USA, OH: DankHouse Brewing owners expect to open their doors in just a few weeks

The latest addition to the exploding beer scene in Licking County is DankHouse Brewing in Newark, Drink Up Columbus reported on September 8.

Husband and wife owners Josh and Heather Lange expect to open their doors in just a few weeks, though DankHouse has been several years in the making. The couple initially wanted to open a craft beer bottle shop, but their vision ultimately morphed into building a 2.5 barrel brewery. Josh left his job to devote all his energy to the renovation and construction of the new brewery — he is the architect, general contractor and chief laborer for the project. While Heather continues to teach at a local elementary school, she is providing the artistic touches to the finished space, which features a full wall mural on the left side providing a great splash of color and whimsy, and multi-color wood paneling brightening the interior. The small L-shaped bar is faced with 3D wall panels providing a unique look, and the surface of the bar itself will be covered with tiny BB’s encased in resin. Heather is determined that they all be properly aligned before the resin is applied. They estimate there will be 220,000 of them.

With Licking County destined to have eight breweries in operation by year end, DankHouse plans to stand out with the outdoors: eight acres of it. When they open this fall, you’ll be able to enjoy a fresh beer with a game of bocce or corn hole. If all goes as planned, there will be sand volleyball courts and maybe even a regulation croquet court or a king-sized beer pong setup added in the spring. The fun and games are not limited to the adults — as an elementary school teacher, Heather knows a thing or two about young ones, so the brewery will also include an indoor playroom with games, art supplies, TV and video games to keep the kids occupied while Mom and Dad enjoy a cold one.

The 2.5-barrel brewing system will fuel three 5-bbl fermenters. Opening day will feature three house beers including an IPA (Grass Juice), a blonde ale (Blonde Moment), and a coffee vanilla stout (Coffee Drip). Following shortly thereafter will be a West Coast IPA and a gose. The remainder of their 10 taps will be filled by guest beers. While they won’t be serving their own food, DankHouse will be partnering with several area restaurants for delivery, including Moe’s BBQ, Barrel & Boar, and Ange’s Pizza. Live music will be offered periodically, with several dates already set.

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