A Powell taproom that went dark without warning at the end of August will pour beer again. Land-Grant Brewing Co. of Columbus announced on Thursday, November 5, that it has acquired the Nocterra Brewing Company brand and its taproom at 41 Depot Street in Powell, with plans to reopen the location by late November, according to the company’s announcement as reported by The Columbus Dispatch, the Delaware Source and 614NOW. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The revival is already underway in Franklinton. A Land-Grant spokesperson told The Columbus Dispatch on November 5 that the first batch of Land-Grant-produced Nocterra beer was canned on November 4 at Land-Grant’s brewery in Columbus’s Franklinton neighborhood, where the company has operated since 2014. The Nocterra brand will continue with its own identity, and Land-Grant will brew the beers using the recipes developed by Nocterra founders Bryan Duncan, Lori Duncan and Bruce Vivian, the spokesperson told The Columbus Dispatch.
“We aren’t looking at this as replacing Nocterra. We see it as continuing what they started,” Walt Keys, Land-Grant’s creative director and co-founder, said in the Land-Grant announcement quoted by The Columbus Dispatch and the Delaware Source. “Nocterra has earned a loyal following because of its beer, its people and the experiences it created. We’re excited to honor that foundation while bringing new energy, investment and opportunities to the brand and the Powell location.”
Adam Benner, Land-Grant’s president and co-founder, struck the same note in the release quoted by the Delaware Source. “Nocterra has built something incredibly special in Powell. They’ve created more than a lineup of great beers. They’ve created a community and a destination with an identity all its own,” Benner said in the release. “Our immediate priority is getting the doors back open, getting fresh Nocterra beer into people’s hands and giving this community a place to gather again.” Benner and Keys said in the release, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch, that they made the acquisition to “preserve and grow another beloved central Ohio brewery.”
When the Powell doors reopen, the taproom will return in holiday dress. According to the Land-Grant release as reported by the Delaware Source and 614NOW, Nocterra Powell will reopen as an immersive Christmas pop-up, with festive decorations, specialty holiday cocktails in themed take-home glassware, Christmas ale, and rentable heated igloos in the beer garden. Future plans include bringing elements of Land-Grant’s Wintergarden experience to Powell, the Delaware Source reported. Fresh Nocterra beer is also expected back on taps and store shelves across the Columbus area.
One part of the Nocterra footprint will not come back. Land-Grant will not reopen Nocterra’s second taproom at Scioto Audubon Metro Park, which opened in 2024, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Land-Grant told 614NOW it is still working through Powell staffing, recognizes how important the former employees are to the community, and will share open positions as hiring begins.
The deal closes a short, abrupt chapter for one of Delaware County’s best-known breweries. Nocterra built its following on recipes dating to 2018 and opened the Powell taproom in 2019, becoming one of only two breweries inside the Powell city limits, according to the Delaware Source. The company expanded to Scioto Audubon in 2024. Then, at the end of August 2026, Nocterra halted operations and closed both locations, with the founders citing the industry’s economic realities — rising costs and declining consumption — and saying they hoped to regroup and re-emerge, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
Signs of a rescue appeared this fall. Land-Grant Powell, LLC filed liquor-permit transfer applications for 41 Depot Street in late September, the Delaware Source reported from public records, and Columbus Business First reported on October 28 that Land-Grant was in the final stages of purchasing Nocterra. Thursday’s announcement makes it official.
The deal stands out against a difficult stretch for central Ohio craft beer. Since Nocterra closed, Outerbelt Brewing and Hoster Brewing Co. have also gone out of business, Endeavor Brewing & Spirits closed a taproom near Grandview Heights, and Yellow Springs Brewery plans to close its Clintonville location December 23, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Land-Grant arrives with momentum: its Franklinton operation was named in July to USA TODAY’s Bars of the Year list for 2026, the Dispatch noted.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on. Confirmed: the acquisition is complete, the Nocterra brand and its original recipes continue, brewing has resumed in Franklinton, and the Powell taproom reopens by late November as a holiday pop-up, while the Scioto Audubon location stays closed. Still to come: the exact reopening date, which beers will be on tap first, the hiring plan for Powell, and the full scope of a renovation Land-Grant plans after the holidays.
What happens next is a two-step relaunch. The Powell taproom reopens in late November in its Christmas pop-up form, then closes again temporarily in January for extensive renovations that expand the usable taproom space within the existing building, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Land-Grant says the specific reopening date, beer availability and hiring information will be announced in the coming weeks, with updates posted through Nocterra’s social media accounts, according to the release reported by the Delaware Source and 614NOW. For Powell regulars who lost their gathering place in August, the wait is nearly over.
Photo: shankar s., CC BY 2.0