Influence is defined as the capacity to have an effect on the development of someone or something. I suppose you could also include somewhere. Looking at Mansfield you can see the continued influence of the Shawshank Redemption filming. You can’t be a Mansfielder and not have smile spread across your face when someone mentions the movie. When you stumble upon it on TV, it almost feels sacrilegious to continue changing the channel, so you watch it, knowing every word and scene by heart from the 200 other times you watched it. And everyone, absolutely everyone, knows someone who was an extra in the movie. Even today, more than 25 years after the filming we can still see the effects in our taproom. The number of people who visit the Reformatory every year is astounding. The Reformatory, which was on its way to being torn down, is now a vacation destination spot and has hosted numerous music videos, additional movies, and is now a summer concert venue. About half of the visitors who stop by our taproom after visiting the Ohio State Reformatory refer to it as “Shawshank”. You see it in all the local businesses, the annual Shawshank Hustle 5K and the movie fanatics coming to see a piece of history as they travel the Shawshank Trail.
The Phoenix taproom, even though it opened almost 20 years after the filming began, isn’t immune to Shawshank. Most Phoenix beers recognize the history of the building, reference the Phoenix itself, or are influenced by historical references in the community but you can find a few beers in the portfolio influenced by Shawshank in their design or naming. There was never any intention to create a series of Shawshank beers, but they naturally developed into an unofficial series of three beers; Redemption, Rooftop and Rockhammer.
Redemption IPA, a flagship selection created when we opened, gives a nod to the movie, but the founders were also trying to save Mansfield from macro-beer with a craft beer renaissance. Finding Redemption for Mansfield taste buds through hops, specifically, Cascade, Chinook, Simcoe and Columbus. Redemption is a classic West-Coast Style IPA deep gold in color, brewed and dry hopped for a floral bouquet of pine and citrus notes without harsh bitterness in its 70 IBUs and 6.8% ABV.
After spending most of a long hot summer working on the creation of a taproom patio, the guys sat down with a beer to celebrate their newly finished patio. With the first sip of a cold beer, a smile broke across co-owner Scott’s face, he looked around at the work they had accomplished and said, “I bet this is what it felt like to have a beer on that rooftop. We should make a bohemian pilsner for days like today.” And just like that, the Rooftop Bohemian Style Pilsner was born. This crisp and clean Bohemian-style pilsner is spicy yet refreshing with Saaz Hops from the Czech Republic with a low ABV of 4.8% and only 35 IBUs.
The most recent inspiration came when Destination Mansfield suggested a special batch of beer to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Shawshank. It was easy to choose a style and even easier to name the beer, the Rockhammer Session IPA. With a session IPA already on the list of 2019 beers to brew and having spent several months using an actual rock hammer to remove concrete and mortar from over 5,000 recycled Century bricks used for the patio, Rockhammer seemed a natural choice. This thirst quenching and easy to drink IPA created from a complex blend of grains and hops including Citra, Chinook, Centennial, and Mosaic hosts bold hop aromas and flavors in a medium bodied beer that is still light enough to enjoy while tunneling through stone walls, brick pavers, or mowing your lawn with an ABV of 4.8% and 45 IBUs. The beer officially releases Wednesday, August 14th at 3 pm.
This weekend, while Mansfield celebrates the 25th Anniversary celebration of Shawshank, the taproom will be open early at 9 am to welcome the Shawshank Hustle runners and race spectators at the after party. All three beers will be available for enthusiasts to enjoy, and food options from Doc’s Deli early in the day and Chef Meagan later.