If you've made the drive out to Granville from Columbus, you know the village has a certain character. It has New England-style architecture, Denison University on the hill, and a downtown that draws visitors for restaurants and shops. Head a few miles south on Columbus Road and you'll find something else entirely: a brewery in a renovated horse barn, with Belgian-style ales on tap and a patio that looks out over the countryside. Granville Brewing Company has been making beer here since 2013, and when they finally opened the taproom in December 2018, they gave Licking County a place that feels like a friend's party barn with really great beer.
Granville Brewing Company. Photo: Untappd.
The Building: A Horse Barn, a Party Space, and a Taproom
The building is the first thing you notice. Granville Brewing sits at 5371 Columbus Road, near the intersection with Outville Road, on the crest of a small hill. The structure started as a horse barn on Ross Kirk's 24-acre property, and you can still see the original stall doors on the outside. When Kirk and his co-founder Jay Parsons decided to turn a homebrewing hobby into a commercial operation, they converted the family party barn into a brewery. For the first five years, there was no public taproom. The beer went into bottles and kegs, and distribution happened out of the same space. In December 2018, they opened the barn to the public.
Walking in, you get a low-ceilinged interior lit with strings of white lights and heavy wooden picnic tables. The walls are covered with beer paraphernalia: tin signs, framed posters, an old electronic sign board displaying prices for PBR, Old English 800, Stroh's, and Schlitz. Pat's Pints, which visited in 2017, described it as a space that could have stepped out of Caddyshack if brewery taprooms had existed in 1980. The vibe is eclectic and personal. Regulars have contributed their own items to the decor over the years. There's a partially covered outdoor patio and a barnyard space for when the weather cooperates. Kirk told Columbus Monthly that the general feel is like going into a friend's den or party barn with really great beer. There's a lot of random stuff on the walls, background music, and TVs that only go on when something's worth watching. It's all about the people and the beer.
The Founders and the Brewer: Kirk, Parsons, and Wagner
Ross Kirk and Jay Parsons have been friends since high school. Kirk is a heavy construction estimator by day and started homebrewing in 2006. He was cranking out batches on a 10-gallon all-grain system and bringing kegs to tailgates and barbecues across Licking County before he and Parsons decided to take it to the next level. They officially opened Granville Brewing in February 2013 with a one-barrel system from Blichmann Engineering. That's only a three-fold increase from homebrewing scale. There was no taproom to staff, and they self-distributed. The focus from the start was Belgian-style beers: an Imperial Amber, a Saison, and a Tripel. Part of that came from a love for the flavorful beers of Belgium, and part from necessity. The original one-barrel fermenters had no temperature control. Belgian yeasts are more forgiving when fermentation runs warm, so saisons and abbey ales made sense.
Steven Wagner, nicknamed Pinto after the mild-mannered fraternity pledge from Animal House, is the head brewer and the only full-time employee. He took a brewing course at Ohio State, had been homebrewing for a few years, and knew he wanted to brew professionally. He emailed area breweries offering to do any job to get his foot in the door. Kirk and Parsons responded, and the interview turned into a trip to look at a walk-in cooler. A week later he was helping them put it together. He showed up a night or two a week and on weekends to clean, package, and learn their process. After about a year they offered him a full-time job. He quit his job, dropped out of OSU, and has been there ever since. Ohio Magazine credits Wagner as the main driver behind the brewery's liquid creativity. Kirk and Parsons handle the business side; Wagner pushes the beer in new directions.
The brewery has grown steadily. They bought four seven-barrel fermenters from Buckeye Lake Brewing when that brewery expanded, added a mash tun and boil kettle from Heritage Equipment in Plain City, and signed a distribution deal with Matesich Distributing in Newark in July 2017. Beers now reach 10 counties across East-Central Ohio. Production went from about 50 barrels per year to roughly 21 barrels per month. The original one-barrel boil kettles are still used for pilot batches.
The Beer: Reaper, Betrayer, Oppressor, and a Belgian Soul
The beer program has a clear identity. Belgian-style ales are the backbone, and the flagship trio has stayed consistent: The Oppressor Belgian Imperial Amber at 6.8%, The Reaper Saison at 8.4%, and The Betrayer Tripel at 9.5%. All three come in 22-ounce bombers for takeaway, and they show up on tap regularly. The Reaper is the one that gets the most attention. It's a big, bold, effervescent French farmhouse ale with hints of orange, grapefruit, coriander, and black pepper. The alcohol is dangerously well hidden for an 8.4% beer. Chris Fitzpatrick, writing for Pat's Pints from the Kroger bar in Newark, called it a very well crafted saison that looks a lot like an APA in the glass, with an orange, bright color and very nice carbonation. On the nose you get a nice clovey Belgian yeast scent backed up with a strong pepper and spice smell. The taste is as good as you'll find for a saison in the US, refreshing up front, followed by the classic Belgian yeast flavor with a perfect spice bite in the aftertaste. He called it sneaky clean for an 8.2% beer.
The Betrayer Tripel. Photo: Bill Koeppen, Untappd.
The Betrayer Tripel is as true to a Belgian-style tripel as you'll get without a plane ticket. It's deceivingly smooth, with a refreshing minerality and a crisp, clean finish. The Oppressor is the black sheep of the flagship family, with delicate cherry and caramel tones that rise up to match an American hop profile. Beyond the core three, the tap list has expanded. The Traveller is a well-balanced American pale ale dry-hopped with Citra, 6.2%, with a clean finish and fresh hop aroma without the bitter bite. Parsons has said it's one of his favorites, finished with the same yeast they use in the Tripel. Granville Amber is their take on an American-style amber with a Belgian twist. Petite Saison leads with banana and citrus, with a milder spice profile and lower ABV than the Reaper. The Witbier pays homage to the traditional Belgian white, hazed with wheat and finished with bitter orange peel and coriander. The Tyrant is a Russian imperial stout, 8%, with robust coffee and chocolate notes. The Porter is shockingly refreshing for a dark beer, like adult-only chocolate milk.
Limited releases rotate through. The Serrano Stout has a dark chocolaty body and a tease of spice, with just enough heat to prompt another sip. Wagner had to do some convincing to get it made, and when it was done he felt vindicated. The Biere de Garde is a traditionally crafted, rarely brewed aged Belgian ale with a toasty malt aroma and a subtle hint of booziness. The Flanders Red is the one that gets beer geeks excited. They don't publicize it much, probably because they don't have the capacity to make very much of it. It's patiently aged for three years, with a tart balsamic undertone, blended with a young malty amber. Pat's Pints called it sour but not over the top, with a complex flavor profile of dark fruits, bready malts, and balsamic-leaning acidity. If you're into sours and get a chance to try it, don't pass it by.
The brewery sits at 3.67 on Untappd with over 4,700 ratings and 120 beers in the catalog. The fact that people are checking in from Ray Ray's Hog Pit, Ray Ray's Supper Club, and the Newark Kroger bar says something about where the beer travels. You can find it on tap across Licking County and beyond.
The Tyrant Imperial Stout. Photo: Keith Baker, Untappd.
The Taproom: Food Trucks, Patio, and a Brewery Cat
Granville Brewing doesn't have a kitchen. Instead, they host a rotating lineup of food trucks. Check Facebook for the weekly schedule. You might get barbecue, hot dogs, Nepalese fare, or something else. You're also welcome to bring food in from outside. The taproom is open Thursday through Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. Full pours run around four dollars, with growler and crowler fills available. The space works for a quick stop or an afternoon with friends. If the weather's good, the patio has a phenomenal view of the countryside. There's a brewery cat named Bluto who sometimes shows up behind the bar. The jumping fox logo on the glassware approximates the shape of the letter G, which is a nice touch for a brewery in a town that starts with the same letter.
Lenny Kolada, who owns Smokehouse and Commonhouse Ales in Columbus, visited on a Columbus Brew Adventures tour and commented that he was blown away by Granville's offerings. The brewery has never been big on release parties, collaboration brews, or double dry hopped IPAs. Their social media presence has been described as roughly on par with George H. W. Bush's. The beer in the glass holds up. They focus on quality, and the Belgian-inspired lineup rewards people who pay attention.
Granville and Licking County: A Craft Beer Destination
Granville sits in the Welsh Hills region of Licking County, about 35 miles east of Columbus and 7 miles west of Newark. The village has a population of around six thousand, with Denison University adding students and faculty to the mix. The downtown has distinctive retail, restaurants, and lodging. Parsons has said that Granville is a phenomenal little town with great restaurants, and they encourage everybody to make a Licking County trip out of it. Granville and Newark together boast over half a dozen breweries. The Licking County Brewery Trail includes Granville Brewing, Three Tigers, The Lot Beer Co., DankHouse, Homestead, Trek, Stein, and Seek-No-Further Cidery. You can turn a visit into a weekend of beer and cider.
Granville Brewing is a member of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. They show up on the Ohio Craft Beer website and on tourism materials for the region. For a brewery that started in a party barn with a one-barrel system, they've built something that fits the community. The barn on the hill has become a destination for people who want Belgian-style beer in a setting that feels a world away from a generic taproom.
What Patrons Say
The Untappd check-ins tell the story. Brew Keeper has been in multiple times, trying the Betrayer, the Traveller, the Biere de Garde, the Smoke Ring, and the Christmas Ale C. He wrote that the Smoke Ring was super easy to drink and puts up no fight. When he had the Betrayer at closing time, he tagged it with #closingtime #norules and thanked Granville Brewing. Keith Baker checked in the Tyrant and the Granville Amber at Ray Ray's Hog Pit. August Allen had the Betrayer and the Drink Me I'm Irish from the same spot. Bill Koeppen checked in from the taproom with the Betrayer, the Traveller, the Citra Saison, the X-mas Ale, the Cherry Chocolate Porter, the Post 45, and the Oud Bruin. That's someone who made a day of it. Marshall Berry had the Post 45 and the Porter at the taproom. The fact that people are coming back and trying different beers says something about the range and the quality.
Granville Amber. Photo: Keith Baker, Untappd.
Cheryl W enjoyed the Irish flight at Ray Ray's Hog Pit and said the Hop O' the Morning was her favorite, signing off with a Happy St Patrick's Day. Tj Niedzielski went through the Irish flight too, trying the Drink Me I'm Irish, the Hop O' the Morning, the Smoke Ring, and the Breakfast In Red. Rob Sidders had the Aberrant IPA at Ray Ray's. Patrick Riell checked in the X-mas Ale, the Aberrant, the Betrayer, and the Granville Amber. The reviews don't have a lot of long tasting notes, but the repeat visits and the variety of beers people are trying suggest that the brewery has found an audience that appreciates what they're doing.
Practical Stuff
Granville Brewing Company is at 5371 Columbus Road, Granville, OH 43023. Phone: 740-919-5495. Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m. They're closed Sunday through Wednesday. There's no kitchen, so check Facebook for the food truck schedule or bring your own food. Carryout is available. You can find their beers on tap at Ray Ray's Hog Pit, Ray Ray's Supper Club, Taco Dan's in Granville, the Beverage Source in Newark, and the bar in the Kroger Marketplace off 21st Street in Newark. Distribution runs through Matesich in 10 counties across East-Central Ohio.
If it's your first visit, get a flight to sample the Belgian range. The Reaper Saison and the Betrayer Tripel are the signatures. The Traveller Pale Ale is a good option if you want something with hops but not a full IPA. Ask about the Flanders Red and the Serrano Stout if they're on tap. The patio is worth it when the weather cooperates. Parking is available. They sell merch at the taproom. The place is unpretentious and welcoming. Plan a Licking County brewery run and put Granville Brewing on the list.
Bottom Line
Granville Brewing Company has been making Belgian-style ales in a renovated horse barn south of Granville since 2013. Ross Kirk and Jay Parsons turned a homebrewing hobby into a commercial operation, and Steven Wagner has been driving the beer program for years. The taproom opened in December 2018, and the space feels like a friend's party barn with tin signs, picnic tables, and a patio that looks out over the countryside. The Reaper Saison, the Betrayer Tripel, and the Oppressor Imperial Amber are the flagships. The Flanders Red and the Serrano Stout are worth seeking out when they're available. The brewery doesn't have a kitchen, but food trucks rotate through and you can bring your own food. If you're in Licking County or passing through on your way to or from Columbus, it's worth the detour.
Sources
Our Story. Granville Brewing Co. https://www.granvillebrewing.com/ (Accessed March 2026).
Flying Under the Radar: A visit to Granville Brewing Company. Pat's Pints. December 18, 2017. https://patspints.com/2017/12/18/flying-under-the-radar-a-visit-to-granville-brewing-company/ (Accessed March 2026).
Granville Brewing Co. Ohio Magazine. https://www.ohiomagazine.com/food-drink/craft-beer/article/granville-brewing-co (Accessed March 2026).
Take a Trek on the Licking County Brewery Trail, from Three Tigers to DankHouse. Columbus Monthly. May 24, 2023. https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/lifestyle/food/2023/05/24/explore-licking-county-ohio-brewery-trail-craft-beer-and-cider-business/70255062007/ (Accessed March 2026).
Granville Brewing Co. Untappd. https://untappd.com/GranvilleBrewingCo (Accessed March 2026).
Granville Brewing Company. Ohio Craft Brewers Association. https://ohiocraftbeer.org/breweries/granville-brewing-company/ (Accessed March 2026).