↓ The exterior of the brewery
When a customer at downtown’s new Holy Trinity Brewing orders the Holy Mutha, a flight of 18 (18?!!?) beers, staffers ring communion bells as the flight is delivered. Upon completion of the Mutha, a Polaroid of the customer is snapped and added to the taproom’s “Wall of Sin.” “It’s fun to create an experience for people,” said Tim McFeely, who owns the new brewery alongside his wife, Jo McFeely. And if you guessed that experience has a religious theme to it, you’d be right. Before patrons have even enjoyed their first sip, they're already knee-deep in the Holy Trinity experience after considering a long list of over the top names like CocoBerry Jesus (a coconut and raspberry imperial stout), the Hazy Jesus and Sneaky Jesus (a New England IPA and Belgian tripel, respectively), She Devil Irish red, the rotating Saint Kevin, Saint Carey and Saint Aaron (s’mores stout, marzen and imperial IPA) or Water to Wine (a 10% ABV wheatwine). Hell… er Heck, Happy Hour has even been rebranded Holy Hour at the taproom, which features a photo of a stereotypical Jesus behind the bar urging patrons to “Chill out.”
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IT’S FUN TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE.
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And if you’re having trouble discerning whether all this religious stuff is in jest or genuine, the answer, McFeely delivered with a grin, is “Yes.” He and Jo believe they serve as practicing Christians while still allowing their faith to be an unorthodox and hilarious cornerstone of Holy Trinity. Until recently a nurse manager at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, McFeely started home brewing in central Pennsylvania before he and his family moved to Westerville in 2014 – small batches that were cheaper to make than buying Bud or Miller Lite, and bettertasting, too. “It was just to drink at home – nice, drinkable beers,” McFeely said. In Ohio, he was encouraged by friends to first try other styles and, later, to see if unbiased palates liked them, too. His Coco-Berry Jesus took first place in the Ohio State Home Brewing Competition, and that’s when McFeely felt he might be onto something, after realizing “it wasn’t just my wife and I and our friends who liked it.”
614NOW.COM
MARCH 2022 (614) MAGAZINE
37
