Platform Beer Co. set to open doors with creative approach to brewing, business
By Marc Bona, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood adds yet another brewery to its mix officially Friday, when Platform Beer Co. opens its doors at noon. It has a very unique approach to brewing and business, serving both customers while cultivating and guiding brewers. Here's what it's about:

What and where it is

Platform is at 4125 Lorain Ave., just west of Randall Road.

Giant front windows at the long, narrow, brick-lined space swing open so customers at communal picnic tables inside can enjoy a breeze. Capacity is about 100 people, including a 38-seat bar but not including a fenced-in patio space that has room for hop bines to grow. American-made products like the tap handles are used throughout the space.

And it's draft-only - no liquor, no wine, no bottled beer.

"We're a production facility that happens to have a tasting room," said Paul Benner, one of the owners. "We're trying to help give the area an identity."

Platform's owners

Benner, Justin Carson, Shaun Yasaki and Greg Benner all have a stake in Platform.

They also bought space across the street for a brewshop and a building behind Platform to keep additional fermentation tanks.

Paul Benner handles operations. Carson runs JC BeerTech, a beer equipment and supply company. Yasaki is the brewer; he spent two and a half years at Fat Head's Brewery. And Greg Benner, Paul's brother, has an interest in the company.

History

The building dates to 1915. Its original tenant was a Czechoslovakian social hall, with bar and bowling alley. Benner said it was reportedly the first 10-pin alley in Cleveland, using manual setup for pins. In an homage to that history, Benner and company have reclaimed much of the original floor, for bar tops, flooring and signage. And a bowling machine sits close to the front door.

"We really tried to keep as much as we possibly could," he said.
platform int.JPGView full sizeTap handles are ready for pouring at Platform Beer Co. on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland. The sign in the back uses reclaimed pieces of the original floor of the 1915 building. Marc Bona, The Plain Dealer

The beer

Platform's production includes three and a half barrels (100 gallons). A 10-barrel brewhouse is coming in October, Benner said. Tanks sit a few feet from the bar, where you can hear beer swirling and smell its ingredients.

"It's very much a sensory experience," he said.

For Friday's opening, three local beers will be on tap, but eventually there will be eight. There will be 24 total taps for all beers. Sours, barrel-aged brews and cider will be available.

Sizes are all geared for tastes: $1.50 for a lower-alcohol brew, $2 for others. A four-beer flight of 5-ounce pours will be $6 to $8. A 10-ounce pour will be $3.50. And a pint, Benner said, will be a true 16 ounces – no skimping down to 14 ounces, which some bars do.

The business plan

Platform is very much "home-brew inspired," said Benner, who has home-brewed for four years. It is a small-business incubator as much as it aims to be an anchor business in the neighborhood.

"Every 12 weeks, one individual goes through an application process and works as a brewer's apprentice, brewing with Shaun," said Benner, a 31-year-old Baldwin Wallace University graduate who studied business administration. "They work for minimum wage while shadowing Shaun. Many of the people are home brewers who never got a chance to brew commercially.

"They will work with Shaun on the recipe that will be poured (eventually) on site for the general public."

But there's more to brewing than, well, brewing.

"The other piece is the administrative side," said Benner, who added the chosen brewer will be mentored by "outside resources" – a logo-design team, accountant and real-estate experts. Platform will help the brewer "navigate through state and federal regulations," of which there are many.

Benner sees home brewing as "a stress-relief, creative" endeavor that has its place in a competitive market with experienced brewers who make great beer.

"It's like if you're a golfer, you're not going to be Tiger Woods," he said, "but you're going to enjoy the process."

Starting a brewery can be very labor-intensive with high start-up costs, Benner said. But the unique business plan, to mentor home brewers, is what spawned Platform's name, to give them "an opportunity to showcase their product."

The first recipient is Kyle Roth, of South Euclid.

"He's the quintessential example of someone who comes to our program," Benner said.

"We like people doing creative things," Benner said.

On craft beer

Benner also recognizes the neighborhood's brewing catalysts, Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Sam McNulty of Market Garden Brewery.

"He set the tone for Ohio City," Benner said of McNulty. "The price of doing business is you have to cooperative."

And for Great Lakes, in its 26th year of operation, Benner said, "Clevelanders want to support local brands. They are very supportive of Great Lakes. We're very proud of that movement."

Despite what appears to be a crowded marketplace, Benner sees room for growth, especially in the micro- and nanobrew areas.

"There's a still a small percentage of craft beer sold in this country (compared to established lagers from large companies)," he said. "But people in their 20s are exceptions, they have grown up with craft beer."

He added: "What it's becoming is a sort of status symbol. If someone is drinking a Bud Light, it's like people are going to judge them."

On freshness

"There's something to be said about going to a brewery and getting something fresh, not having it shipped in from San Diego," Benner said.

"We're extremely picky about what we're doing on the dispensing side," Benner said, referring to tap-line cleanliness – something that many bars neglect. Dirty tap lines can alter a beer's taste. And a patron will think the brewery – not the bar – is at fault.