Cincinnati’s brewing scene continues to expand, and that includes the suburbs. Middletown now features three craft breweries, with N.E.W. Ales Brewing joining Rolling Mill Brewing Company and FigLeaf Brewing Co.
N.E.W. Ales Brewing began brewing beer earlier this year prior to their taproom opening, originally focusing on distributing their beer to restaurants and bars around Butler County.
Owners Wes and Nikki Heupel and their friend Beth O’Hara finally did open a taproom, sharing space with All About You Catering in Middletown. Their small taproom features just a few tables inside, but the real gem of their operation is their new biergarten behind the former house, which features a gravel lot with about eight picnic tables. It’s a simple, yet inviting place to enjoy their beer.
N.E.W. Ales Brewing has focused on classic styles as well as a few special offerings, including some fruited sours. We tried a flight, and the standouts were the Flippin Fruit Tart Strawberry Lime Gose and the Flippin Fruit Plum Sour. They also have a super refreshing kolsch called Post Mow Lawn, and of course they had to get into the hazy IPA game with their How Chowduh, a 6.4% New England IPA that’s got a nice dankness mixed with a smooth mouthfeel.
N.E.W. Ales is a small operation, but they are doing a lot of things the right way, including producing quality beer and interesting styles.