Aviation Beer Trail

According to them, you won't find any spy planes, highly-sensitive data capture equipment, UFOs, or aliens in the taproom...but you just never know. Heavier Than Air Brewing Co. serves up aviation-themed craft brew in their taproom with names like Earn Your Wings Golden Ale, McCook Bound American Stout, Wing De-Icer Winter Warmer, and Summer Aerobatics American Wheat Ale.

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Technically, this isn't an aviation brewery, but it does have 'star' in the name and we're going with it. Try out their local brews like the 'Burg Pride or Great Miami Gose. While you're on your way north to Dayton, stop by Miami & Erie Canal Park in West Carrollton. Starting with pontoons added to versions of the Wright "B" Flyer, the Wright Company went on to develop an entirely new seaplane with a hull like a boat - the Model "G" Aeroboat. The Aeroboat had a solid hull or fuselage with an enclosed cockpit, twin pusher propellers, and an engine in the rear. The Aeroboat was 28 feet long, had a wingspan of 38 feet, and weighed 1,250 pounds. It was powered by a 60 horsepower engine and could attain a maximum speed of 60mph. The Model G "Aeroboat" was their most successful seaplane. Test flights took place between 1912 and 1914 on the “S” bends in the Great Miami River. A historical marker has been erected in West Carrollton at the Miami & Erie Canal Park in the area where these flights took place, the home of the Wright Seaplane Base. Orville flew the varied seaplanes in and out of the Great Miami River between Moraine and West Carrollton over 100 times.

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Carillon Brewing Co. offers visitors a glimpse into 1850s-era Dayton through the authentically prepared food and drink of the times. It is the nation’s only production brewery in a museum, and the only U.S. brewery replicating the historic brewing process. While at the 65-acre open air museum, visit the Wright Brothers National Museum where their original Wright Flyer III is on display. Referred to as “the first pilot’s last project,” preserving the 1905 Wright Flyer III for Carillon Historical Park was Orville Wright’s last major project before he died on January 30, 1948. And while Orville died before Carillon Park was opened in 1950, he had a hand in designing Wright Hall—the building that houses the 1905 Wright Flyer III.

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Walk through one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries and visit the graves of the Wright brothers and the region's most notable brewers. You'll discover the stories of the Olt Brothers, Heidelberg Distributing Co., and more. The cemetery also provides guided tours so make sure to keep an eye out for their brewery tour which typically happens in the summer/fall.

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The Warped Wing name pays homage to the famous invention by the Wright brothers called “wing warping.” Wing Warping was a system designed for lateral roll control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions. This award-winning brewery offers a variety of options including Flyer Red American Lager, Ermal's Belgian Style Cream Ale, and 10 Ton Oatmeal Stout. Photo opp: make sure to check out the Charles Bassett astronaut mural next door to the brewery.

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Located in a renovated dairy barn that has fed generations of Ohioans since 1933, Tailspin Brewing Co. is veteran-owned bringing the revolution of craft beer to Midwest Ohio. Today, realizing the community ownership of their amazing barn, they have preserved its unique character and made it a warm inviting place to enjoy friends and great locally brewed craft beer. Enjoy a wide range of craft beers including the Spitfire Ale with Maple Pecan and the Ohio Sky Ale.

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