For the Love of Beer

The nondescript building at 1707 Front Street doesn’t look like much at first. But once you step inside, it’s a whole different world. Exposed steel beams and duct work above poured concrete floors lend an industrial feel to the wide open space, accented by pops of bright yellow and red metal chairs and stools. Rustic wood tabletops and a wall of reclaimed boards add warmth while homey details, like potted plants and subway tiles around the taps, bring in a feeling of relaxed elegance. The air is generally filled with the smell of yeast and sounds of people laughing and talking over pints of carefully crafted beer. Diffuse light from paned garage doors beckons views of the nearby Cuyahoga River.

Welcome to HiHo Brewing Company, the latest creation of owners and brewers Jon and Ali Hovan.

The 330 has always been home to the Hovans, who grew up together in Hudson. Even when the couple lived in Denver for a while after college, Ohio drew them homeward. “We always knew we wanted to come back here, to be with our families, but didn’t know when or how,” says Jon. “[Both] our sisters are here and they have kids.”

The craft beer culture in Colorado was a natural fit for the Hovans, who had discovered their mutual love of craft beer in college. They biked to breweries, brewed their own at home, and started a home-brew club with other enthusiasts. “I liked him a lot,” says Ali, “and I liked beer a lot, so I wanted him to teach me.” There they began taking their hobby more seriously. “That’s when I enrolled in the American Brewer’s School in Vermont,” Jon says. “Instead of just the fun side of beer, it was biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics—all the crazy stuff you don’t talk about unless you’re a beer nerd.”

With an idea of taking their avocation to a more professional level, the couple checked out potential brewery properties in The 330 every time they visited for holidays or summers. “Everyplace we looked at wasn’t right,” Ali says. “This space, at first, [seemed] too big, and it was drywall, drop ceilings, carpet, little offices—it didn’t seem right either. Then I peeled up carpet and ceiling [tiles] and saw beautiful bowstring trusses, a metal ceiling. I started seeing the potential.”

Eventually, they decided to take that big leap. “We were on the porch one weekend drinking home brew and said this is it, we’re going to go,” Jon says.

The redevelopment happening in Cuyahoga Falls contributed to the couple’s choice to invest in remodeling the Front Street property. “We met with the City of Cuyahoga Falls, and they were so responsive and respectful and gracious,” he says. “They wanted us here. That made a big difference. We are all about community.”

Through the long process of reinventing the space and getting the brewery up and running, Jon and Ali fell into complementary roles: he is the brewer; she runs the business. “It’s nice having different roles because we really trust each other,” Ali says. “We knew this was going to be a huge process,” Jon adds. “It’s extremely overwhelming and just to have that trust—I don’t even have to think about it.”

Since opening to the public January 6, business has been brisk, with a full house most weekends. Six regular beers rule the taps, and seasonal additions—like mango- or strawberry-flavored IPAs and a Christmas ale—are definitely in the works. “Variety is important to us, and it is to our market as well,” he says. “We have recipes we’ve been working on for years now.”

The on-site kitchen offers patrons small and large bites to complement their beers, from local favorite Metropolis popcorn to pulled pork sliders and cheese and meat boards. But the Hovans plan for HiHo to be much more than just a watering hole.

“We’ve set ourselves up to have a larger occupancy of 160 or so; therefore, we can have events in our space,” Jon says. They envision craft shows, yoga classes and events linked to the adjacent park bringing the entire community together in their space.

“It’s about not being a bar, but being a space where you can take your laptop or have a birthday party,” Ali says. “It’s about enjoying the space and socializing, having a good time.”

Happily occupied, the couple is living with Jon’s family in Hudson while they look for a place of their own, ideally in Cuyahoga Falls. “We’d love to live within walking distance from our brewery,” Ali says.