Paladin Marks Anniversary with Distribution Deal

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – As it approaches its one-year anniversary, Paladin Brewing is celebrating another major milestone: distribution.

Already served in 35 bars and restaurants in the Mahoning Valley in addition to its tap house, 6520 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown, the craft brewery will begin distributing through R.L. Lipton Distributing Co., Youngstown.

“Without taking on a full-blown trucking and delivery staff, it was smarter to go with a local distributor. We’re a good fit for each other,” says Paladin Brewing owner John Chandler. “We’re very excited for this and we’re excited to expand more locally.”

Paladin’s 13 varieties of beer will be available in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties starting Aug. 22. A full list of bars and restaurants where the beer can be found will be available at Paladin’s brewery and tap house when distribution begins.

The brewing system at Paladin, Chandler notes, will not have to be upgraded. When it was built last year, it was designed with expansion in mind and hasn’t been running at full capacity.

“We have plenty of capacity to handle this distribution agreement,” he says. “Now that my health is back to normal, we’ll be able to fully utilize the system. In order to to utilize it at capacity, we had to expand our sales territory.”

Last year, Chandler underwent a 15-hour procedure to remove a tumor in his sinus cavity, as well as seven weeks of chemotherapy.

On Aug. 20, Paladin will celebrate its anniversary with door prizes, live music, $10 T-shirts and music from Davis and McKay, an acoustic guitar duo from Youngstown, will perform 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Between 4 and 6 p.m., free hot dogs are available with the purchase of a beer.

Paladin will also host a social media scavenger hunt all day, posting pictures from around the brewery on Facebook. To enter, patrons need to match the picture the best they can and post the picture on Paladin’s Facebook page. The winner, chosen the next day, will brew a batch of beer with Chandler.

In addition to buying Paladin beer by the pint or sample sizes, the brewery also fills growlers and 32 oz. cans. Customers are welcome to bring outside food and wine. Tours of the brewery are also available.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.