Cincinnati’s newest brewery is Cartridge Brewing, which opened in October in the Peters Cartridge Factory in Maineville. The building is being completely renovated after sitting vacant for decades, with Cartridge being a key centerpiece to the project.
We visited the taproom on a rainy December night, surprised to find that there was a bit of a wait for a table despite it being a Wednesday. After waiting, we sat at a table in the bar area.
The large bar has high ceilings, definitely giving you the feeling that you’re in a former factory. Cartridge has warmed up the space, while still keeping the gray and industrial feel. The tables are super unique, made of steel and concrete with the Cartridge logo. You can check out a cool video of how the tables were made here.
The rest of the brewpub is separated into a couple of areas, with a more formal dining room area as well as couches for lounging. Once Covid restrictions are lifted they’ll likely be able to seat hundreds between their bar and dining room area. They also have an outdoor patio that is currently covered by a tent for the winter months.
Owners Kyle and Lindsey Hackbarth, as well as their partners, spent years on the project to open the brewery on the historic site. Located along the Little Miami River and the Little Miami Bike Trail, it’s a prime location that residents of the Kings Mills area have been excited to see come back to life.
Head brewer Adam Mills joined the team from Michigan, where he was the former brewer at Rockford Brewing Company and Raven Brewing & BBQ and winner of the “Brewer/Brewpub of the Year” award at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival.
They surprisingly had a lot of beer on tap despite being open just two months, and the styles ranged from pale ales to kettle sours and everything in between. We tried Ration (chocolate brown ale), Holster (hazelnut cream stout), Opening Salvo (double IPA), Yankee Mike (English mild), Fuse (tangerine blonde ale), Leaded (coffee amber), and Draper (rye IPA).
Everything was solid, but nothing really stood out as amazing to me. I’m excited to see which direction Cartridge takes in terms of their beer, as they’ve said that they’ll let customers dictate the styles they brew based on feedback of their offerings.
Cartridge also features a full bar, including wine, cocktails, cider, and seltzer.
Food service at the taproom – helmed by Jerry Johnson, who aims to provide an upscale yet approachable pub menu – was the highlight of our visit. Johnson has some serious chops as a chef, having worked under the likes of Cincinnati legends like Jeff Ruby, Jose Salazar, and Jean-Robert De-Caval. We had the garden pizza, Detroit style with thick crust, as well as pretzels, which came with beer cheese. Other food offerings include soups and salads, as well as smoked meats, sandwiches, and entrees like salmon and pork chops.
Cartridge is definitely about the entire experience rather than just being a bare-bones taproom to feature their beer. With so much to offer so many people, however, it may take awhile for them to find their full stride in terms of beer offerings. Right now, the experience reminds me a lot of a mixture between Moerlein Lager House and Dayton’s Eudora Brewing – a great dining experience, some very good beer, and a really cool atmosphere meant for gathering.