So by now, you probably know that I love craft beer. My girlfriend fiancee Angie and I even made it to every brewery in Cincinnati, where we live.
So what’s next for a couple of craft beer lovers? Well, travel north of course! Angie is originally from Dayton and most of her family still lives there, so we’re in Gem City fairly often.
While we may or may not eventually hit all of the Dayton breweries, I still wanted to give my thoughts on the ones we visit. So check back often as I’ll update this blog as we visit new breweries.
Here are the ones we’ve visited so far:
Put quite simply, Branch & Bone is doing things that other Dayton breweries just aren’t doing. A quick glimpse at their tap list shows plenty of goses, berliner weisses, unique IPAs, saisons, and more. I was most impressed with their berliners, as they had a blueberry and plum option. Both were just sour enough and had tons of flavor. Their dark beers were also standouts – their Dark Fortress Coffee Stout and Feral Dawn Imperial Stout.
Their spot is a no frills small taproom with white tables and a small bar, with a clean theme that includes music and art on the wall for sale. They will certainly benefit from their status as the sixth brewery within walking distance of downtown, and they’ll keep customers coming back with their unique offerings from their 7bbl brewhouse.
Crooked Handle opened in Springboro at the end of 2015, becoming the first craft brewery in the fast-growing area. The brewery is situated in a big shopping center with tons of traffic and they were pretty busy on the Saturday night that we visited.
After trying a couple of their beers – Roadside Peanut Butter Porter and Trinity Haze New England IPA – at Cincy Beerfest, they ended up on our short list of must visit breweries. The brewery itself is small and cozy – with a decent sized bar, as well as high top bar tables, low top picnic tables, and even couches for more comfortable seating.
They’ve got a decent amount of taps with 17, with mostly their own brews but also select guest taps and ciders. We decided to try some things we hadn’t had, so we ordered a flight with their Short Fuze IPA, Bombs Away Double IPA, Matchstick Amber Ale, Wee Bit O Trouble Scotch Ale, and Gose Down Berry Easy. All were definitely drinkable and they have a nice variety of offerings. They also offer wine and spirits if you’re not in the mood for beer.
Angie’s brother Joe and his girlfriend Emsie live literally right across the street from Dayton Beer Co., so of course we’ve been there. They have two different locations, but we’ve been to the one in Downtown Dayton (Update: Their original location closed in August 2017). It’s a fairly large spot, with plenty of room inside, as well as a pretty big patio outside. They also have pizza available at a small restaurant inside the brewery, so you’ll be covered if you go hungry. One of the cool things about them is that not only do they have a wealth of their own beers on tap, but they also have plenty of other offerings from some of the best breweries from around Ohio. So you can check out some new stuff while you drink their stuff.
I’ve had their Oregon Alley Imperial IPA (8%), which is a nice high gravity that drinks well just like other imperials. Their most popular beer is the Java Man Cometh (7.8%) Stout, which I haven’t had yet but I plan on finding once it’s stout season again. If you’re looking for something lighter, try the Broken Trolley Blonde Ale (5.2%).
Devil Wind Brewing is located southeast of Dayton in Xenia, injecting some life into one of Ohio’s small towns. The brewery itself is a small industrial-feeling space, a bar to the left with high top tables and a few low-top tables on the right and brewing equipment in the back. They’re also just steps from the bike trail in Xenia and have used that connection to their benefit with bike racks right out front.
I was pleasantly surprised by their offerings, including the two lagers they had available – Buccaneer (light) American lager and Hollencamp Helles – as well as the Heading West New England IPA and Watermelon Wingman gose. For a brewery that opened in 2018 and has only been open a few months – especially in a small community – their offerings are nothing less than solid.
With so many breweries popping up in seemingly every corner, it’s important for a brewery to do things to stand out. One such brewery that stands out is the Dayton area’s Eudora Brewing Co., which provides beer drinkers the ability to brew their own beer on premises. It’s a great way for those who are interested in homebrewing to dip their toes in the water of brewing their own beer.
Thanks to her brother Joe and his girlfriend, my fiance Angie and I were able to experience brewing at Eudora over this past weekend as an engagement/Christmas present. They selected an IPA for us to brew, since we both like hoppy beers.
Brewing at Eudora is definitely a unique experience. Our guide Nigel walked us through the brewing process, from milling grains to adding the sugars and hops. Brewing is definitely a unique process, and one of the things that struck me is how simple the recipe was. That makes it even more amazing that professional brewers can create so many flavors with so few ingredients.
We also were able to sample some of Eudora’s beers. With a 3bbl system, they’re one of the smaller breweries in Ohio, and it’s nearly impossible to find their beer outside of their taproom. Although they’re small, they produce some high quality beer.
Their Bangarang IPA is in the upper echelon of IPAs that I’ve tried, with a classic West Coast style and nice level of hops. As a fan of darker beers, I also loved their Thunderball Oatmeal Stout and Holy Cacao chocolate porter. They even had some nice experimental beers available, including the Experimental 18.6 strawberry farmhouse ale/saison, and Worm Burner Scottish ale on nitro.
Fifth Street Brewpub is a co-op that was formed in 2012 with the brewery opening in 2014. Like any co-op, they exist to serve their members. And what this brewpub serves its members (and the public) is delicious beer – and food. I had heard nothing but good things about Fifth Street before going, so of course my expectations were pretty high. When entering the brewpub, it looks like an old house from inside and out, with a unique bar area followed by an open room with both high top and low top tables around the corner. Fifth Street also has a full kitchen, with a nice array of bar food and fancier options.
As far as the beer goes, it’s delicious. I had their very popular Icebreaker IPA (7.2%), a moderately hoppy beer with lots of flavor. I also tried the Mint Cookie Stout (7%), a perfectly sweet and minty dessert beer that I could drink anytime. Other popular beers include their Jo Jo’s Midnight (6.8%) Stout, and Cure-All (4.2%) cream ale.
After initially starting in Centerville, Lock 27 Brewing opened a second location in downtown Dayton in the summer of 2017. This is the location we visited, so the review will be just for that location. Located just outside of the Dayton Dragons’ Fifth Third Field, the new brewpub occupies about 11,000 square feet on the ground floor of a new Delco Lofts development. A beneficiary of the massive gentrification in Downtown Dayton, Lock 27’s new space has a decidedly industrial feel. The centerpiece of the large area is one of the biggest bars I’ve ever seen. They also have large garage doors that can add even more to the atmosphere on nice days. Despite baseball season basically being over, the place was packed (and very loud) on a Saturday night.
As far as beer goes, it was solid although not earth shattering. I started out with the Cascadian Dark Ale (7.2%), a nice roasty dark beer that drinks well. I also had the Mouth Breather IPA (7.3%), a quintessential west coast style citrus IPA. Others in our group raved about the Charlosta (6.5%) brown ale, which is brewed with honey malt and just on the edge of being sessionable.
Lucky Star is one of two breweries in Miamisburg, alongside Star City. The brewery has a cantina theme, with Mexican food and some Mexican style beers as well. Their space is pretty big, with a separate taproom with a traditional bar, as well as a game room and outside patio. They have a pink theme to go along with the cantina theme, so they definitely have something unique to offer.
I really liked their beer variety, from pilsners and lagers to double IPAs and even shandys. I won a free growler from a contest for the Beer 5k, so naturally we had to try some of their offerings to decide what we wanted to take home. After trying the Chill Pill pilsner, Ojos Locos lager, Redemption red ale, R U Hoppy Now? session IPA, Ball ‘N Chain saison, and John Lemon shandy, we settled on the Fallen Star double IPA for our growler. This is a laid back place with a nice variety and definitely a theme that helps them stand out in the crowd.
Mother Stewart’s Brewing
Mother Stewart’s is located east of Dayton in Springfield and they’ve got a nice large brewery with plenty of space inside, as well as a large outdoor beer garden. The place is perfect for a crowd, and there were at least three different parties and gatherings there on the Saturday night when we visited. They also regularly have live music and food trucks, and are family friendly as well as dog friendly outside. Quite simply, this is a well-done gem in a city in Ohio that has probably seen better days. To see the economic development in Springfield that a brewery can bring is pretty awesome.
Their beer isn’t bad either. They had cans available of their Witbier and Lager, which are two of their better offerings. This isn’t a place where you’re going to get crazy concoctions with different experimental styles – I’m not sure the demographics of Springfield would call for that – but they do have some nice offerings like a Beer Geeks Double IPA for those who want something a little different.
Toxic specializes in high gravity and limited release beers, although they also have some year-round offerings. Their taproom is located in the Oregon District on Fifth Street, and they get very busy during the weekends. They also have craft cocktails on tap if beer isn’t your thing. They’re a smaller brewery with a 7bbl system, and their taproom is smaller but still pretty inviting. Think exposed brick wall, a big bar, and open ceilings.
Their three most popular beers are all some form of IPA: ISO Haven (7.2%) – an American IPA, Practice Yoga (5.1%) – a session IPA, and Cap City Hustler (9.1%) – an Imperial IPA.
Just to be up front, Warped Wing is my favorite brewery in all of Ohio. From their iconic wing logo to the bright red everything, they are my type of craft brewery. Their taproom is also located downtown, in an old iron and brass works foundry with a 10-ton crane in the corner (they even named their popular 10-Ton Oatmeal Stout after it). They have rows of tables and it’s a very rustic and intimate atmosphere. Their taproom is similar to Rhinegeist, but a bit more cozy and sweatier.
I’d probably be here all day if I typed out all of the Warped Wing beers that I love. Actually, I love them all, so just look up a list of their beers and that’s what I like. But I did want to give a shoutout to a few. Cuvee de 75 is a collaboration with Listermann (my two favorite breweries in Ohio teaming up, what could be better?), and it’s an 11% hefty beer that is a blend of Listermann’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Chickow!, and WW’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Pirogue and Bourbon Barrel Aged Abominator. And it’s not a beer for the feint of heart. Also, Ermal’s Cream Ale (5.4%) is a show stealer, as well as the ever popular Ester’s Li’l Secret yearly releases.
Yellow Springs itself is a gem of a town, and the brewery is no different. Situated about 15 miles east of the heart of Dayton, it’s like entering a different country to visit YS. The brewery is located on the town’s bike trail, with entrances via a parking lot and right off of the trail. With a nice big patio outside for temperate days, the inside is just as inviting with a decent sized bar and plenty of seating. We were actually able to sit at one of their unique steel engraved high top tables that add just another nice touch to the brewery. I actually also like that there are no TVs, giving focus to spending time with the people around you.
Their beer is also fantastic. I had been dying to try their popular Boat Show (7%) IPA, and it was one of the best IPAs I’ve ever had. I even grabbed a six pack of it to take home with me. I also had the very good and very drinkable Vox Populi (5.2%) pale ale. Their beer is pretty easy to find in stores around Southwest Ohio, but it’s definitely worth taking a day trip to check these guys out in person.
Other Breweries in Dayton (I’ll update with my thoughts as we venture to each one):
Carrillon Brewing Co.
Hairless Hare Brewery (Vandalia)
Heavier Than Air Brewing Co. (Centerville)
Nowhere in Particular Brewing Company
Pinups and Pints (Medway)
Star City Brewing Company (Miamisburg)
Wandering Griffin (Beavercreek)