After a long wait, Pileated Brewing Co. opened in early August on South Industrial, in a small slice of the warehouse fronted by the PTO Thrift Shop.
High school teachers Andrew Collins and Jay Howe decided in 2014 to turn their home brewing hobby into a small business. They registered their company under the name Divergent Brewing, but adopted Pileated when their lawyer noted an Ohio brewery already made a Divergent beer.The logo features a pileated woodpecker, and brews include a “Peregrine Porter” and “Night Hawk” stout as well as a wide range of ales.
Both say they want to keep the business small. The tasting room holds just five tables and is open only Thursday through Sunday evenings. They close at 10 p.m. because they’re keeping their day jobs–Collins teaches chemistry at Huron, and Howe teaches art at Pioneer. Collins finds that fitting, since “brewing is really an art-science collaboration.”
How do their students react to their teachers brewing beer? “They’re excited about it!” says Collins. “I refer to the brewery a lot when I teach, because brewing is chemistry.”
Pileated Brewing Company, 2290 South Industrial, 369-6290. Thurs.-Sat. 5 p.m.-10 p.m, closed Sun.-Wed. pileatedbrewing.com
