Nick Sheets has an entrepreneurial spirit and lots of ideas.
He wanted to preserve a farm that had been in his family for more than 100 years. He wanted to spend more time with his young children. He wanted to get off the corporate treadmill of constant traveling. And, he dreamed of opening a brewery.
The result was Henmick Farm & Brewery at 4380 N. Old State Rd. in Brown Township, just north of the village of Kilbourne.
Nick’s great grandfather, Luther Sheets, purchased the 280-acre farm in 1916. While Nick grew up roaming the fields and grounds of the farm, he recognized that his children may not have the same emotional attachment as he does. Thus, he set about looking for a way to utilize the space and entice another generation of family to love and appreciate the land.
“We want to keep it in the Sheets family for another hundred years,” Nick said. “We have this beautiful space, so let’s share it with others.”
Three years after sketching out the initial plans for the operation at his kitchen table, Nick opened Henmick Farm & Brewery on July 16. He converted an old horse paddock and pasture into a spectacular 11,000-square-foot brewery with a towering stone fireplace, indoor space that can accommodate 241 people, a copper-topped bar with 20 taps and sprawling outdoor spaces
Part of the structure is wrapped around an 1860s-era barn that was disassembled in Lancaster, Ohio, and painstakingly reconstructed, peg by peg, on the property.
Right now, Nick is focusing on the brewery and tap room. In the future, he will start opening up the property to private events, but the tap room will always remain open to the public.
“We’re a brewery; that’s our business,” Nick said. “Our tap room will always be open for people who want to come in and enjoy a great beer. But we have plenty of space to accommodate both.”
Nick schedules food trucks on the property and there is live entertainment most weekends. There is outside seating and a grass courtyard where blankets can be spread to enjoy the music. Nick describes the grounds as, “a place where everyone is welcome and people can hang out and make memories.”
Guests are welcome to walk the grounds of the old farm, which borders Alum Creek.
There are currently 11 beers on tap (with more to come) that were created by Head Brewer Zack Cline, who was the 2018 Columbus Alive Magazine Brewer of the Year. There also are mixed drinks available using liquor created by Central Ohio distilleries – Watershed, High Bank and Middle West Spirts.
Henmick Farm & Brewery is open Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday 4-10 p.m., Saturday noon-10 p.m., and Sunday noon-7 p.m.
For more information, visit www.henmick.com.
