Local beer is on tap for this week’s Hittin’ the Town

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Toledo has a rich history of brewing beer dating back centuries. Nowadays, there are once again plenty of tap rooms and boutique breweries around the city.

One of them is Heavy Beer Company. It’s been part of the Toledo beer scene for the last couple years.

“We’re a lifestyle brand,” said Eric Strayer, Marketing Coordinator for Heavy Beer Company. “We want people to live an active and engaged lifestyle and enjoy a beer while they’re doing it.”

So just what’s in a name?

“The name comes from a phrase we were tossing around when we decided to brew beer,” said Strayer. “If you’re heavy into it, we’re heavy into it.”

Strayer says the building was originally home to a hat factory when it was built in the early 1900s. It’s been home to Toledo Spirits for the last decade. When they decided to add beer to the line up, the owners didn’t have to look far for the perfect spot.

“This basement was storage for a while,” said Strayer. “When we developed beer and wanted a tap room, we realized this was the perfect venue. Heavy Underground is like your cool uncle’s basement bar.”

The beer is made not far from the place it’s served.

“Five days a week we are brewing all our beers right here,” said Strayer. “Toledo has a great beer scene with a lot of really talented brewers making delicious beer. We’re proud to be part of that. We are focused on creating fun beers and we focus on drinkability. The cool thing about the breweries in Toledo is that we are a community. It’s about collaboration, not competition.”

The tap room has also been a great space for the staff to unwind after a busy day or create the next craft beer.

“Sometimes at the end of a work day, someone will remind us that we have a tap room in the basement,” said Strayer. “We have a lot of creative meetings here. We have a fun team who enjoys coming up with new beers, events and fun ways to enjoy beer with family and friends.”

And there’s a lot of tap when it comes to the basement bar.

“We do beer sampling on tours and things like that,” said Strayer. “Sometimes people say they are not a beer drinker and we put a beer in front of them and they decide that they do like it. You see their attitude change about it. We want everything balanced. We work to create some things a not traditional beer drinker can enjoy. We have tours of our distillery and brewery, as well as brewery-specific events.”

The tap room is home to much more than beer.

“We do plants and pints events where you build a terrarium, or a succulent garden in a beer can,” said Strayer. “We have trivia nights, crafts, pinball tournaments here for the whole family.”

It’s a space for good beer and good times.

Heavy Beer Company also has a second location at Oak Openings Metropark.

If you’d like to learn more about this hometown beer, click here.

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