FINDLAY, Ohio — You can raise a glass to 10 years of locally brewed cheers in Findlay on Saturday.
Findlay Brewing Company started up with humble beginnings back in 2013 over a round of beers.
"Me and a few of my friends sitting in a bar in Findlay, Ohio, thinking 'Why are there so few craft breweries in northwest Ohio?'" co-owner Steve Treece said.
So, one of the first craft breweries in the region was launched. At the start, they only brewed 15-gallon batches two or three times a week out of their first taproom.
"We were only able to open one day a week Friday evenings, every Friday evening we would open and sell beer. Sometimes we'd sell out, sometimes we had very little to sell," Treece said.
A fire in 2016 sped up their plans to move and expand and in 2018 they opened their current taproom on Crawford Street to a huge opening weekend.
"People are just continually coming through the doors and we did not know what to expect," general manager Sarah Foltz said. "The amount of support from our community has been just amazing, and they still continue to come through for us."
A decade later, Findlay Brewing Company is brewing about 37,000-42,000 gallons of craft beer a year. They serve it from the taproom, in cans and distribute it across the region.
The company will be hosting its 10-year anniversary with live music, a select food menu, fan-favorite beers and a $1 dunk tank raising money for the Alzheimer's Association. The celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
To help mark the occasion, the owners have brewed a special beer that will go on tap Saturday: an anniversary Watermelon Mint Gose.
The brewery wanted to offer a special day to not only celebrate a decade of Flag City brews, but to show their gratitude to their patrons for helping in their growth as well.
"This anniversary is honestly just as important to celebrate our milestone as well as it is the community helping us get to this point," Foltz said.