A sneak peek at Warped Wing Springboro’s food menu, beers and taproom

Dayton-based craft brewery’s second location opens to the public Saturday, Aug. 29

After more than six years operating their craft brewery in downtown Dayton, Warped Wing Brewing Co. co-founders Nick Bowman and John Haggerty are ready to put their experience to work in their ambitious new second location in Springboro.

“We know what our strengths are,” Bowman said earlier this week while standing in the distribution room of The Warped Wing Barrel Room & Smokery, which will open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 29. The 20,000-square-foot facility at the crossroads of Springboro at State Routes 73 and 741 will house a taproom, a restaurant, a biergarten-style outdoor patio with a fire pit, a large space for barrel-aging beers, a test-pilot brewery, a distribution hub and event space.

As the name of the new second location implies, Bowman and Haggerty believe barrel-aged beers are at the core of Warped Wing’s identity, and the new facility will reflect that, from the aging barrels stacked in the pilot brewery to the “stave wall” that greets customers as they walk in the front door. Two-top tables are made from barrels that have aged Warped Wing’s beers, and even the lights are made from recycled barrel rungs.

The opening-day beer list will include brews aged in several different barrels, from bourbon to rye to port to rum. The brewery’s founders are putting together a Barrel Club Reserve” program and other special programs for beer enthusiasts that will allow members to get hands-on tour experiences, exclusive tastings and first-offering purchases of limited bottlings, Bowman said.

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

They’re also developing the beer equivalent of a “library wine list” that will allow customers to order some Warped Wing rarities. Bowman pointed out a small stash of vintage 2015 “Whiskey Rebellion” on a high shelf in a storage room, containing bourbon-barrel-aged stout.

“The Barrel Room & Smokery will take beer to a new level and will change the way people perceive and interact with beer,” said Bowman, Warped Wing’s co-founder vice president of sales and marketing.

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Also as its name implies, the restaurant portion of the new Warped Wing will have a major focus on smoked meats. The “Starters and Snacks” menu includes Smoked Pulled Pork Nachos, Smoked BBQ Brisket Quesadilla and Smoked Salmon Spread served with sliced cucumber and toasted baguette. The “Trotty Bratty” features the restaurant’s signature smoked bratwurst and is served on a pretzel bun with spicy brown mustard and a choice of toppings. Sandwich choices include Smoked Turkey, Smoked Pork, Smoked Brisket, Smoked Bologna and a “PBLT Sandwich” with smoked pork belly topped with lettuce, tomato and Sriracha mayo on Texas Toast.

The drinks menu will not focus exclusively on beer. Hard cider, wine and a limited spirits menu with specialty cocktails and house-made craft sodas also will be offered.

The Warped Wing Barrel Room & Smokery’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday (alcohol sales will cease at 10 p.m. as per statewide COVID-19 health order), and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Wines and cocktails are not available on Sundays

Warped Wing, which opened in January 2014 in a former foundry on Wyandot Street in downtown Dayton, has helped lead a renaissance of craft brewing in the Miami Valley that has seen nearly two dozen relatively small breweries open throughout the region.

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

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