USA, NC: Marion duo hoping to open Marion Brewing Company by late fall or early winter

A Marion duo are looking to bring craft beers to the downtown at a low-key, casual taproom, the Marion Star reported on September 17.

Tim Chambers and Joe VanBuskirk, both of Marion, hope to have the brewery, called the Marion Brewing Company, open by late fall or early winter, if not as a sit-down taproom right away, then as a place to walk in and pick up cans of locally brewed beer.

The two owners want the taproom, located at 151 S. Main St., to be a laid-back place for craft beer enthusiasts and people who just enjoy a good beer to hang out. They plan to have couches and board games for people to play while sipping on craft brews, as well as TVs for sports fans, though they don't consider their taproom a sports bar.

They warn that their taproom will not be for people looking to get intoxicated off one-dollar beers.

"We don't envision people falling down" drunk, Chambers said.

The two bought the Main Street building, formerly Bottoms Up bar and Tink's Rock House, last year and have been renovating it ever since, removing more than 45 tons of trash and debris from the building, including the layers of wood, brick and plaster they stripped off the walls to reveal the original brick.

"It took us probably six months to take everything out and get down to the bare bones," Chambers said. "I think the stage itself (part of the former bar) was a dumpster."

VanBuskirk, who has been brewing his own beer since 2012, plans to offer primarily ales at the taproom, including India Pale Ales, Belgian-style beers and possibly sours, that will rotate in and out from time to time.

The owners have produced and tested around five beers, Chambers said, that their test tasters have liked "across the board."

"We're going to start with about six and have at least four or five that are regulars and then of course, seasonal and some one-off experimental beers," Chambers said.

The taproom won't offer food, they said, but they will be selling beer to take home in crowlers, which are 32-ounce cans they believe will keep the beer fresher than would a growler, the larger take-home container often offered by breweries.

The two hope to eventually team up with nearby restaurants or food trucks to have food available to patrons.

The business partners met through Chambers' son, who went to high school with VanBuskirk and was one of the people who first piqued VanBuskirk's interest in brewing.

"I caught the bug from the beginning," VanBuskirk said, saying that whenever he would see his former high school classmate, he would ask him about brewing.

At the time, VanBuskirk said, home brewing was not something he had heard much, if anything, about while growing up in Marion. The idea of brewing your own beer seemed so foreign, almost illegal, he said.

He kept asking questions and learning about it until he finally mustered up the gumption to brew his first batch in 2012, he said.

"I had been borderline obsessed with it by that point," he said.

The idea of the Marion Brewing Company started coming together about a year and a half ago after Chambers and VanBuskirk teamed up with a common interest of opening their own brewery.

With more and more craft breweries popping up as the industry continues to grow, Chambers said "it's time" for another one in Marion. Twenty-Nine Brewpub is the only other craft brewery in Marion, according to the Brewers Association.

"There's plenty of room for more beer here," VanBuskirk said.

The two wanted to open downtown, where other new businesses have taken launch recently, including most recently Attaboys Comfort Cuisine.

"We hope we tap into some of the revitalization downtown that we hope is coming," Chambers said.

Downtown stakeholders have been trying to attract more businesses to the downtown in recent years, part of their efforts to make downtown a commercial hub of dining, shopping and entertainment. Their efforts have been focused on what has been termed the "cultural corridor," bounded on the east by the Harding Home and on the west by the Union Station.

The Marion Brewing Company owners plan to continue working at their day jobs, Chambers as a school administrator and VanBuskirk as a senior logistician with the Ohio National Guard.

To begin with, they plan to have the brewery open weekend nights, Chambers said, though finalized hours of operation will be announced once they are closer to opening.

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