOF. Kevin is looking at add wine to their drink menu once permits are in place. Mother Stewart’s is only a 45-minute drive from downtown Columbus, located at 109 W. North Street. They are open Wednesday through Saturday.