“It feels awesome to finally be opening the doors. It’s been a long and crazy road to get here but we are so proud of how this project turned out. We are excited to share it with the community,” Nick Bowman, Warped Wing’s co-founder vice president of sales and marketing, said in an email.
The Springboro opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening is also expected to allow Springboro to open its Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area at and around Wright Station, the redevelopment project already including the Springboro Performing Arts Center. Warped Wing would be the fourth business with a liquor license, the minimum required for a DORA.
Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF
Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF
“We are excited about the DORA and what it will bring to the development. I think it will also help us and others given the COVID capacity restrictions. The DORA will allow people the freedom to enjoy a beer while maintaining social distancing,” Bowman said.
Warped Wing is developing a “Barrel Club Reserve” program and other special programs for beer enthusiasts that will allow members to get hands-on tour experiences, exclusive tastings and first-offering purchases of limited bottlings, Bowman said.
“Our barrel-aging program has propelled us into an interesting place” Bowman said. “My partner, co-founder and brewmaster John Haggerty, has a wealth of knowledge and experience with brewing and barrel aging. ... A lot of our beers rest in wood for up to a year or longer. We are excited to share this process and experience with our customers.”
The pilot brewing system, Bowman said, “will give us endless opportunities to experiment with new beer styles and flavor profiles.”
Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF
Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF
The restaurant portion of the new Warped Wing will have a major focus on smoked meats. Several dishes will include Warped Wing beers as ingredients.
The drinks menu will not focus exclusively on beer. Hard cider, wine and a limited spirits menu with specialty cocktails and house-made craft sodas also will be offered.
On Monday, the Oho Division of Liquor Control sent Warped Wing a letter about its application for a license to sell “wine, certain prepackaged mixed beverages and spirituous liquor” on Sundays at Warped Wing Wright Station.
The letter explained the state couldn’t issue this license, one of five Warped Wing had sought for the Springboro business, because the precinct where it is located is ‘dry’ for Sunday sales of spirits, wine and prepackaged mixed beverages, until voters in the precinct approved the change. The brewery will be able to sell beer on Sundays.
Bowman said its other licenses were approved earlier that week.
“We were kind of sweating it,” Bowman said.
The Warped Wing Barrel Room & Smokery’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday (alcohol sales will cease at 10 p.m. as per statewide COVID-19 health order), and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
