Ledgeview Offering Barbecue; Brewery To Open In February
December 17, 2020 at 10:56 p.m.
Ledgeview Offering Barbecue; Brewery To Open In February
By Amanda Bridgman-
Craig and Abby McLaren bought the old Orthocity Brewery & Smokehouse building at 975 Warren St., Warsaw, last summer and have turned it into Ledgeview Brewing Company.
Abby is originally from Goshen. She met Craig when she was in culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Craig was working in the kitchen at a hotel, while she was interning there – a graduation requirement.
The couple has moved around quite a bit in their culinary adventures, him working as executive chef at several places and her working in both the kitchen and managing restaurants.
In 2008, they moved to St. Louis for a job transfer, Abby said, “which is where the barbecue bug bit us.”
As far as brewing beer, the McLarens say that started with a homebrew kit Abby gave Craig. Craig ended up enjoying it and won an award for his beer within a year.
The two say that they both were ready for a simpler life. Abby phoned an old friend in Goshen one day and was talking about how they’d like to open up something of their own and brew beer. That’s when her friend told her about Orthocity being for sale.
One thing led to another, and the McLarens decided to buy the building, move their family (they have two girls, aged 8 and 4 years old) to Warsaw and open up shop.
They remodeled the place, taking out the old ceiling and replacing it with reclaimed barn wood, put up a brick wall and a new sign. The ceiling material should help with noise levels inside the restaurant – something former Orthocity patrons often complained about.
Now, they’re smoking barbecue out back, and they began meeting carryout orders last Wednesday.
“We’re having wonderful feedback and getting great reviews,” Abby said of their first week. “And people are excited. People will say, ‘Oh, you’re new to the neighborhood, what do you do?’ and we’ll tell them, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, we’re so excited!’”
“The whole community has been very welcoming to us and supportive,” Craig said, with Abby adding, “We’re already seeing repeat customers.”
They’re serving a classic brisket, and they’ve got chicken and burgers and “real honest to goodness mac and cheese.”
Craig has also whipped up a vegan option with a smoked beet pastrami. That’ll be available to purchase by the pound or by the sandwich.
Plans are to open the dining room in early January, Abby said. They’ll be closed the week of Christmas, and will reopen on Dec. 30 for people who want to order meat and sides for New Year’s Eve.
In the summertime, the McLarens will open the patio and also keep a greenspace area with adirondack chairs and cornhole games.
“It’ll be like having a beer on your patio,” Abby said.
That beer, by the way, should be flowing by February, they said. They’re still waiting to secure their brewing license, but said officials at the state level have told them they should see it before Christmas. Then they’ll need a week to get brewing and a month to ferment.
Once the beers are on tap, a mug club will be opened up for interested customers offering perks and a “first-crack at newly released beers.”
Why the name Ledgeview? According to their story on their website, www.ledgeviewbrewing.com, “People ask us all the time where the name comes from. Well, the house we owned in Massachusetts was on Ledgeview Drive. When Craig started making his homebrew in the garage, he called it the Ledgeview Garage Brewery. Then, when we knew this move was really going to happen, we seriously considered using that specific name. We even thought about knocking out the south wall of the restaurant and installing a glass garage door that would open out to the patio. Then we saw how much that would cost. So yeah, no "garage."
So, as the new year is on the horizon, and COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on locally-owned businesses, the McLarens are optimistic.
“We think there’s no way to go but up,” Abby said.
For more information or to place an order, visit their website, email [email protected] or call 574-376-4445.
Craig and Abby McLaren bought the old Orthocity Brewery & Smokehouse building at 975 Warren St., Warsaw, last summer and have turned it into Ledgeview Brewing Company.
Abby is originally from Goshen. She met Craig when she was in culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Craig was working in the kitchen at a hotel, while she was interning there – a graduation requirement.
The couple has moved around quite a bit in their culinary adventures, him working as executive chef at several places and her working in both the kitchen and managing restaurants.
In 2008, they moved to St. Louis for a job transfer, Abby said, “which is where the barbecue bug bit us.”
As far as brewing beer, the McLarens say that started with a homebrew kit Abby gave Craig. Craig ended up enjoying it and won an award for his beer within a year.
The two say that they both were ready for a simpler life. Abby phoned an old friend in Goshen one day and was talking about how they’d like to open up something of their own and brew beer. That’s when her friend told her about Orthocity being for sale.
One thing led to another, and the McLarens decided to buy the building, move their family (they have two girls, aged 8 and 4 years old) to Warsaw and open up shop.
They remodeled the place, taking out the old ceiling and replacing it with reclaimed barn wood, put up a brick wall and a new sign. The ceiling material should help with noise levels inside the restaurant – something former Orthocity patrons often complained about.
Now, they’re smoking barbecue out back, and they began meeting carryout orders last Wednesday.
“We’re having wonderful feedback and getting great reviews,” Abby said of their first week. “And people are excited. People will say, ‘Oh, you’re new to the neighborhood, what do you do?’ and we’ll tell them, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, we’re so excited!’”
“The whole community has been very welcoming to us and supportive,” Craig said, with Abby adding, “We’re already seeing repeat customers.”
They’re serving a classic brisket, and they’ve got chicken and burgers and “real honest to goodness mac and cheese.”
Craig has also whipped up a vegan option with a smoked beet pastrami. That’ll be available to purchase by the pound or by the sandwich.
Plans are to open the dining room in early January, Abby said. They’ll be closed the week of Christmas, and will reopen on Dec. 30 for people who want to order meat and sides for New Year’s Eve.
In the summertime, the McLarens will open the patio and also keep a greenspace area with adirondack chairs and cornhole games.
“It’ll be like having a beer on your patio,” Abby said.
That beer, by the way, should be flowing by February, they said. They’re still waiting to secure their brewing license, but said officials at the state level have told them they should see it before Christmas. Then they’ll need a week to get brewing and a month to ferment.
Once the beers are on tap, a mug club will be opened up for interested customers offering perks and a “first-crack at newly released beers.”
Why the name Ledgeview? According to their story on their website, www.ledgeviewbrewing.com, “People ask us all the time where the name comes from. Well, the house we owned in Massachusetts was on Ledgeview Drive. When Craig started making his homebrew in the garage, he called it the Ledgeview Garage Brewery. Then, when we knew this move was really going to happen, we seriously considered using that specific name. We even thought about knocking out the south wall of the restaurant and installing a glass garage door that would open out to the patio. Then we saw how much that would cost. So yeah, no "garage."
So, as the new year is on the horizon, and COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on locally-owned businesses, the McLarens are optimistic.
“We think there’s no way to go but up,” Abby said.
For more information or to place an order, visit their website, email [email protected] or call 574-376-4445.
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