BY ANDREW BAILEY
BG Independent News Correspondent
Inspired by Celtic lore and tabletop gaming, Aistear Brewing was opened by Chris Thompson and Christoper “G” Gilmore in Bowling Green in October 2019.
Nine months later, and the craft brewery, at 1037 N. Main St., Bowling Green, is facing a foe unlike any fire-breathing dragon or horde of goblins they’ve seen before. They’re battling COVID-19.
Aistear came from a personal place for the self-described nerds: their love for role-playing games, fantasy worlds and the fun adventures that could be had with friends. Along with their craft brews, they aimed to recreate this atmosphere with an emphasis on face-to-face interactions and a welcoming community.
But like many other similar businesses, the coronavirus hit them hard.
The typical customer experience they offered patrons was almost completely changed when bars and breweries across the state had to comply with the social distancing and dine-in guidelines.
“Typically we’d have a customer come into the bar and place an order for a drink. Then they’d sit down and play D&D or another game, chat with their friends or just enjoy the atmosphere,” Thompson said. “And then we went through the period where people couldn’t be in bars or restaurants. And we eventually pivoted to some beers to-go through a partnership with The Tiffin Brewery so we could continue to have some revenue.”
The early weeks of the pandemic were “the dark times” for Aistear, he said. As a new business when Gov. Mike DeWine announced the closure of restaurants and bars on March 15, they hit a wall they needed to overcome.
Before the shutdown, their business focused on in-house sales and selling their craft beer on tap at other bars.
“But when everything shut down, we lost that entire stream of revenue,” he said.
With this sudden dive in profit, they had to “do a quick 180 and figure something out,” which led to offering to-go drinks sooner than they had initially planned.
They’re still in a weird place though, Thompson said.
“We’re still trying to get more options for to-go beverages. We went through all the bottles that we got from Tiffin Brewery and a lot of restaurants and breweries are experiencing the same thing, so it’s hard to come by and glassware or cans or anything like that,” he said. “We’re at the mercy of the suppliers when it comes to that.”
Despite the setbacks they’ve experienced, many of their loyal customers have their own growlers that they bring in to fill and after reopening their indoors, they’ve had customers that come to sit at the bar and have drinks.
But the tabletop gaming and “family-friendly, hangout type of atmosphere” that’s a part of the Aistear adventure isn’t what it was four months ago, Thompson said.
They saw a mild resurgence after reopening their indoors, but when Wood County was elevated to the Level 3 – Red category for COVID-19 on July 10, they saw those numbers drop again.
“We’ve mostly had growler fills and regulars hanging out for a bit because they want to support us,” he said. “But it’s not like the large groups and gatherings we’d have back before March. I think a lot of prefer right now just prefer to stay home.”
The support isn’t just coming from Bowling Green residents though. Customers have started traveling longer distances from cities like Columbus and Dayton and crossing state lines from Michigan to get their ales and braggots.
And surviving the pandemic wouldn’t be possible for Aistear with the support from their patrons.
“It was all so unexpected and hit us pretty hard. But through the people who love our beers or just want to try something new we’re getting by,” he said.
Getting by is twofold for the owners. They adapt to the ever-changing situation with their business’ endurance in mind, while also acting in accordance with health guidelines to ensure the brewery and their customers can be safe in their patronage.
They’ve removed in-store games that the customers could pick up and play, but still welcome customers to come in with their own board games, card sets or other tabletop entertainment.
Even though their offerings are now limited, they still strive to offer a space where people can have the fun of the unique and engaging world of role-playing in fantasy realms and traveling through otherworldly lands, with the human interaction between players being the focus.
“That’s what we’re all about. Bringing people back to a less-than-electronic type of fun and just hanging out while going through all sorts of different adventures,” Thompson said.
And it’s losing this environment they create that is the hardest part of the virus.
“It’s not seeing the people that I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing that’s been the worst. We had really established a decent group of regulars who’d come in,” he said. “Not being able to come in and sit and talk about how their day was going and what was new, not being able to continue those relationships was really difficult.”
Catching up on these relationships is something Thompson looks forward to, but with the recent spike in cases in Ohio, the future is uncertain.
So they’re moving forward with their to-go options, with plans to offer online ordering and expanded options to enjoy their “alechemy.”
While adapting their own business model to endure the rest of the pandemic is important, supporting other local businesses and the Bowling Green community is just as important, Thompson said.
Aistear is involved with the Bowling Green Food Bank and other organizations to help recovery efforts.
“We’re trying to strengthen ourselves, but also the community around us. The stronger Bowling Green as a whole is, the stronger everyone is, and then we’ll be able to pull through,” he said.
