Derive Brewing takes over Clintonville taproom

Derive Brewing has made the leap from gypsy brewing to brewpub with their recent move into the SIP Local bar in Clintonville.

Derive got its start in 2017 contract brewing out of the Dayton Beer Company. In summer 2019 they purchased their own one-barrel brewing system and set up operation inside North High Brewing’s production space; Derive owners Peter Steffes and Luke Sherrill both formerly brewed for North High. Steffes has a background in food science, and Sherrill is a Certified Master Brewer from the Siebel Institute.

This summer, the brewery was approached by the group that operates Local Cantina, as well as other bars (Local Bar, Old Skool) to take over bar operations of their SIP Local taproom in Clintonville. They signed on at the end of August and the bar, which is being rebranded as Derive Brewing Craft Beer & Kitchen, will continue to be operated in partnership with the Local Cantina group.

Derive will soon begin brewing on the 3.5 barrel brewhouse that is housed at the Clintonville bar — fermenters and bright tanks are on order. They’ll also be brewing larger batches at the former Kindred production brewery at 750 Cross Pointe Road in Gahanna, which was recently acquired by the Local Cantina group. Steffes says that facility will also be used by Somewhere in Particular as well as other breweries.

Derive Brewing Craft Beer & Kitchen currently has four beers pouring from their one-barrel system: Hovercraft saison, Friends Down South New England IPA featuring hops from the Southern Hemisphere, Corrupted Data New England IPA brewed with Lactose, and Glad Hands hazy pale ale. Tonight they will be tapping another NEIPA called Friends Back East which features New World German hops, and next week they’ll be releasing a double dry hopped New Zealand pilsner. Steffes plans to continue to feature Somewhere in Particular beers alongside Derive beers, with fewer guest taps.

The brewery has two beers aging in barrels for future release: a dry-hopped saison called It’s Only Dirty Paper, which earned Derive a silver medal at the 2019 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer; and a Belgian Single aging in Chardonnay barrels. The brewery is also working on a collaboration pastry stout with Crooked Can Brewing — their head brewer, Zack Null, is also a North High alum.

Derive — which had started small batch canning at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — will be canning again in the near future.

“Because we’ve been doing cans for a while, our customers expect that from us so we want to get that back as soon as possible,” said Steffes.

Derive Brewing Craft Beer & Kitchen is located at 2808 N High St in Clintonville.