North central Ohio Wine & Ale Trail offers unique, tasty destinations Leave a comment

MANSFIELD — Wineries and craft breweries are familiar destinations for many travelers who love local libations.

Sometimes, too familiar. 

The stops on a lot of wine or beer “trails” can often seem so similar as to be indistinguishable, especially after a few tasting flights.

But the destinations featured on the Wine & Ale Trail in Richland and Ashland counties in north central Ohio are remarkably diverse.

Several feature complimentary businesses at the site: A historic bed and breakfast, a blueberry farm, a white-linen restaurant.

And many are in interesting and diverse locations: A one-time luxury auto dealership, a former mortuary, a historic 100-year-old bank building (with seating in the vault).

At Laxton Hollow Brewing Works (302 E. Main St., Lexington, LaxtonHollow.com), it’s the libations themselves that set the brewery apart.

Laxton Hollow calls itself “the first real cask ale brewery” in Ohio. The British-style ale is brewed and transferred unfiltered into casks where it undergoes a final fermentation and is delivered at the tap without being pumped by carbon dioxide.

The result is a draught beer with a lower level of carbonation, but plenty of delicate taste.

Each beer also has its own delightful mascot, woodland creatures dressed and depicted in 19th-century English style by popular illustrator Omar Rayyan.

Directly connected to Laxton Hollow is a sister site, The Happy Grape Wine Bar & Bistro (300 E. Main St., MyHappyGrape.com). The rosemary and sea salt almonds make a tasty appetizer and the “Don’t Worry Eat Happy” chocolate cake, drizzled with chocolate, caramel and light marshmallow sauces is a great way to finish a meal off, along with, perhaps, a dry red wine.

Wishmaker House Winery and Wine Bar (116 Main St., Bellville, WishmakerHouse.com) is part of the Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast in the village of Bellville. The 10,000-square-foot house, built in the 1890s, now comprises eight guest rooms and once served as a furniture store. Wishmaker sits adjacent to the village’s lovely and romantic bandstand, built in 1879. In addition to Wishmaker’s more than 20 house-made wines, its fine-dining restaurant is known for its seasonal cuisine and house-made cheesecakes. Also, be aware that because of Ohio’s crazy liquor laws, Wishmaker can’t serve its own (or any) wine on Sundays at present.

Downtown Mansfield features two stops on the Wine & Ale Trail.

Cypress Hill Winery (51 E. 4th St. Mansfield, HudsonandEssex.com) is part of the Hudson and Essex restaurant, which itself is located inside a historic building that once housed a dealership selling Hudson and Essex brand automobiles.