By Lisa Wakeland ? snipped-for-privacy@communitypress.com COLUMBIA TUSCULUM ? Scott LaFollette is a master homebrewer and now he wants to turn his passion for beer into a business. LaFollette has been looking for a space near Lunken Airport to open a craft brewery. Blank Slate Brewing Co. would be a small production facility with local distribution, he told residents at at Monday?s Columbia Tusculum Community Council meeting. He wanted to gauge community support before moving forward with the permit process and most community council members were enthusiastic about the idea.
Scott LaFollette, right, talks with Kellie Pittroff and George Frank about his proposal to bring a small brewery to Columbia Tusculum. ?I think it?s great and good for the area,? resident Carla Franke said. ?There are a lot of empty industrial buildings.? Once he finds a space, LaFollette said he hopes to open within a year. He would brew about 200 gallons of beer at a time and could create custom brews for local restaurants. LaFollette said he takes a seasonal approach to brewing and makes beer to fit the season or his mood. Resident Elmer Weil said he thinks the idea for a local brewery is good and it will be nice to have a different type of business in the area. The brewery would have low pollution and emit a slight aroma during the brewing process, LaFollette said. The spent grain could be composted and help with the Columbia Tusculum community garden, he added. LaFollette, who lives in Mt. Washington, said he?s been home brewing beer for a dozen years and is a certified beer judge. He would not have retail services at first and said Blank Slate Brewing Co. could employee a couple more people after its first year or two.