Worth Brewing Company entertains all

In 2007, Northwood locals Peter Ausenhus and his wife, Margaret Bishop, opened Worth Brewing Company, a brew pub that is open to the public and distributes hand crafted beer to various locations.

Ausenhus’ passion for brewing was sparked purely by curiosity. Ausenhus would use books from the library to research and begin practicing creating batches. He worked part-time at a brewery for a while in St. Paul, MN, and even won a couple of awards for his brews.

A couple of the brewery’s most popular items include brown ale, a dark, but mild beer, and strange fellas helles, a lighter logger.

Worth Brewing Company also serves as an entertainment spot, as well as a community donor. It makes donations for various community needs and charitable outreaches. The brewery also tries to assist in preserving historic Northwood.

About six years ago, Ausenhus made the decision to move the brewery across the street to a larger building, allowing them to begin distributing their beer and host larger events including surprise parties, retirements, family reunions, weddings and concerts. Worth Bewing Company also hosts yoga every other Tuesday, as well as cornhole games in the winter.

Part of this was made possible by making available the large ballroom above the brewery, a room they restored to its original style.

“We like to think of ourselves as a pretty customer-oriented place to people of all ages, children on up,” said Ausenhus. “They can come in, talk to people, and just relax.

” Ausenhus believes the brewery’s success lies in the future. He believes its ultimate success will be if someone is willing to carry on the business when he is ready to retire, scared he may have to sell the equipment if no one takes over.

The most rewarding part of Ausenhus’ job is getting to know his regular customers, some which have been his patrons for 15 years. He also identified this as something he will miss the most when he retires.