As a city with a large German population in its early days, it’s no surprise that Cincinnati, Ohio has a rich history of brewing. Brewers built lagering cellars and tunnels throughout the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, building a brewing empire that lasted until the Prohibition era sent many of them out of business. With the craft beer industry back on the rise over the past twenty years, Cincinnati has seen a new crop of breweries pop up, driving its economy and revitalizing neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine.
Rhinegheist Brewery
On my first day in Cincinnati, after a late lunch at Findlay Market, I walked a few blocks to nearby Rhinegheist Brewery in Cincy’s trendy Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Since its founding in 2005, Rhinegheist has grown to become Cincy’s largest craft brewery, with distribution reaching several states – I had actually found some of their cans at my neighborhood beer bar in Philly in the months leading up to my trip, so I was excited to go and visit their taproom. The taproom is huge, with plenty of tables indoors, activities like cornhole, and a big screen for sports viewing – I was in town for the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament and was thrilled that they had it on most of the screens in the taproom.
Their taplist was overwhelming, so I started out with a flight, then headed upstairs to check out their rooftop bar with a pint. The rooftop was the spot to be, with sunny views of the skyline and the hilly landscapes surrounding the city. If I lived in Cincy I would be here all the time! Here are the brews I tried while I was there:
- Paloma Tuesday – a tart 6.1% tequila barrel-aged sour with grapefruit, lime, and salt
- Gummy Bomb V3 – a 10.2% Imperial hazy IPA, sweet with orange notes
- Acoustic Glow – a 4.5% light-bodied fruited sour with grapefruit, key lime, and salt
- Mango Bubbles – a 6.2% fruited ale with notes of mango, apple, pineapple, and orange. This was one of my favorites that I tried. A great refreshing beer for summer!
- Juicy Truth – one of Rhinegheist’s year-round staples, a 6.5% juicy IPA loaded with citrusy hop flavor
Three Primes Beer
Three Primes Beer is a brand that doesn’t have a dedicated taproom – it was founded by the owners of Taglio and A Tavola restaurants in Cincinnati, so you can find it on tap at those restaurants as well as other taps around town. I decided to hit Taglio for a delicious pizza lunch, and washed it down with the Traveler IPA, one of the Three Primes flagship beers.
Urban Artifact
After visiting Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh and Saint Joseph Brewery in Indianapolis, I seem to be making a trend of finding breweries in old churches when I travel, so I was thrilled to see Cincy had one nearby to some of the sightseeing I was doing. Urban Artifact operates out of the basement of the historic St. Patrick’s Church and specializes in fruit tart beers. After the American Sign Museum, I drove the short trip over to Urban Artifact in the Northside for a flight:
- Capy Snacks – Cincinnati Black Raspberry – the greater Cincinnati area is known for its black raspberries, affectionately known as “black caps.” This 5% tart ale is loaded with black cap flavor
- Teak – a 7.2% tropical tart with notes of guava and pineapple
- Pickle – a 4.3% ale brewed with pickle and dill spices. I LOVE a pickle beer and this one is probably up there on my list of favorites.
- Mt Giona – a 15.1% dessert tart ale with notes of pear and fig – served as a half pour due to that high ABV!
Third Eye Brewing Company
I didn’t visit this actual brewery, but tried one of their beers in a flight at the brewpub Hoppin’ Vines near my hotel in Kenwood. Third Eye Brewing Company has two locations in Sharonville and Hamilton, both a little outside of Cincinnati. I tried their Eye Live for Hops Version 2, a collaboration with Hoppin’ Vines that is a 7% hazy IPA with tropical fruit and coconut flavors.
Streetside Brewery
Another one I tried at Hoppin’ Vines was from Streetside Brewery, a small family-owned neighborhood brewery in Cincy’s Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood. I had their Hoppin’ Vines Tropical Fruit Punch, a 6% hazy collaboration beer that was fruity and sweet.
Wiedemann’s Brewery
Wiedemann’s Brewery is located in Cincinnati a little north of downtown in St. Bernard, carrying on the tradition of German immigrant George Wiedemann who ran a brewery starting in 1870 in Newport, Kentucky across the river. At Hoppin’ Vines I enjoyed a pint of their Blood Orange Blonde Ale, a light and refreshing 4.2% blonde with real blood orange juice.
Sonder Brewing
Sonder Brewing is located in Mason, Ohio, the Cincy suburb that hosts the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament that I was in Cincinnati for. They’re a partner of the tournament, with their beers available throughout the grounds, and on tap in the Top Deck Bar on the side of the stadium court. I tried a few of their beers during my time there, including the 6.5% You Betcha! tropical hazy IPA that is one of their year-round offerings; and Causing a Racket, the 4.8% grapefruit kölsch brewed special for the tournament.
It’s powerful to sip a Cincinnati beer and connect with an industry that is perhaps as important to the city now as it was in its earliest days. You can taste Cincy’s history and innovation through breweries like Wiedemann’s that pay homage to those early brewers, and experience local flavor through beers like Urban Artifact’s Capy Snacks that utilize local fruits like the beloved “black cap.” Having a Cincinnati beer is a must – not only will you have yourself a great beer, but you’ll be tasting the empire that is in the Queen City’s very fabric. Prost!
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