Beer brewing started in shed

It all started in an old shed.



Jay County native Mike Thornburg, owner of Ole Shed Brewing Company in Tullahoma, Tennessee, started brewing beer in his house’s detached garage — what he always referred to as his shed.



Now his brewing company distributes beer in four states. Its most recent expansion brought Thornburg back home to Jay County.



Ole Shed Brewing’s beers are now distributed by Jay County Beverage and can be found on-tap at The Greazy Pickle and for purchase at North Side Carry-Out, both in Portland. Thornburg, a 1982 Jay County High School graduate, said he is happy to return to his roots.



“It’s fun,” said Thornburg, who grew up in Pennville. “Makes you feel good to be back home.”



Brewing beer has been a hobby of Thornburg’s for almost two decades. He started off small, making 5 gallons at a time in his garage and eventually working his way up to a brewing a barrel (31 gallons). By then, his son was working for a beverage distributor, which decided to distribute Thornburg’s beer.



“That’s kind of how the whole thing got started,” Thornburg said. “It’s kind of, one phone call led to another kind of thing. Next thing you know we had a 15-barrel system, making 500 gallons every time we brewed.”



He and his friend Mike Ramsey started the company, which officially launched in June 2012 with the business’s signature Southern Pale Ale. It was also picked up by Cherokee Distributing in Tullahoma, which distributes to half of Tennessee, Thornburg said.



Ramsey sold back his part of the company about two years ago, leaving Thornburg and his wife, Debra, also a Jay County native, as the sole owners.



Even while owning another business — Select Products, a packaging company Thornburg and his wife started in 2008 — he’s worked to grow the brewing operation. He also has one employee, who takes care of the day-to-day functions.



Ole Shed eventually moved from Thornburg’s old shed to a refurbished building, where about 500 gallons are brewed per week. There’s also a tap room and beer garden, which are open Fridays and Saturdays.



And it has more craft beers to offer now. Aside from the flagship Southern Pale Ale, there’s the Potbelly Porter, Haystack IPA and the Honey Do Golden Ale.



The beers are distributed in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and, as of September, Indiana — specifically, in Jay and Randolph counties where Jay Beverage operates. The Greazy Pickle had a launch party for the brand in September with Thornburg in attendance.



Moving forward, he wants to focus on marketing and expanding in the states where Ole Shed is distributed. He also plans to contribute back to the Jay County community, where he grew up and where his parents Jerry and Janet still farm.



“I still consider myself a local,” Thornburg said.



Thornburg, who moved to Tennessee in 1989, said he enjoys being his own boss. Even though he spends between 60 and 80 hours each week between his two business, he prefers calling the shots and setting his own schedule. Plus, he got to turn something he enjoyed into a profitable business.



“It started out as a hobby, just a fun hobby, and it’s still a fun business to be in,” Thornburg said. “I get to meet a lot of different people and hang out a lot at different bars and those kinds of things.



“It’s just a fun environment.”