A “tote-ally oz-some experience” awaits those who venture to the recently opened Oz Brewing in Phillipsburg.
When Stephanie McDonald relocated alongside husband Matt to Matt’s hometown of Phillipsburg, she knew right away she was going to need something to keep her occupied. “My career didn’t exist here and with Matt being able to work remotely, I knew I needed something to keep me busy in a small town,” explained McDonald.
No strangers to the beer-brewing world, and noticing that nothing of the like existed in the area, the McDonalds saw potential in a building and set out to make their dreams into reality. “We had home-brewed for many years so it only made sense to open our own brewery and bring something new and different to the community,” McDonald stated.
The McDonalds got busy on their project, purchasing the two-story brick building in Philipsburg, a former Masonic Temple, which would become the eventual home of Oz Brewing. “We knew it would take a lot of hard work to get it to how we imagined it, but took on the challenge,” said a determined McDonald. “Since it’s two stories we knew right away that we would turn the upstairs into our living quarters and make the downstairs a brewery.”
The road wasn’t without bumps, as the McDonalds experienced setbacks and delays due to COVID and material shortages. Nevertheless they persisted, pushing past the obstacles and refusing to lose sight of the end goal.
Renovations began in late 2018, and Oz Brewing officially opened their doors on October 28, 2021. “After a little over two and a half years of renovating and perfecting our ideas, our vision finally came to life in October of 2021,” said McDonald.
The McDonalds were able to accomplish what they set out to do, creating a brewery that is as unique as the beer is tasty. Stephanie and Matt brew all beers in-house with the help of their son, Matthew.
McDonald explained the theme of the brewery, which closely follows a family-favorite; The Wizard of Oz. “With me being from Colorado, every time I thought of Kansas I thought of ‘Wizard of Oz’. So we thought Oz Brewing was fitting for the location and would be a fun theme to play off of.”
Each beer is named following the Wizard of Oz theme, from the Lollipop Guild to the Emerald Island IPA and everything in between. There’s even a Click Your Heels Key Lime brew, which is a key lime pie cream ale, proving the creativity of the brews. “We brainstormed many options for the last four years when we knew we were going to open the brewery. So now, we take many of those names and tweak them to go with the final taste of each beer,” explained McDonald.
The brewery usually features 12 beers on tap at any given time, but at the present time there are 13. “ We only have a few beers that rotate depending on the season we are in,” said McDonald. The brewery even plans to feature green beer on the upcoming popular St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
While the clever and tasty brews are one aspect of the location, there is something for everyone, even non-beer drinkers. In addition to the beer, the brewery also offers a delicious menu that includes appetizers, sandwiches, sodas, and even kids’ meals. “We have delicious BBQ that is smoked behind our building in a very large smoker that is housed by a grain bin to give it a fun farm feeling in town,” said McDonald.
People can drink, dine, and conversate in the beautifully renovated building. Additionally, the brewery has been home to a variety of different events. “We do and have hosted many events and functions. We try to be flexible and accommodate these parties but ask for as much notice as possible. At this time we do not rent our facility outside of our established hours but hope to do this in the near future,” explained McDonald.
The beer and food gets people in the door, but the environment of the place is what keeps customers coming back for more. “There are many people that have come in and say “I don’t like beer”, but we recommend some they should try and they end up loving at least one. It’s always a fun atmosphere with music playing, TV’s playing entertaining shows and a huge glass garage door so people can see where the beer is made. If you’re looking for fun appetizers, we have lots to choose from to go with our beer,” said McDonald.
McDonald explained more about the environment of the brewery. “There’s a big city feel in a small town filled with a theme of Wizard of Oz, craft beer and BBQ all tied together…it’s family-friendly, laid-back and inviting for all to share many laughs and stories.”
The brewery has provided an economic boost to the local community, providing 20 jobs to the local economy. You can even view the open job positions on the Oz Brewing website, if you’re interested in joining the Oz Brewing workforce.
“Our staff is friendly and always wants to give our customers the best experience possible. We are truly blessed to have the incredible team we do!” exclaimed McDonald.
The features of Oz Brewing are not limited to the walls of the building, as they even expand into the great outdoors. “We have an outdoor patio with seating and an area with artificial turf to play corn hole and giant Jenga. We even have gift cards and lots of fun swag if you’re looking for a unique gift,” added McDonald.
The McDonalds hope the creative charm of the brewery stretches far and wide. McDonald summed up the brewery’s appeal by stating “Big-city feel delivering an exciting, different, and OZ-some experience.
So, if you ever find yourself thinking… “If only I had a beer”… head on down to Oz Brewing. In fact, take your friends, and enjoy some time well spent in Phillipsburg because after all – there’s no place like home.
