Our Roots
Edison Brewing Company was an idea turned to action, which only seems fitting for the man behind it all, Wil Schulze. Wil was raised in a small rural Ohio town that was predominately made up of German heritage. He grew up surrounded by a town that acted more like a family than random people living close together. These people loved to spend their time drinking beer together. This sparked Wil’s love for the German culture. When doing research on family history many people look to one place, but for Wil that wasn’t the case. What he found was that his family lines traced to all parts of Germany and the Netherlands. They moved about likely looking for a place to land. Wil still has a lot of these places to visit. For Edison it’s not going to be all about the German beers, rather the craft that designates their style. As you go around you’ll find many styles and most breweries make one or two but much more exist. Edison Brewing Company will be different than other local breweries because it won’t stick to a single craft. For Edison, our decision to focus on the European styles offers us a way to tie heritage from many backgrounds. When you come in you can try many beers from various countries. As Edison continues, Wil hopes to experiment with Victor to create some really interesting and unique releases.
Many people come in questioning, “Why a Thomas Edison influence?” Well, Edison’s work with electricity is the foundation for today’s delivery system. Many electric companies have and still carry Edison in their names today. Choosing Edison is a nod to the industry that Wil has enjoyed working in for most of his career.
For the future of Edison we want to improve the patio and Biergarten. Most of all, we want to let Eddie evolve. Good ideas come with time. Prost!
Wil Schulze
The Man behind it all... Wil, is the owner of Edison, rather, he’s the man with the plan. His passion for beer comes from his enthusiasm about the history and connection that beer makes with all parts of the country and the world. He likes to seek out special places on his travels and that often leads to meeting new people. “Beer makes for a great conversation starter” he says, which is a big reason why he loves it. On Wil’s first trip to Germany he really enjoyed the fresh regional beer that they had to offer, he might not have known it then, but these trips would later have a huge impact on his career. The idea of Edison evolved out of some business planning associated with developing a new office space for his other company. He quickly realized while making his own beer at home that he was not suited to be the Brewmaster of Edison. After asking many questions about a setup, he landed on the idea of a destination brewery. Thus, Edison was born.
"What's your favorite beer, Wil?"
"The one in my hand."
Victor A. Ecimovich III
Meet our Brewmaster, Victor. He is a Chicago native with a wandering spirit. Victor was attending a university in Chicago to become an engineer when brewpubs were just starting up in California. He and his friends would go to pubs during these years and try beers from all over the world, he says, “I tried over 100 different beers while in college”. He realized he wasn’t that thrilled with his studies and decided to change his path and attend brewing school. This lead to the beginning of his brewing journey in 1985 in his own home. Victor’s wandering spirit comes from the 7 different breweries he’s worked at mapping all over the United States. He has finally landed here at Edison where he plans to always brew traditional European lagers, some British style-lagers, and hopefully add in a few Belgian and French beers. When asked what his favorite beer was he couldn’t pin it to just one, so he stuck with his top five. 1. Westmalle Tripel 2. Duvel 3. Saison DuPont 4. Guinness Stout 5. Rodenbach Grand Cru.
Zac Baaske
To help keep up with the demand (and to keep Victor company) we welcomed on Zac, our Assistant Brewmaster! Zac Grew up in a small town called Harpster, Oh. It was here where his Aunt would import Italian wines and teach him how to appreciate the tastes and smells the beverages had to offer. School is what brought Zac to Columbus. After graduating he eventually found work with a Kombucha company. His first experience brewing would in fact be with Kombucha and then later with bourbons. After a while he transitioned to brewing beer (and we are so glad he did). He brings a ton of experience to Edison Brewing and has worked nearly every position regarding the brewing process from marketing & operations to the actual brewing itself. He is elated to be introducing Bourbon Barrel Aged brews to Edison and "thinks it will roll in nicely with what we are doing here".
One day he dreams to brew a Saison which is fitting because his favorite beers tend to come from Belgium. Zac's favorite beer you ask? The Rodenbach Grand Cru (and yes this too is Belgian).