(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
GRAND REOPENING … Brewer and owner Keith Baker and wife Sheena Bakercut a ribbon at the grand reopening of Oncore Brewing in Swanton, held to celebrate and introduce the brewery’s new cocktail menu. From left are Distribution Manager Brad Arps, Ralph Reinhart, Mary Baker, Keith Baker, Sheena Baker, Bill Anderson, Emily Anderson, Ella Anderson, Cary Mowry, Dan Worstein, Andrea Walker, and Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Spirits were high at Oncore Brewing in Swanton on Saturday, when the brewery held its grand reopening to celebrate the addition of a cocktail menu.
The menu, which features local liquors from the Toledo Spirits Company, is aimed at pleasing bargoers not looking for a beer.
“We’re just trying to open ourselves up to a larger audience of people, so you don’t just have to be a great craft beer lover, we have a great space, great atmosphere, and now with this new cocktail program we have other offerings,” brewer and owner Keith Baker said.
The new cocktail menu includes such favorites as Margaritas, Cosmopolitans, and Bloody Marys, as well as unique flavors like the espresso martini and a “Neon Lemonade,” made with vodka, lemon juice and butterfly tea.
Oncore originally opened its doors in August 2022 but was born in Baker’s mind when he was laid off from his main gig as an electrician during COVID in 2020. He had already been home brewing for several years and got regular praise from his friends for his libations.
The beer menu – which is made up of a whopping 17 varieties – includes such brews as “HOT Swanton Blonde” mango habanero blonde ale, the “Coffee, Stills and Mash” blonde ale with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, the “Hefelumps and Woozles” wheat bear, and the Lil’ Drummer Boy winter ale, which features hand-peeled ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, honey, and centennial hops, and is named after his father’s CB radio handle when Baker was a boy.
The ale isn’t the only thing that sprouted from his family, as all the malt used by Oncore is grown on Baker’s grandparents’ farm. After they passed, Baker’s brother Matt bought the farm and turned the barn into a malt house, now operating as Heartland Malting Co., located in Bascom.
The brewery also holds events on a regular basis, including live music, a Halloween costume party, “Paint and Sip” events, and sports-centered events like an upcoming potluck for the OSU versus Michigan game on November 30.
For more information on Oncore, visit them on Facebook or at their website, oncorebrewing.getbento.com