Avon Brewing Acquires Cornerstone Brewery Madison Location
Eight Year Old Avon brewery comes full circle with acquisition of one of the two Cornerstone Brewing locations
by Rob Tittel
Madison, OH - In an age of uncertainty across the craft beer industry, a handful of breweries are continuing to buck the trends toward contraction and even closure. This year alone, Two Monks Brewing (Akron), R. Shea Brewing (Akron), and more recently, Hop Tree Brewing (Hudson) have all closed. But Avon Brewing's Mathias Hauck still sees better days ahead, and is even a little bullish. They, along with breweries like The Brew Kettle, Saucy Brew Works, and a handful of others are among those bucking the trend, and growing in a challenging environment.
Indeed, growth looks a little different these days. Back when R. Shea opened in the Merriman Valley in 2015, the battle was being fought on grocery store shelves. The fight was for shelf space, and how you could get your canned or bottled libations in front of the most people as possible. A distribution deal was a sign that you'd arrived. In 2024, the path toward growth looks significantly different. Consumer preferences are evolving, and craft beer production as a whole experienced a drop of 1% last year according to recent statistics released by the Brewers Association, the non-profit trade association which promotes, protects, and advocates for the craft brewing industry. Grocery store shelves which once were stocked with scores of craft beer brands both national and local have been overtaken by the likes of seltzers and prepacked craft cocktails. The battle is also being fought on a different front as a younger generation eschews alcohol entirely.
In 2024, the path toward growth often involves opening secondary and tertiary locations in underserved communities, and a significant amount of beer is being sold out of taproom coolers versus grocery store shelves these days. The shift is on toward meeting the consumer where they are versus trying to grow through expanded distribution.
Mathias Hauck, co-owner of Avon Brewing, and his business partners, which include brother-in-law Brian Weaver and father-in-law Ken Weaver, have been working on their growth on multiple fronts for some time. When original plans to open a 15 barrel brew house and taproom across the street from the existing restaurant on Detroit Road in Avon fell through, they rolled up their sleeves, undeterred, and got to work, as they always do.
The first domino to fall when plans to stay in Avon and build a ground up construction nearby fell through, was the acquisition of The Shipyards in Lorain. Previously reported by Julie Short in a special to cleveland.com, the purchase of the 24,000 square foot space at 500 Shipyards Way in Lorain was announced in early March. The purchased space is double the size of the previously announced plan to open a 12,000 square foot facility with an outdoor beer garden, party room, and production facility across the way on Detroit Road in Avon.
Hauck and team were undaunted by the plans falling through and told Short in March that "we made it through COVID because of [our fans]. We expect to fully regroup and fight through this" -- and fight they did. During COVID they also had expanded into Medina, opening Medina Brewing Company, and purchased the old ZZ's Big Top in Avon as well, so the Shipyards was the next stage in the evolution and expansion. The Shipyards includes an event center, multiple outdoor patios, and a coffee shop, and the brewery will change their name, taking on the name of their new adopted hometown, calling themselves Lorain Brewing Company and Event Center.
If that wasn't enough growth, the indefatigable Hauck and his team decided the opportunity to come full circle and have a location on the east side of Cleveland, in an area more known for wine than beer, was too good to pass up.
The Avon Brewing restaurant was never an ideal spot to have a brew house, and for many years the team brewed off site at the now defunct Hopview Brewing, a contract facility in Madison, Ohio, the Lake County village that serves as the gateway to the Grand River Valley viticultural area, and transported the beers to Avon to be served off the taps in their restaurant.
By a stroke of fate, they now find themselves coming full circle and returning to Madison, which will give them a foothold on the opposite side of Cleveland to go along with the west side locations in Avon and ZZ's, and the southern suburb of Medina. Cornerstone Brewing Company, which opened in 2005 in Berea on Front Street, and opened a second location in Madison in 2009 on West Main Street, has sold the Madison location to Hauck and his partners, and they will take it over next week, rebranding it as appropriately, Madison Brewing Company. Once Lorain Brewing and Event Center is open, the vast majority of the brewing for the beers that will be served at Medina Brewing, ZZ's, and now Madison Brewing, will be brewed on the large system in Lorain, and fed to the satellite taprooms. A small system in the basement of Madison will remain, and small pilot batches will be brewed on it occasionally, as is also the case at Medina Brewing.
"We're excited to be a part of Madison," said Hauck. "We've been working on this deal for over a year and can't wait to get going."The last day of business as Cornerstone Brewing - Madison will be this coming Sunday, May 19th. The facility will then close for at least a week as the Avon ownership team comes in and remodels the inside, adding the signature Avon brand and feel, brings in additional kitchen equipment, and makes it their own. Their plans are to reopen as Madison Brewing Company "as soon as possible".
The brewery and restaurant will be open at least 6 and possibly 7 days a week. The menu will fully convert and be quite similar to the offerings of Avon Brewing, under the guidance of Chef Brian Weaver. The entire staff of Cornerstone was retained.
Madison Brewing Company is located at 74-70 W. Main Street in Madison. Stay tuned to their social media for announcements on re-opening.