Avon Brewing Co. prepares to open Madison Brewing Co.

May 24—Cornerstone Brewing Co. in Madison Village has been acquired by the owner of several other breweries in northern Ohio.

Avon Brewing Co. recently purchased the Cornerstone business at 70-74 West Main St. and will rebrand it as Madison Brewing Co.

"We're excited about bringing our brand to Madison and being in a historic downtown area," said Mathias Hauck, a co-owner of the new Madison Brewing Co. and Avon Brewing Co.

Hauck owns these brewing enterprises, and Medina Brewing Co., along with Brian Weaver, his brother-in-law; and Ken Weaver, his father-in-law.

Cornerstone Brewing Co. in Madison Village opened nearly 15 years ago. Owner Roy Blalock launched the Madison brewpub five years after starting the first Cornerstone Brewing Co. in Berea.

Blalock said he had "a wonderful time" owning and operating the Madison pub.

"Being from Madison, it was enjoyable to bring something nice to the community, and I'm leaving it in good hands with the folks from Madison Brewing Co.," said Blalock, who now lives in North Perry Village.

During its stretch in Madison, Cornerstone became known as a brewpub that served a variety of its own hand-crafted beers, and featured a menu with items ranging from appetizers and salads to sandwiches and full meals.

The Cornerstone location in Berea is still owned by Blalock and was not acquired by Avon Brewing Co.

The last day of operation for Cornerstone was May 19. Since then, the new owners have been working on converting the interior of the building into Madison Brewing Co.

"We're hoping to have a soft opening sometime this weekend," Hauck said in a May 22 telephone interview.

Hauck said Madison Brewing Co. will retain all Cornerstone employees who wanted to stay with the new business.

"We interviewed everybody months ago," he said. "They've been eagerly awaiting this as well."

Full-scale operations at Madison Brewing Co. could begin as early as May 28, he added.

Hauck has become familiar with the Madison area, thanks to his role as brewmaster at Avon Brewing Co. For the past eight years, Avon has been brewing its beer on a contractual basis at Hop View Brewing Co. in Madison Township.

"We enjoy the (Madison) area and the people," Hauck said. "We also love the opportunity to expand into a different region."

Avon Brewing Co., which opened in 2016, has been achieving success at growth and expansion over the past four years.

In July of 2020, the company opened Medina Brewing Co., a brewery and tap room, in the city of Medina. During that same month and year, Avon Brewing Co. purchased and reopened the former ZZ's Big Top bar on Detroit Road in Avon.

Avon Brewing Co. also is based on Detroit Road in Avon, but that location is slated to change in the near future.

In early March, the company announced it would be purchasing and moving to The Shipyards building at 500 Shipyards Way in Lorain.

The Shipyards already includes an event center, multiple outdoor patios and a coffee shop.

Once Avon Brewing Co. relocates to building, it will change its name to Lorain Brewing Co. The entire building then will become known as Lorain Brewing Co. and Events Center.

A precise date for the move has not yet been announced.

At the new site, the company will be able to brew nearly all of the craft beers for its affiliated breweries. However, Hauck said a small brewing system in basement of the Madison location will be kept and used occasionally to brew small batches of specialty beers.

Hauck also was able to provide some other details about what customers can expect when they visit the new Madison Brewing Co.

In regard to food, he said Madison Brewing will feature "a brewery-centric menu."

Examples of some items include:

—Sloppy tots — A combination of tater tots and sloppy joe meat, along with scallions and other ingredients

—Truffle fries

—Wings in 23 different flavors

—A fried jumbo walleye sandwich

—Smashburgers.

Hauck said Madison Brewing Co. will provide the atmosphere of a family-operated brewery and an array of high-quality beer and foods.

"The focus is really just a place where you can come and meet people, or celebrate all of life's wonderful opportunities," he said. "You can come for the beer and stay for the food, or come for the food and stay for the beer."