What happens when a brewery is paired with a music venue? That’s exactly what Cincinnati’s newest brewery, Fretboard Brewing, hopes to find out.
Located in Blue Ash north of the city, Fretboard had its grand opening the first weekend of November.
With a decent amount of fanfare attached, the place was packed when Angie and I visited on Saturday night. We could barely move around and make it to the bar, despite a rather chilly and rainy evening. But when did cold and rain ever stop beer drinkers before?
When we entered the large warehouse space, The Cliftones were playing their set as part of the grand opening “Jam Session,” an all-day concert and beer fest to kick things off the right way for the brewery. They have a raised stage in the back, and the layout of the venue is nice because the music isn’t necessarily so loud that you can’t hear yourself think.
The space reminds me a lot of Taft’s new Brewpourium location, with plenty of room for shenanigans and brewing beer and just about whatever they need the space to be able to accommodate.
In terms of the beer, it’s definitely solid. Angie tried the Jazz stout while I had the Improv IPA. Both were very solid and many of their styles are “typical” at least to start out (which is smart). If they can do the basics well, they’ll survive just fine in the crowded Cincy beer scene. They’ve also got S23 session IPA, Lyric hoppy wheat, Rider blonde ale, and others to start out.
They’ve got a 20-barrel brewhouse and plan to brew 2,500 to 3,00 barrels their first year, which is pretty aggressive. But they’ve already got their stuff on tap at place around the city, so they’re obviously gaining a nice footing early on.
Fretboard also offers food from Smoked Out, with barbecue and smoked meats.
They definitely did a lot of things right, and we can’t wait to go back when things calm down a bit and get a true taste of this brewery.