Brewing comradery and sense of place at Wooly Pig Farm Brewery

FRESNO − Nestled away in the rolling hills of Coshocton County is a small brewery that is quickly obtaining a reputation across the region as being a great place to hang out with some excellent beer.

Kevin Ely and Jael Malenke, co-owners of Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, said more than half of their visitors are from out of county. They even know a story of their beer getting to Japan via a tourist who took several cases to a cocktail competition in Sapporo, Japan.

Recently, the brewery was recognized with a Small Business Excellence Award by the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance. MFM Building Products received the Small Manufacturer Excellence Award in 2023.

Wooly Pig was nominated for the honor by the Coshocton Port Authority. Executive Director Tiffany Swigert said the brewery has become a catalyst for economic development and community vibrancy.

"Since it's inception, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery has been more than just a brewery. It's a brilliant example of innovation, sustainability and seamlessly intertwining agriculture, brewing and community engagement," she said.

The basics of brewing

Wooly Pig Farm Brewery opened in December 2017 on a 90-acre farm just off of U.S. 36 with eight beers on tap and created on site in a rustic building. Also on the farm are wooly pigs, which the business is named after.

Today, Wooly Pig produces about 620 barrels a year. The maximum capacity is around 900 barrels a year. They brew 30 to 40 different beers, some of which are seasonal, and have 14 employees. Pork products made from the wooly pigs are available, as well as entertainment and food trucks on weekends.

"Their commitment to producing high quality craft beer has not only elevated the local beer scene, but also put our region on the map for beer enthusiasts far and wide," said Hannah Gallagher, economic development specialist for the Coshocton Port Authority. "But Wooly Pig is more than just a brewery. It's a hub for community activity and a place where locals and visitors alike come together to enjoy good beer, delicious food and lively entertainment...It's become an integral part of the social fabric of Coshocton County fostering a sense of belong and comradery."

The brewhouse is a mash up of the traditional three- and four-vessel systems. It includes a lauter tun, a mash tun and two multipurpose boil kettles. These two kettles transforms the capacity of the five-barrel system to that of a 10-barrel set up. Wooly Pig has five 10-barrel fermenters and room to expand when the time comes. The whole brewhouse runs on electrically-generated steam, allowing for the production of clean, flavor-stable beers that are easy on the palate, Ely said.

The brewhaus vessels as well as the fermenters are all clad in hard wood planking sustainably harvested from the farm and its surroundings. The wood was carefully chosen for its rot resistance; a trait vital in the steamy, splashy brewery, said Ely.

Growth of breweries

Ely came to Coshocton in 2013 because it's his wife's hometown. He was struck on how much it looked like the area of Germany best known for beer making he had visited several times. Ely had served as brewmaster at Uinta Brewing Co. in Utah, a top 50 craft brewery in the nation by volume produced. He felt he could bring those skills to Coshocton. Despite the county being home to several wineries, there weren’t any craft breweries.

Since that time, craft breweries have become a growing and trendy field in Ohio. From a biennial report released in 2023 by the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, 44 new craft breweries opened in 2022, bringing the state total to 420. Ohio’s craft beer production volume ranked sixth among U.S. states at approximately 1.29 million barrels, up 18.7% from 2020.

"For us, it's become really gratifying to see the brewery become a place where you just don't go to have a beer. When your family comes to town, you take them to the brewery. When you have a birthday party, you go out to the brewery. We've seen people's friendships grow at the brewery. They meet their buddies there. Then they become family friends. Then, the next thing you know, they're going on vacation together," Malenke said. "If feels like we play a role other than just being a brewery."

Giving back

The 179 brewers that responded to the impact survey by the Ohio Craft Brewers Association donated approximately $2.4 million to charitable causes and gave an additional 22,000 volunteer hours to community groups.

For the past five years, Wooly Pig has donated proceeds from its Holiday Lager sales to local non-profit organizations. In the past two years, they've donated more than $12,300 including helping to forgive medical debt through Coshocton Regional Medical Center. Malenke said recently they received a card of thanks from a resident for the assistance.

"For us, being in a small town, the advantage of that is you get to know the people who are your regulars. You get to know people in your community and when you get to know people, it's hard to not want to try and do something to give back to that community. People go out of their way to support us and this is just one way we feel like we can support other people," Malenke said.

Wooly Pig Farm Brewery is located at 23631 Township Road 167. For more information, visit the website or call 740-693-5050.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Wooly Pig Farm Brewery receives EODA award