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The Beer Blog

New Wooster brewery reports big response

By Rick Armon Published: February 13, 2013

jafbJAFB Wooster Brewery owner and brewer Paul Fryman admits he’s been caught off guard by customer demand since opening last year in Wooster. On a couple of occasions, he sold more than 700 pints in a single day.

“We’re at 100 percent capacity and we’re selling 98 percent of it on premise,” he said during a visit to the brewery last week. “I didn’t think it would be like that right away.”

To keep his sanity, Fryman has adjusted hours for the tap room. The brewery is now closed on Sunday and Monday. It’s open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday.

He also launched a new website (www.jafbbeer.com or www.jafbwooster.com).

The tap room usually has 11 or 12 beers on tap. Fryman said he doesn’t want to dip below 10.

The brewery has received some positive blog write-ups and reviews — in the limited number available — on Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. (“Paul’s brewing skills result in some of the most delicate and beautifully understated beers I’ve ever had,” blogger Eric Evans wrote.)

The positive reaction has Fryman interested in possible opening other JAFB breweries. He admitted that he’s scouted a couple potential sites outside of Wayne County. That’s where the JAFB name comes in.

Asked what JAFB stands for, Fryman said it was the result of a trying to come up with a name for his brewery. At one point, his brother said: “It’s just another (insert your favorite “F” word here) brewery.”

That stuck.

By the way, the “F” is backward in the logo. It just looked cool that way, Fryman said.

BUDGET BEER