Royal Docks Brewing Company was inspired and born from the dreams of cofounders John and Adriana Bikis while living abroad in London. The two found themselves enamored with the vibrant pub culture and community surrounding them, and they aspired to bring that spirit home. After returning home to the States, word spread that the Bikis wanted to start a different kind of brewery. Veteran brewmaster and fellow anglophile Dave Sutula caught wind of the news and shared the vision to bring exquisitely crafted brews to the masses.
They settled on the name “Royal Docks”, paying homage to the history of progress, hard work and strong local traditions John and Adriana witnessed while living in London’s Docklands and, in Dave's case, studying brewing in the English Midlands, Scotland and Ireland. The crown logo is a stylized version of the cranes that line those historic Docks in London's East End.
Royal Docks established a first-class brewery, canning facility and original taproom and restaurant in Jackson Township, Ohio in 2015. A mobile beer lorry, food truck and a location inside the Akron-Canton Airport came soon after. Royal Docks Foeder House and Kitchen opened in 2020, and Royal Docks Tied House in Ohio City, the first Royal Docks location outside of Stark County, opened in mid-2024.
Also in 2024, Ohio-native Andrew Gould joined John, Dave and Adriana as majority owner of Royal Docks, bringing operational expertise and a passion for craft beer. As a serial entrepreneur, Gould has started and scaled businesses across the technology, medical, data center and real estate industries. Gould works with the founding team ensuring it has what’s needed to provide excellent service to customers.
Royal Docks believes deeply in the culture of its brewery and restaurants and takes the care of customers and employees very seriously. Royal Docks will always put people first, and welcomes anyone in who agrees humanity pairs best with a cold beer.
Royal Docks follows the mantra THINK GLOBAL. BE VOCAL. DRINK LOCAL.
We strive to leave the world a better place than we found it. We’re staunch defenders of our communities and the planet. You can’t have great beer without clean water, diverse communities and local, sustainable farming.
The team at Royal Docks is passionate and loves to share that passion with its customers and community. When we believe in something, we stand firmly behind it. We also love to listen. The best ideas come from the people around us, and we’re always eager for someone to change our opinions and help us find new things to try.
We’re an independent brewery, locally headquartered in Canton, Ohio. We brew what we like and what we hope our neighbors and friends will like. We use Ohio-grown malted barley in just about every beer we make. We source other ingredients from as close to home as possible; sometimes we even grow the stuff ourselves.
