R. SHEA PRODUCTION BREWERY LEASE OPENS DOOR TO AKRON BREWERY DISTRICT

With the news that R. Shea Brewing is formalizing a new lease at Canal Place, owner Ron Shea is getting closer to his dream of establishing a Brewery District around downtown Akron. With Missing Falls Brewing Company settling into the same building just a few steps away, Thirsty Dog and Aqueduct Brewing located over on Grant Street, and soon-to-open Akronym and Lock 15 breweries up at the north end of downtown, there will be enough critical mass needed to shape such a district, which the city appears to be ready to certify and sanction.

I’ve always thought a brewery district of some kind would be a great idea for Akron; the only question was where would it be located, and who would take the initiative to make it happen. Clearly, Shea has long demonstrated the hard work, vision and creativity to see it through—and what we are seeing develop is the happy (or hoppy) result.

To be honest, though—a lot of these breweries are not within walking distance of one another, although the 6 are roughly within a square mile. Aqueduct and Thirsty Dog are close neighbors, but almost a mile from Canal Place, where R. Shea and Missing Falls will be located. Akronym will be almost a mile north on Market, and Lock 15 will be about 1/3 mile north of that, at North and Howard streets. They will all fit nicely on a map, but visiting more than two at a time will require some serious hiking boots.

Hopefully, some smart person will come up with a business plan that includes a 15-passenger van shuttling people between all these breweries—then drop them at the Northside Marriott to sleep it off. If the city designates a district, maybe it could help the breweries subsidize such a service, with an official “Brew Trolley” (Brolley?)—who knows?