MASSILLON, Ohio — An Ohio brewery is continuing its recovery after a tornado in 2021.
What You Need To Know
- Royal Docks Brewing Company was hit by a tornado in October
- The owner said about 150 people were in the building when the tornado hit
- There weren’t any major injuries, but the business had thousands of dollars in financial damage
The beer making process is back in full swing, and Dave Sutula makes sure every pour is smooth while he shows how to make the beer.
Years ago, Sutula chose the beer industry over a career in journalism after he fell in love with home brewing with friends in college.
When the history buff founded Royal Docks Brewing Company, he felt beer had a special place in history.
“Basically, mankind has always made fermented beverages and to be in some way communal with that appeals to me,” Sutula said.
His passion hit a major obstacle last year, when a tornado tore through northeast Ohio. Sutula was out getting food with his son when he got the call that sent his world into a tailspin.
“Psychologically, it’s tough, right?” he said. “And then, then you have this psychological, like, ‘Wow. Who got hurt? What’s going on?’ Then you get, like, you’re sort of on a high, you’re like ‘Okay, everything’s going to be alright, it’s just fine.’ Then you go through months of trudging through wreckage of, you know, the thing that you built with your own two hands. That’s tough.”
The damage is still visible, including on the roof, and the company still can’t use the back garage for distribution.
Royal Docks controller Mike Cannon was helping host an event inside the business when the tornado hit, with about 150 people taking shelter and hoping for the best.
“Incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like it to be perfectly honest,” Cannon said. “I mean, just the pressure differential between the building and what was inside. It was deafening. You couldn’t hear anything for a solid two seconds. I mean, I didn’t even hear the garage door come out. It was that intense.”
Fortunately, hurt no one inside, but Sutula said Royal Docks had to make some changes to the business. The company tried guerilla marketing and adjusted how the business gets done.
Despite the challenges, Sutula believes morale is as strong as ever.
“It’s hard to look through the rubble and see a bright spot, but there is one,” Sutula said. “If you find it, you can actually come out better than when it started.”
The beers will keep pouring as he continues running the business he helped build and loves.
“How many jobs do you get where your product is something you enjoy at the end of the day?” he said.
