About this project
*Update 3/1/2012 - We updated our project video!
Who is Oval Brewing Company? Born out of a passion for painstakingly crafted beer, and a midwestern sports devotion, Oval Brewing produces a strong stable of year-round beers as well as a myriad of special release seasonals.
Once open, the Oval Brewing Company will be a “social brewery” producing kegs, cans and bottles out of the heart of Columbus, Ohio. Our beers will range from canned session beers you can enjoy at a tailgate to hoppy IPAs to ease the pain of a devastating loss. Beyond beer with flavor and integrity, we want to create a culture of open communication between us and our customers, whether it is talking with them across the bar in our our tasting room, teaching classes in home-brewing, or via our “virtual boardroom” where you can suggest beers and styles for us to brew next. The OBC space will support that sense of community as well; providing a venue for local musicians and artist, an inviting meeting spot and a unique facility for public and private events.
ovalbrewing.com
What is this Kickstarter thing?
Probably a good question to ask to start things off... Kickstarter is an innovative way to fund creative projects. Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method in which projects must be fully-pledged, or no money changes hands. In return for your commitment, you get some awesome stuff. Every little bit helps us out, and every little bit gets something in return, check the sidebar on the right to see the various donation levels.
- Start a Kickstarter account. Enter your e-mail and create a password, don't worry they won't spam you... we promise -OR- you can sign in via a Facebook account.
- Sign into Amazon. If you already have an account (Amazon Prime is the best), you are good to go.- Pledge $5 or more (your card will only get charged if we reach $30,000 by 4/1/2012!)
The "I Helped Pave the Oval" shirt for the $45+ backers:
- Tell your beer drinkin' friends. Share it on Facebook, Twitter, whatever. If you want, no pressure.
Another brewery in Ohio?
Ohio is the 7th most populous state in these fine United States, but ranks just 33rd in breweries per capita with 45 breweries in the state as of 2010. Compare that to that state up north, which is 8th in population (1.5 million less people) and ranks 14th in breweries per capita with 85 breweries! Even Wisconsin, with half the population has over 20 more breweries than Ohio. Ohioans deserve more access to great beer, without having to spend money out of the state, especially in Michigan.
Why should I help you?We love making beer. We also love being creative with our names and labels, drawing a strong inspiration from collegiate sports and our fair Midwest tradition. Some of you may have found us when we got tweeted and mentioned from former basketball walk-ons or sports blogs. We've gotten hundreds of requests to buy and ship our beer... and we reluctantly had to tell all of you we couldn’t at the time, because Uncle Sam won’t let us. We've got a strong product, a clean and classic brand, and we've decided it's time to ask Uncle Sam for permission to share it with you!
Where does the money go?Beer is pretty basic... water, malted barley, hops, and yeast, but making beer isn’t cheap. There are a lot of things we need to purchase... a brewhouse, fermentors, kegs, things to drink it out of, etc. Then there is the rule that we can’t do this in our houses/garages anymore, so we need space. Oh, and Uncle Sam and the State of Ohio want their money too before we can even start brewing. Every little bit helps.
So just tell me about the beer!
Our plan is to have a few beers that will be available year round in kegs and cans. Also, we will have some beers that will be available depending on the season. There will also be beers that will just be available at the taproom, that will be ever changing and some suggested by you! If you were at Eat Too Brutus this year, you got to taste a few...
Starting Lineup:Back 9 Pale Ale
Stiffarm IPA
Underdog IIPA
Songgirl Blonde Ale
Dubbel Overtime
Reserves/Seasonals/Etc:
Bowl Season Ale
Woody Haze Dunkelweizen
Extra Special Buckeye
Major Violations Imperial Stout
Puntkin Ale
Skull Session Lager
11th Warrior IIPA
Stoppage Time English IPA
and many more...
Wait, I thought you guys were in Chicago?
While we originally started brewing in Chicago (and still do some, as shown in the video) we are committed to opening in Columbus. It took a little convincing of my wife to make the move, we have always known that Columbus was the best place for the Oval Brewing Company. We can't wait to join the other passionate brewers in Columbus, and to officially bring our beers to Central Ohio.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
196
Backers
$31,010
pledged of $30,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on April 1.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
Your name on our donor wall. We want to be sure to thank everyone who pitches in to OBC, so to do so, we are dedicating a wall in the tasting room to you, the donors.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
Your name on the donor wall plus an Oval Brewing sticker. Great for placing on your car, laptop, or behind the bar at your local watering hole.
Pledge $27 or more Pledge $27 or more
All of the above, plus a handy OBC Bottle Opener Keychain, a necessity at any tailgate of good repute.
Pledge $45 or more Pledge $45 or more
All of the above, plus our limited edition "I Helped Pave the Oval " T-Shirt. Viewable here:
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
The complete OBC swag collection; all of the above plus a slick OBC pint glass.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Everything above plus VIP status at our official launch party to take place in Columbus during Spring Game weekend (April 21).
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Everything above, plus enrollment in the Oval Brewing Dibs Club™ which entitles you to first dibs on all Oval Brewing special releases for life.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Everything above, plus a hand printed, hand signed limited edition silk screened poster by OBC Creative Director, Walt Keys.
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Everything above, plus the distinguished privilage of having your name printed on every bottle and can of Oval Beer. Walt can't wait to figure out how to fit all of these names in.
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
Everything above, plus you and 25 friends get the brewery to yourselves for a swingin' shindig once we're up and running.
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
Everything above, plus a custom kegerator with an OBC tap handle for enjoying our kegged beer in the comfort of your own home.
Pledge $10,000 or more Pledge $10,000 or more
Everything above, plus our unending gratitude, plus the opportunity to work with our brewer and art department to create your very own beer from the ground up. Name it, develop it, brew it, design it, can it, keg it, tap it, drink it.
Project By
Connected as Adam Benner (268 friends)
It all started back in 2009, Adam decided to buy some home brewing equipment. He had always been interested in beer and finally wanted to give a shot at brewing it. With the help of some friends in Chicago, the adventure began. The first couple of batches were just “ok” but that didn’t slow him down. Brewing every chance he got, the basement in the coach house he lived in was soon full of carboys, kegs, kettles, and bottles. After his honeymoon in Belgium and experiencing a culture deeply connected with beer, he knew his calling. After lots of reading, studying, and test batches the beers started tasting great. More and more people asked for the beers, and Oval Brewing Company was born.
Adam had asked Walt, who was one of his housemates back in college, to design some labels and a logo for the new venture. The designs were fantastic, and started getting us noticed even more. We were able to connect with a college football blog (elevenwarriors.com), which Walt had been doing some designs for, to serve beer at a tailgate they were holding. This allowed us to connect with even more people, making it clear that Oval Brewing Company needed to take the next step.
It was decided that even though current operations were in Chicago, IL the best location to start the production facility would be back in Columbus. Adam started writing the plan and all the research while Walt worked on the pitch. That brings us to today, where we have launched our Kickstarter campaign and have begun our search for a facility.
We are very excited to have the opportunity to share our passion for quality beer with you. We look forward to serving Central Ohio and beyond for years to come.
Cheers!
Oval Brewing
