Something Wicked brewery hosts soft opening in Hanover
It is a not-so-secret speakeasy with an entrance tucked away in the back alleys of downtown Hanover.
Or at least that's what the owners of Something Wicked like to think of the newly established brewery, which had a soft opening May 20 through May 22 for close friends and family.
The Broadway brewery has caused a buzz around Hanover — and not just the kind you get after a few beers. The business already has more than 2,000 likes on Facebook and countless numbers of people asking the six owners when they will be open.
Owners Steve Buenzow and Bill Seidler said they've stocked more than 700 gallons of beer in preparation for the grand opening rush, scheduled to happen some time in the first week of June.
"That's what keeps me up or even wakes me up at night," Buenzow said, his eyes widening at the thought of running out of beer.
Seidler agreed, joking that the hundreds of gallons should probably last them the first one or two days.
Owners are anticipating a rush of patrons in their opening month based on the experiences of other local breweries in downtown Hanover like Miscreation and Warehouse Gourmet, both of whose owners have passed on industry wisdom to the Something Wicked crew.
Something Wicked owners are already looking to expand the space into another room in the same building that is twice as big as the current bar room.
Still, the plan is to keep the brewery vibe local. The owners have even decided that they will donate one dollar to a local charity for each pint sold of their appropriately-named Charity brew.
Leann Flickinger, a friend of the owners who attended the soft opening May 21, said she isn't much of a beer person but was a fan of the Charity brew and the donation that went with it.
"It's very light, very refreshing," Flickinger said, lifting the beer up to her nose for a whiff of the libation. "On a very hot day this would be excellent."
The owners said they plan to host a grand opening sometime within that first week of June, but will make an announcement when they've picked an official date.