Warped Wing Brewing, Dayton, Ohio
Warped Wing was founded in Dayton in January 2014, the first Dayton brewery to can since Miami Valley Brewing (1933-1950) closed. There were already numerous micros in Dayton, but Warped Wing started off with a larger production capacity than most, with "30-barrel stainless steel brewhouse and 60-barrel fermenters. 1. It's in an old industrial area of East Dayton in the old Buckeye Brass & Iron Foundry. Their first three brands, which seem to still be their mainstay, are Ermal's, Flying Rye, and 10 Ton Oatmeal Stout. Ermal's is named after Ermal Fraze, the Dayton engineer who invented the pull-tab making cans of beer (and pop) easier to open. 10 Ton Oatmeal Stout is named after the huge 10 ton crane that still stands over the former foundry.
Warped Wing has put out a lot of beers since, often with a local theme, such as Trotwood Lager named after the Trotwood trailer company that made travel trailers until 1981. (Come on guys, if the WW folks read this we need a Wright State or West Carrollton themed beer! Pirates Porter maybe, or a Raiders Ale or something!!) Warped Wing puts out a lot of different cans. I have a bit of a hard time keeping up with them, but a good friend in Dayton sends them to me as they come out.
The name "Warped Wing" comes from wing-warping which controls the lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft. Dayton natives Orville and Wilbur Wright invented and patented it to control their early aircraft. The brothers used a series of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions to move the aircraft laterally. Wing warping was replaced in the 1910s by ailerons, but the concept is still under study today in the form of wing morphing where during supersonic flight computers adjust the aerodynamic shape of the wing.
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| Diagram of the Wright brothers' 1899 kite, showing wing bracing and strings attached to hand-held sticks used for warping the wing while in flight. (Wikipedia) |
Warped Wing Cans
Warped Wing is somewhat unusual in that they only can in 16 oz containers. Their designs, as you can see below, are very creative and colorful. They won an award in 2015, a "National Addy," at the American Advertising Awards Show in Las Vegas. They started with three flagship brands being canned in 2014, then expanded in 2015, and began aggressively adding more new cans in 2016. I've counted thirty (30) different cans as of October 2017. I'll keep adding them here as they come out.
Here are the Warped Wing cans, in the order they came out. If I missed one, please let me know!
A huge thank you to Jeff M. in Kettering for finding these for me.
Last Updated: 3 May 2018
If I missed any cans please Contact Me !!!!
Name Year can first issued |
Type |
Dayton Connection |
Back |
Side |
Front |
Ermals 2014 |
Belgian Style Cream Ale |
Dayton tool-maker Ermal Fraze invented the beer can pop top. |  |
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Flyin' Rye 2014 |
India Pale Ale |
Man's desire to fly, hey, Dayton is the home of the Wright Brothers! |  |
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10 Ton 2014 |
Oatmeal Stout |
Named after the huge crane in the brewery, which used to be a steel and iron foundry. |  |
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Self Starter 2015 |
Session IPA |
In 1911 Charles Kettering invented the automobile self-starter. |  |
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Mr. Mean 2015 |
Imperial IPA |
"I'm Dayton, Ohio. Professor Emeritus of Funkology" A lot of Funk bands came out of Dayton in the 70s, most notably the Ohio Players (Skin Tight, Fire, Love Roller coaster) |  |
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Irreverent 2015 |
Red IPA |
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Whiskey Rebellion 2015 |
Russian Imperial Stout |
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Gamma Bomb 2015 |
IPA |
Bruce Banner (the Hulk) was a native of Dayton. |  |
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Esther's Lil Secret 2015 |
Milk Chocolate Brown Ale |
From Esther Price, a candy company that has operated in Dayton since the 1920s. |  |
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Baltic Argonaut 2016 |
Baltic Porter |
Inspired by a design from Dayton's Stomps-Burkhardt furniture company (1859-1928) which made ornate dark wood furniture, often with designs taken from Greek and Roman myths. |  |
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Brass Punk Pils 2016 |
German Style Pilsner |
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Pirogue 2016 |
Belgian Style Tripel brewed with coffee |
The original Dayton settlers in 1796 traveled up the Great Miami River in a long-narrow canoe called a pirogue. |  |
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Hop Smuggler 2016 |
White IPA |
The story on the back talks about smugglers using the Miami & Erie Canal, that linked the Ohio River to Lake Erie, passing through Dayton. You can still see some of it at Carillon Park, as well as along West Central Avenue just south of West Carrollton. |  |
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Trotwood 2016 |
Lager |
Named after Trotwood Trailers that made travel trailers until 1981. Trotwood is a suburb of Dayton. |  |
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Space Food 2016 |
American IPA |
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Bier Baron 2016 |
Bavarian IPA |
Story in German, have not translated it yet. |  |
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Creep Show 2016 |
Smoked Porter |
"Dark as Dayton Without the Moon" Reminiscent of "Dr. Creep" from WKEF's Shock Theater. |  |
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Esther's Lil Secret 2016 |
Chocolate Peanut Brittle Porter |
The third beer (and 2d can) made with Dayton's Esther Price candy company. |  |
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Whiskey Rebellion 2016 |
Russian Imperial Stout | A slightly different design from 2015's. |  |
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Jolly Tar 2017 |
Oatmeal Raisin Rye |  |
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Pirogue 2017 |
The original Dayton settlers in 1796 traveled up the Great Miami River in a long-narrow canoe called a pirogue.
Slightly different color scheme than the 2016 version. |
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Hop Smuggler 2017 |
White IPA | Slightly different color scheme from the previous can. |  |
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Senor WITa Mexican Witbier 2017 |
Mexican Witbier | Made in collaboration with Escollo in Mexico City for release for Cinco de Mayo. |  |
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Liquid Picnic 2017 |
Pale Ale | Far out man!! |  |
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Pirogue Blanc 2017 |
white version of the previous can. This is the last 16 oz can filled by Warped Wing as they switched to 12 oz cans. 2 |  |
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Trotwood 2017 |
Lager | a 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. Named after Trotwood Trailers that made travel trailers until 1981. Trotwood is a suburb of Dayton. |  |
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Gamma Bomb 2017 |
IPA | A 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. Bruce Banner (the Hulk) was a native of Dayton. |  |
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10 Ton 2017 |
Oatmeal Stout | A 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. Named after the huge crane in the brewery, which used to be a steel and iron foundry. |  |
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Ermal 2017 |
Belgian Style Cream Ale | A 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. Dayton tool-maker Ermal Fraze invented the beer can pop top. |  |
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Creep Show 2017 |
Smoked Porter | A 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. "Dark as Dayton Without the Moon" Reminiscent of "Dr. Creep" from WKEF's Shock Theater. |  |
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Flyer 2017 |
Red American Lager | Flyer fits both the Wright Brothers and the University of Dayton. |  |
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The Abominator 2017 |
German-Style Dopplebock | Remembering the Blizzard of 1978 that froze Dayton. |  |
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Esther's Lil Secret 2017 |
Winter White Ale | This year's version has chocolate and vanilla cream. They release a different version every year with Esther Price, a candy company that has operated in Dayton since the 1920s. |  |
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Hop-Phobia 2018 |
5 Hop pale Ale |  |
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Self Starter 2018 |
IPA | A 12 oz version of one of their most popular beers. In 1911 Charles Kettering invented the automobile self-starter. |  |
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Superba 2018 |
Hoppy Pils | Named after one of the main brands of Dayton's Olt Brewing (1907-1919, 1933-1942). Below is a label from a pre-pro bottle of Superba.
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The Cash 2018 |
New England IPA | A nice reference to longtime Dayton mainstay, NCR (National Cash Register.) It's gone, and the old factory buildings have been replaced by University of Dayton buildings. |  |
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Golden Glow 2018 |
Hazy Lager |  |
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Mr. Mean 2018 |
Imperial IPA | New in 12 oz. |  |
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Space Food 2018 |
American IPA | New in 12 oz |  |
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Liquid Picnic 2018 |
Farmhouse Pale Ale | Reissued as a 12 oz |  |
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Unfortunately, with the proliferation of new cans coming out, I was unable to keep up. As of the Summer of 2018 I stopped trying. So this page must, I regret, remain incomplete. I do still collect this brewery's cans, but can not keep this page up to date. My apologies.
Visiting the Brewery
While in Dayton for family business I had enough time to stop by and see the brewery. They were very friendly, especially considering I ordered a Diet Coke (I can't drink alcohol). Here are some photos I took on a warm February day.
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The outside of the brewery. Note the bike rack on the right side. |
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A close up of the bike rack. |
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Inside with the original 10 Ton crane. |
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More of the inside. |
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I love their logo! |
Check Warped Wing for Yourself
(links each open a new window)
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Their Home Page |
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Their Twitter Page |
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Their Facebook Page |
Notes
1. Rick Armon, "Warped Wing Brewing Takes Flight" The Beer Blog (January 20, 2014), accessed 11/25/2016.
2 "Warped Wing Brewery Switches to Cans" Dayton.com (September 12, 2017) accessed 5/3/2018.
