An old church definitely makes for a cool taproom and brewery experience, but it doesn’t provide much room for expansion for a brewery with its sights set on some big things.
That’s why the people at Taft’s decided to expand on their downtown Ale House to open Taft’s Brewing Co. – also known as the Brewporium – in Spring Grove Village earlier this month. The main goal of the second location is to produce larger amounts of beer so that the company can expand their production in Ohio and beyond.
But The Brewpourium also exists to create a completely different atmosphere from its Over the Rhine sister location. For starters, the the former P&G Lab building is 50,000 square feet in total, putting them in company with Rhinegeist and Madtree as being the largest breweries in the city.
Upon entering, one thing that is a sight for sore eyes and Taft’s fans all around is evident immediately: parking! Finding a place to stash your car has always been a big barrier for their OTR location (although that doesn’t keep them from being super busy nonetheless).
In stark contrast to the church feel of the original location, the Brewpourium feels like a warehouse. It’s dirtier, it’s dingier, and it’s everything a craft brewery should be. The open feeling definitely makes it loud in there, but I think that’s kind of the point.
They have a large bar and lots of tables, although Angie and I had to stand for the first 10 or so minutes we were there on a Friday night before snagging a couple of spots at the bar. For those who prefer to stay active, there’s darts, giant Jenga, and cornhole also available.
Also a new touch is that instead of having BBQ, the new location offers apizza, a unique take on pizza that looks delicious although we didn’t try it.
In terms of the beer, all of the Taft’s favorites are available. From Nellie’s to Cherrywood to Gavel Banger, you can grab the same great beer at both locations. They also have a beer called Brewpourium brown, which I’m not sure but may be unique to the Spring Grove location.