Craft beer locavores (or anyone who appreciates a hoppy beer) will be pleased to learn about a new brewery that recently opened in Nelsonville.
Multiple Brewing, named and logoed after its co-owners’ mutual love of math, opened to the public Nov. 5 after a soft opening the night before. The brewery offers a selection of home-brewed craft beer and cream soda unrivaled in the Appalachian city.
The brewery, located at 82 W. Washington St., is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
The husband-and-wife team of owners, Jason and Michelle Warren, splits the tasks of supplying, brewing and running the brewery. On the weekends, Jason often spends an entire day brewing, mashing and adding hops to batches on location before allowing them to ferment.
“He might start at 6 a.m. and be finished at 6 or 7 at night,” Michelle said. “The process is messy.”
Beers with a lower alcohol percentage, like the brewery’s 5 to 6 percent offerings, take four to five days to ferment, while higher percentage beers such as stouts might take several weeks, Michelle said.
“We wanted to bring an approachable beer to the area,” Jason said of the brewery’s selection.
Jason’s family originally hails from Nelsonville, and his grandparents owned the city’s Dairy Queen, Michelle said.
Multiple Brewing focuses on American styles of ales and India pale ales, or IPAs. The Variable IPA is the house beer, Michelle said. It clocks in at 6.1 percent alcohol.
Other brews include Absolute Clementine pale ale and Obtuse IPA.
Jason said a Russian imperial stout ale ranging around 10 percent alcohol is on the horizon, possibly in collaboration with FullBrooks Cafe, which is also in Nelsonville. In addition, he plans to brew a Christmas porter soon.
During the weekdays, Michelle stays in Nelsonville to run the bar portion of the brewery, while Jason returns to Columbus, their city of primary residence. Michelle said Jason worked at several breweries in Columbus and has been brewing for 10 years.
“We felt like it was the right time, and we took a risk,” Jason said. “We knew we wanted to grow organically and start small.”
The two said other craft breweries in the area have been supportive and helpful, especially the people from Devil’s Kettle Brewing in Athens.
"It's fantastic to bring more to the beer scene in a kind of neglected area," Cameron Fuller, owner of Devil's Kettle, said. "There's no craft beer in Nelsonville, and to open an actual brewery there is a great addition to the square."
Jason said local craft breweries like Multiple Brewing depend on each other rather than compete since breweries often see the same pool of customers.
“Making beer is a craft and an art,” Michelle said. “Bringing in business, bringing people in and bringing craft beer to Nelsonville is the most gratifying part.”
