Communiqué
New Microbrewery Set to Open this Saturday in Athens
By: Steve Robb - Athens Messenger staff reporter
Posted on:
More than a year’s work will come to fruition this Saturday when Devil’s Kettle Brewing in Athens has its grand opening.
“My first two batches are already in kegs,” said owner Cameron Fuller, who was busy Monday putting the finishes touches on the Columbus Road brewery’s tap room. He said five kinds of beer will be available for the grand opening, which is Saturday at 2 p.m.
To say that Fuller took a hands-on approach to opening the brewery would be a bit of an understatement.
“Unless it involved a plumbing or electrical license, I pretty much did it,” said Fuller, who started work on the brewery in January of 2014.
“I was hoping it would be quicker,” Fuller said of the months of work that followed. “Every step of the way was a learning process.”
Friends were available to offer advice and help out, particularly Steve Hundley of Westerville, who Fuller described as a jack-of-all-trades in construction.
“He just gave me the confidence in every field,” said Fuller, who found himself doing construction jobs he’d never done before.
“I always considered myself handy with tools, but I’d never done these things,” Fuller said. “It’s been a challenge to learn, but I haven’t had any catastrophic mistakes.”
The ultimate goal was to be open in time for Ohio Brew Week, which is July 10-18 in Athens. Fuller said he’s expecting to have 10 different beers available by then.
Also, he said Devil’s Kettle Brewing will be part of the brewery tour during Brew Week and will host a new brewers panel discussion.
In case you’re wondering, the brewery name came from Devil’s Kettle Falls, located in a Minnesota state park.
“I just thought, ‘that’s a cool name for a brewery,’” Fuller recalled.
After the grand opening, regular hours for the tap room — where the brewery’s different beers will be available — will be 4 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
While Fuller is readying for his grand opening, Athens’ other new micro brewery — Little Fish Brewing Co. on Armitage Road — was a beehive of activity on Monday.
“Our goal is to be brewing in nine days. With a little luck, we won’t be too far behind that,” said co-owner Sean White, adding that he is “still fairly optimistic” that the brewery and taproom will be open in time for Ohio Brew Week.
“It should be awesome,” White said.