Ohio Brewery News

Friday Six Pack with Scotty Hunter, Urban Artifact

Every Friday, we ask an Ohio craft brewery owner or employee to answer six questions about their path to the brewing industry, what sets their brewery apart and their thoughts on craft beer in Ohio.

Today we’ll chat with Scotty Hunter, head of sales and CFO at Urban Artifact in Cincinnati.

 

What made you decide to get into the craft brewing industry?

First and foremost it was love of beer and more specifically sour beer. There was not much available when I first started brewing and we aimed to change that in the market.

 

Which of your beers do your customers enjoy the most and why?

My favorite beer that we make is anything tropical! Currently that means Kaleidoscope (pineapple orange and white guava) which is a seasonal, and our new year-round beer named Teak (pineapple, key lime and pink guava).

 

What should a craft beer fan expect when visiting your brewery for the first time?

Real fruit, tart beer and that you will learn something, probably about fruit varietals. There are far more fruits grown than most people ever realize and we make beer with those fruits!

 

What are some of the more unusual beers that Urban Artifact has produced, and how did people respond to those?

Easily the beers that have been made that incorporate mushrooms! We have incorporated savory concepts before such as our Pickle Gose, so our brew team knows their way around unique concepts. Personally, I am not a huge fan of the flavor of mushrooms but I absolutely loved the meaty umami flavor they added to a few barrel aged products. My favorite of which was named “Wood Ear Mushroom Salad.”

 

Besides your own, what Ohio craft breweries impress you the most and why?

Wolf’s Ridge. I am a huge fan of smoked beers which I think they kill on the execution of as well as malt forward styles.

 

Where do you think craft beer is headed? What do you think craft beer will look like five years from now?

I think in general we will continue to see more consolidation. I hope we start to see more differentiation in brewery concepts with more clear focuses instead of trying to do a little bit of everything for everyone.