It wasn’t the most pleasant of signs. But it was a sign nonetheless.
When Abbey McArthur was laid off from her position at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores in late 2015 — a job she had held for 14 years — she turned to her husband, Kevin, and said: “Let’s just do it. Let’s not wait anymore.”
They had been talking about opening a craft brewery for years and now was the time to take the leap.
McArthur’s Brew House, a two-barrel nanobrewery and tasting room on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls, will host its grand opening Friday, becoming the latest in a wave of new breweries in the Akron area.
“Blood, sweat and tears into this so I’m hoping it pans out,” Kevin McArthur said. “A lot of effort. A lot of time. And a whole lot of money.”
The McArthurs — he’s 38 and she’s 36 — live in Cuyahoga Falls. In fact, they joke about how they could crawl to the brewery from their home if they wanted.
Kevin McArthur, a firefighter, is a longtime homebrewer who also previously worked at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron.
His plan is to develop solid recipes around popular styles and then branch out. He mentioned how he’d like to introduce a probiotic beer in the future.
McArthur’s has five taps, and the brewery will launch with a steam beer, double red IPA, brown ale, pale ale and Irish red ale.
They are excited to hear feedback from beer drinkers. In fact, they will encourage feedback by having a suggestion box.
“Let the people decide what they want,” Abbey McArthur said.
“We definitely want feedback from our customers when they come in,” her husband added.
McArthur’s — just like the brewing system — isn’t a big place. It’s located in a storefront of about 1,600 square feet, and the occupancy is only 45 people.
The stainless steel brewing system sits behind the bar, which has corrugated galvanized steel sides and a stained and epoxyed top. One wall is covered with sealed pallet wood.
Because of the size of their brewing system, the McArthurs don’t have immediate plans to distribute their beer outside the brewery. There’s no food, but they will offer snacks.
The Cuyahoga River runs behind the brewery, and they hope to establish an outdoor beer garden along the waterway in the future. They’d also like to grow the brewery and add wine.
“We definitely have big plans,” Abbey McArthur said. “It’s just going to take time.”
As for why the McArthurs decided to have the brewery carry the family name, it was a pretty simple reason.
“We know how to spell it,” Kevin McArthur said with a laugh, adding that maybe some other people with the name McArthur will want to stop in.
McArthur’s will have limited hours at the beginning. It will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at Ohio.com/beer. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .