Mary Helen Darah

Upside Brewing

Upside Brewing, located in downtown Sylvania, is “On Tap” to give back to the community by being part of the On Tap and Uncorked event. The brewery has been open six years and continues to grow its following. What started as a home brewing hobby has led to one of the favorite must-visit destinations in Sylvania.

Exciting developments are in the works for Upside Brewing. “We are expanding next door and look forward to welcoming more guests. We will have additional seating for guests, guest taps from the area and a full bar. However, our focus will remain on Upside brews,” said Nick Dallas, owner. “With the upcoming expansions, I’m thankful my wife, Melissa, is by my side,” said Dallas. “She is a really big part of the brewing process. She is instrumental at J & G Pizza Palace and she keeps things running smoothly.”

Dallas believes it is important to give back to the community. “We are happy to support organizations such as Sylvania Area Family Services and to help the Sylvania Schools. The community is the reason we’re here.”

Inside the Five

Inside the Five’s Katie and Brandon Fields became passionate about brewing 16 years ago. Fields bought husband Brandon a home brewing kit as a birthday gift. “I saw the kit and thought it would be fun to try. He really enjoyed it and it became a hobby for him on his off season from football,” she stated. “He experimented with various brews along with beer and food pairings. We decided to move back to Ohio and change careers and the rest is history.”

Inside the Five has many projects in the works. “We bought the lot next door and will break ground soon,” said Fields. “The new structure will have an outdoor and indoor area with a beer garden and a patio space for live music. We also began brewing in our new production facility near the campus of the University of Toledo. We are expanding from five barrels to 20 barrels and are producing more canned beer. We needed a better system since the demand for craft beer continues to rise. There will be a new tap room in the production facility.”

Inside the Five’s Katie Fields, her husband, Brandon, and Chris Morris are excited to give back to their community by providing their brews for On Tap and Uncorked. “Giving back is something we never have to think about … we just do it,” states Katie Fields. “We come from great families that give back. Brandon and I decided early on that no matter where we ended up, we would support our community and make it stronger.”

Lourdes University

Jeffery Groth, M.Ed. of Lourdes University’s Bachelor of Science in Craft Beverages program and his students are excited to be participating in the upcoming On Tap and Uncorked. Groth received his M.Ed. at Wayne State University and a BDT Certificate from Schoolcraft College. “I have been at Lourdes since 2018 when they started the program,” stated Groth. “We will have our first graduates of the science and craft beverages program in Dec. of 2022.”

Groth taught school for 25 years before getting his science background for making wine, beer and spirits in 2016. He is excited to share his passion and knowledge with his students. “We are the only program in Ohio that offers all three disciplines; wine, beer and spirits,” he said. “We have developed partnerships with other wineries and distilleries to have internships for our students as well as giving students the opportunity to have internships abroad. Students need three internships to complete their degree. We try to set them up in the discipline they want to focus on to see what it’s like in the industry they are interested in. It’s a four-year degree. We also offer it as a minor and offer a certification in craft beverages, which takes a year to complete.”

At the On Tap and Uncorked event, two students from the program will be serving a cream ale to guests. “One of the students is a bachelor degree student and the other student is finishing her certificate,” stated Groth. “Part of Lourdes’ philosophy is a commitment to service. It is helpful for our students to learn to give back as part of their collegiate experience.”

Buffalo Rock Brewing

Buffalo Rock Brewing Company owner Troy Burns, and co-owners Tim Burns and Brian Wilson, are excited to be part of the upcoming On Tap and Uncorked, on Sept. 10 at Centennial Terrace that will benefit the Sylvania Area Family Services. The owners participated in last year’s event as a newly opened brewery and are looking forward to returning. “We were supposed to open in 2020 but ended up opening June 10, 2021, and had the pleasure of being at On Tap,” stated Troy Wilson. “We have continued to grow since opening a year ago and things are going exceptionally well. We started with six taps and now we are up to 18 taps. We have also had two different expansions.” Buffalo Rock Brewing does not serve food. “Even though we do not have a kitchen, every night that we are open, we have live music and food trucks,” said Wilson. “We brew on premises and continually create new brews. So far we have created 56 different beers that you can find in many local restaurants. I’d also like to mention that we are dog friendly. A bit of a warning though. We returned from a recent vacation with a large buffalo that two rottweiler guests did not seem to appreciate.” The owners are community- minded and are happy to know their products will benefit the programs and services of SAFS. “We help the local community any way we can,” said Burns. “That’s what it’s all about.”