While there’s been some sobering news about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the craft beer industry, there are some Cincinnati breweries on the other end of the spectrum that could be opening in the near future.
Breweries like Fifty West’s Burger Bar, Northern Row Brewery, MPH Brewing, and Third Eye Brewing Co could be in our lives sooner rather than later once this whole thing is behind us.
Fifty West’s Burger Bar is technically open right now, although for carryout only. The fast-growing brewery is putting the finishing touches on the “roadside root beer stand” that will feature a beer garden, futsal court, and an all-around family friendly feel. Fifty West owner Bobby Slattery joined Cincy Brewcast this week to discuss opening up a third location during a pandemic.
Angie and I visited the Burger Bar last week after a ride on the bike trail, and the place was PACKED. It’s not surprising that this happened their first week:
You’ve probably seen Northern Row Brewery’s beer around Cincinnati for a little while now, but they were planning to open their taproom on St. Patrick’s Day before all of the craziness went down. The taproom is located in a historic 1895 building just around the corner from Rhinegiest, and it looks like it’s going to be awesome. Northern Row is also a distillery, and they’ve switched at least part of their focus to making hand sanitizer including some with old beer. For now, you can order their beer in growlers and some of their food offerings for takeout.
MPH Brewing is going to be Montgomery’s first craft brewery, and it appears as though they are *this close* to opening. They started brewing at the end of April and also have been apparently testing out some new things in the kitchen that they will have. This pub-style neighborhood brewery is going to be a great thing for Montgomery.
Third Eye Brewing will be Sharonville’s first craft brewery, and it’s a project that I’ve been excited about for a long time. They passed their brewery inspection and started brewing in early May. What’s even more exciting, they added Brink Brewing co-founder and head brewer Kelly Montgomery to their brewing team, where he’ll join Chloe Schaefer. Montgomery will bring a pedigree that helped Brink with the Very Small Brewery of the Year two years running at the Great American Beer Festival.
Photo courtesy MPH Brewing