Phil the tip jar awaits customers on a recent day.

TORONTO, Ohio – Mike Bauman might be the truest public servant around.

He served 24 years in the military as a deployed reservist. He was a cop for 25 years. Now he is brewing beer and running Squids Brewery with his wife, Lisa. Squids just marked its two-year anniversary on July 14 in the small quiet city of about 5,400 where the couple grew up – Toronto, in Jefferson County, along the Ohio River.

“I talked about it for years,” Mike said about opening a brewery. “Even guys I worked with said, ‘Oh, you gotta go for it.’ They used to drink some of the beer I made out in my back yard. They all loved it; I thought they probably just liked it ’cause it was free. Then we decided to go for it. We’re both retired from public service. There’s a little saying I say here, ‘I’m just serving the public in a different way.’”

The couple and community have settled into the 2,300-square foot cozy space, a former dental office that now has a country-rustic-American vibe. The tasting room holds a few tables with 10 counter seats and nine at the bar. A wall-mounted DJ and a couple of televisions hang. In a bathroom, black and white Prohibition photos exclaim “Happy Days are Beer Again” and “We want beer” signs.

Locals and visitors bellied up to the bar on a recent Saturday afternoon.

One sign in the taproom proclaims “Toronto’s oldest brewery and newest apparel” – and merchandise sells well, said Amber Stewart, who helps manage the place.

Mike Bauman had home-brewed for 30 years, starting with a Mr. Beer kit. He even had his own bines (a hop plant’s climbing stems).

“I home-brewed hops for a while,” he said.

Stewart and the Baumans used to live next door to each other. She remembers they had to casually shoo kids from running into the bines: “Don’t touch the hops!” she laughed.

They have seen the community slowly gravitate to Squids.

Mike Bauman keeps about 16 beers and seltzers on draft.

Local folks would start by saying, ‘I drink Bud Light or Busch Light,’ Stewart said. “They’ve been pretty surprised.”

Soon, after tasting Bauman’s beers, they become converted.

“Instead of asking for Busch Light they are asking for specific beers like a Pilsner or a Stout,” he said. “It’s kind of a 180 from when we first opened a couple of years ago.”

Added Lisa: “When we were building this, they didn’t understand what we were building - ‘Oh, is it a bar?’ ‘No, it’s not a bar.’ ‘Oh is it a store where you’re going to sell beer?’ ‘No, we’re going to make beer.’ I would say 80% of the people in town did not know what a craft brewery was, but they do now.”

A recent tap list had a nice array of styles: Hazy India Pale Ale, Red Ale, Porter, Wheat, Pilsner, Mexican Lager, Lager, IPA, Kolsch, Scottish Ale and a few others. They keep about 16 on draft.

“It’s a lot more than we ever expected. We’re working more being retired than we did working, but it’s a good thing,” said Mike, who said the brewery produced 145 barrels in its first year on a seven-barrel system. They expect 200-plus this year. (A barrel holds 31 gallons.)

While Mike said, “I kind of like to give the people what they want,” he had one difference with Lisa when they were starting.

“My wife and I argued before we opened about seltzers,” he said. “I really don’t like seltzers. But I brew the seltzers, and they’re one of my biggest sellers. We don’t carbonate them like a White Claw. They’re more like a beer. People love ’em.”

Another squids figure hangs out in the brewpub.

Flavors include lemonade, strawberry, pineapple, mango and cranberry, Lisa said.

(It’s not the only difference the couple has. A ‘house divided’ flag is staked on the property. Lisa is the Cleveland Browns fan while “everyone else in this town is a Steelers fan,” Stewart said.

Squids is Toronto's only brewery.

What they do agree on though is donating spent grains to a local farmer for her animals.

“That helps us, and it helps her because every time he brews we don’t have to worry about disposing the grain,” Lisa said. “She comes and gets it all, and it feeds them. It’s a win-win for both.”

Squids figures can be found throughout the taproom.

Squids recently obtained a wine and cider license, so Mike will be expanding his repertoire a bit. But the couple is content to be a place for locals who want to relax and have a drink. They don’t have grand distribution plans. Rather, Mike said he is happy with Squids remaining “the way we are.”

There's a rustic-country-Americana vibe to Squids.

“When we opened this place we kind of wanted it like you’re having a beer in your back yard,” he said. “We don’t advertise that much. We’re happy where we’re at.”

Six-pack of facts about Squids Brewery

Location: 800 Federal St., Toronto. Dedicated lot. It’s 124 miles from downtown Cleveland (and 44 miles from Acrisure Stadium, home of the Steelers).

Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Nearby breweries: Dungeon Hollow Brewing Co., Bloomingdale, Ohio (15 miles), Hightower Brewing Co., Rayland, Ohio (23 miles), Coal Tipple Brewery, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania (24 miles).

Beer and food: Growlers and four-packs of 16-ounce cans to go; mix and match is allowed. The taproom serves 16-, 8- and 5-ounce pours. Bar bites are available - Bavarian pretzels, nachos, and spinach and artichoke dip.

The 16-ounce cans to go have a clear message at Squids.

About the name: “I got that name 45 years ago in high school. A bunch of my buddies nicknamed me ‘Squid.’ I have no idea - bunch a guys I played football with,” Mike said. “It’s what everybody has called me for 45 years.” The taproom is dotted with squids figurines and mini sculptures.