Updated November 5, 2026: The deal is done, and Nocterra is coming back to Powell under the Nocterra name. I’ll keep updating this post as we learn more, including the reopening date.
For a lot of us in Powell, Nocterra wasn’t just a brewery. It was the place you met friends after work, brought out-of-town guests and ran into half your neighbors on a Friday night. When it closed at the end of August, it left a real gap downtown. Now the news is official. Land-Grant Brewing has acquired Nocterra, and the Nocterra Powell taproom at 41 Depot St. is expected to reopen later this month, still called Nocterra. Here’s what Land-Grant has planned and what it means for downtown Powell.
Nocterra has been part of my Powell since the day it opened. It’s just around the corner from our office downtown, and over the years it became the place I’d meet friends on a Friday night and bring family on a summer evening. I’ve stood around the fire on snowy winter nights, squeezed into a packed bar and watched fireworks light up the sky over that patio. When the doors closed in August, it felt like losing a neighbor. Hearing that it’s coming back, name and all, is some of the best news downtown Powell has had in a while.
Nocterra Is Coming Back: What Land-Grant Brewing Has Planned
Land-Grant’s acquisition of Nocterra closed on November 4, and co-founder Adam Benner shared the plans with Columbus Business First and Delaware Source. “Our immediate priority is getting the doors back open,” Benner said. Here are the highlights:
- It’s still Nocterra. The Powell taproom keeps the Nocterra name. Co-founder Walt Keys called it a continuation of what Nocterra built, not a replacement.
- Reopening later this month. Land-Grant is targeting late November. The exact date will be announced on Nocterra’s social media at @nocterrabrewing.
- A holiday pop-up to start. The reopened taproom will have a Christmas theme with a Christmas Ale, festive decorations, holiday cocktails with take-home glassware and heated igloos you can rent, like the ones at Land-Grant’s Franklinton Wintergarden.
- Nocterra favorites return. Take a Hike, Ripstop and Beta Flash IPAs are coming back in cans, along with Classic light lager. Cans and kegs will be sold in stores, bars and restaurants, and Nocterra specialty beers and seasonals will eventually return to the taproom.
- More on tap. The tap list will add Land-Grant beers, its Sunroom canned cocktails and Low-Hanging Ciders. Nocterra beers will also be poured at Land-Grant in Franklinton.
- More TVs for big games. Benner said Powell won’t be a sports bar, but there will be more screens for Ohio State and Columbus Crew games.
- Food trucks, and maybe pizza. Land-Grant has reached out to food trucks, including some that served Nocterra before, and may add its own simple menu, likely built around pizza. That would be Land-Grant’s first kitchen of its own.
Good News for Nocterra Regulars
- Gift cards will be honored.
- The Order of the Moth mug club is back. Existing memberships will be honored through the end of the year, and the program continues in 2027.
- Familiar faces. Land-Grant has already hired some key former Nocterra employees and is talking with former Powell taproom staff about returning.
A Bigger Renovation in January
After the holiday pop-up, the Powell taproom will close in January for an extensive renovation. Land-Grant says the renovation will keep the building’s character while expanding the taproom space. Most Nocterra beer will now be brewed in Franklinton, so Land-Grant plans to turn much of the old production space into more seating and a larger bar. Benner said the bigger bar should speed up service and cut down on the lines that sometimes built up at the old bar. A small amount of brewing will stay in Powell, and pieces of Land-Grant’s Wintergarden may come to Powell for seasonal events.
Who Is Land-Grant Brewing?
If you don’t know Land-Grant, it’s one of the best-known craft breweries in Central Ohio, with deep Columbus roots.
- Founders. Ohio State graduates Adam Benner and Walt Keys started homebrewing around 2010 and opened the brewery’s taproom on October 18, 2014.
- The name. It’s a nod to Ohio State’s status as a land-grant university, created under the Morrill Act of 1862.
- The home base. Its flagship is at 424 W. Town St. in Columbus’ Franklinton neighborhood, with a taproom, a big outdoor beer garden with stages, Ray Ray’s Hogpit barbecue on site and The Extension, a newer space for experimental beers and cocktails. Summer brings pickleball and basketball, and in winter the beer garden becomes the Wintergarden, with keg curling and igloos.
- The beers. Favorites include Greenskeeper Session IPA and Stiff-Arm IPA, which has been poured at Ohio Stadium. Its Great Falls Scotch Ale won a bronze medal at the 2026 World Beer Cup, and Land-Grant has been a longtime partner of the Columbus Crew.
- Recognition. USA Today named Land-Grant one of the 38 best bars in America this year.
- Locations. Besides Franklinton, it has a taproom at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Concourse B. Powell will be its first stand-alone taproom outside Franklinton.
“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.”
Walt Keys, Land-Grant Brewing co-founder
You can learn more on Land-Grant’s website.
What Made Nocterra Special to Powell?
Nocterra opened in February 2019 in a repurposed freight depot right next to the railroad tracks, and it quickly became one of downtown’s most recognizable gathering places.
- The name and the moth. “Nocterra” blends “nocturnal,” a nod to late-night homebrewing, with “terra,” for a love of the outdoors. The moth logo comes from brewers calling yeast and bacteria “bugs.”
- Beer + Outside. That theme showed up everywhere, from beers like Beta Flash and Scioto Coast to the fire pits and the beer garden.
- Room for families. A kids’ area, a sandbox in the beer garden and passing trains that kids of all ages loved.
- Community. Trivia nights, downtown events and the familiar feeling of always running into someone you knew.
Nocterra closed the last weekend of August 2026, during a tough year for Central Ohio craft brewing overall. In early October, its website changed to a simple message: “Something’s brewing, stay tuned.” Now we know what was brewing.
Why This Matters for Downtown Powell
Downtown Powell runs on places like this. A busy taproom on Depot Street brings people downtown in the evenings and on weekends, and that traffic helps the restaurants and shops around it. Depot Street is also due for reconstruction, and the city has talked with the property owner about improvements like parking, lighting and sidewalks to go with it. The city’s economic development administrator, Sean Hughes, has said downtown needs more destination businesses that draw visitors, and he said he was excited for the new owners to move in. An established local brewery investing in a renovation at 41 Depot St. is good news for all of downtown, not just that one building.
I’m thrilled. Nocterra built something special on Depot Street: a place where you could bring the kids, run into your neighbors and feel like part of Powell. Land-Grant is keeping the name, bringing back the beers and investing in the space, which is exactly what I hoped to hear. I’ll be one of the first in line when the doors open.
Updates to Come
Follow @nocterrabrewing for announcements, and I’ll update this post with the reopening date, the holiday pop-up hours, the January renovation timeline and any news on a food menu. If you want Powell news like this in your inbox, sign up for my weekly Powell newsletter below.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your favorite Nocterra memory and the first beer you’re ordering when it reopens. Share it in the comments on my Facebook post, or tag The Powell Bubble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nocterra reopening in Powell?
Yes. Land-Grant Brewing acquired Nocterra on November 4, 2026, and the Powell taproom at 41 Depot St. is expected to reopen later in November under the Nocterra name.
Who owns Nocterra now?
Land-Grant Brewing, the Franklinton brewery founded by Adam Benner and Walt Keys. The deal includes the Nocterra brand and the Powell taproom.
Will Nocterra beer come back?
Yes. Take a Hike, Ripstop and Beta Flash IPAs and Classic light lager are coming back in cans, with kegs and cans distributed to stores, bars and restaurants. Specialty beers and seasonals will eventually return to the taproom.
Will my Nocterra gift card or mug club membership still work?
Yes. Land-Grant will honor Nocterra gift cards, and Order of the Moth memberships are honored through the end of 2026, with the program continuing in 2027.
Is the Scioto Audubon location reopening?
The Scioto Audubon Metro Park location is not part of the deal. The plans announced so far are for the Powell taproom.
Where is Nocterra in Powell?
It’s at 41 Depot St. in downtown Powell, Ohio, next to the railroad tracks.
Sources: Columbus Business First, 614NOW, Delaware Source, WOSU, Ohio Magazine and Land-Grant Brewing. Details are as reported as of November 5, 2026, and may change.
