2023 Cincinnati Beer in Review

January 1, 2024 David McKinney Cincinnati Beer, Craft Beer 0

It’s that time of year again. 2023 saw a lot of big changes in the Cincinnati craft beer world, and I’m here to recap them all.

Old Faces, New Places

This year saw the continued trend of breweries opening second or even third locations, with 16 Lots, Fretboard, March First, Third Eye, West Side, and Sonder all opening new locations.

16 Lots headed south of the Ohio River to open up their Southern Outpost, joining Wooden Cask and West Sixth at the revamped Newport on the Levee.

Fretboard opened their third location, with a taproom at Factory 52 in Norwood. The location sits just across the street from Hi-Wire Cincinnati, the first Ohio outpost for the Asheville-based brewery.

March First opened the second location under their flagship banner, taking over the former Rock Bottom location at Fountain Square. The taproom features a large bar as well as a dining side, and all of their brands – including Woodburn, FigLeaf, Astra Seltzer, and Cincinnati Distilling – are represented.

Third Eye opened up in a former Pepsi bottling plant in Hamilton, increasing their brewing capacity fivefold to around 10,000 barrels per year. They had a banner year overall, but more on that below.

West Side partnered with an investment group to open Gilligan’s on the Green in Wyoming. The large brewpub sits inside a former fire station that was most recently a BBQ restaurant. Bocce Brewing Company also opened in the basement of Gabby’s Cafe just across the street in Wyoming.

Sonder opened a Taphaus & Kitchen in West Chester, expanding their reach from their original location in Mason.

Braxton also opened a new taproom in the A Terminal at CVG Airport, joining the Christian Moerlein taproom that has been there for years.

New Faces

The year 2023 also saw some new breweries open in Cincinnati, with multiple neighborhoods getting their first brewery.

Former Listermann GM Jason Brewer opened his own location, as Wandering Monsters opened their doors in Anderson over the summer. The brewery has already done a ton of collaborations, and they offer a unique taproom experience with BBQ for their food option and duckpin bowling as well.

Erlanger got its first brewery, as Fabled Brew Works opened up in Northern Kentucky in June. The brewery has a fantasy theme, complete with inspired beer names and mead on tap as well. Veteran brewer John Ewers joined the team and immediately began producing top-notch beer.

Glendale got its first brewery as well, as the long-awaited GlendAlehouse Brewery opened in a former house in the neighborhood in the fall. The offer a cozy taproom experience with pizza on deck as well.

An old face also received new life, as Gravel Road took over for the closed Rolling Mill in Middletown over the summer. Veteran brewer Dan Lauro left Carillon and opened his own place with a focus on classic styles.

Welcome to town

Cincinnati also welcomed a pair of breweries with long histories to the Queen City for the first time.

Hi-Wire Brewing opened their first Ohio location, as the Asheville-based brewery opened Hi-Wire Cincinnati at Factory 52 in the spring.

Pennsylvania-based VooDoo Brewing also opened a location under a local franchisee downtown in August. The brewpub features their unique beers as well as a food menu.

Saying goodbye

The year also saw the closure of some locations, a few of which were seen as pioneers in the Cincinnati craft beer space.

Fifty West closed their original brewpub to the public and made it an event space, just a few months after reopening it with renovations after being closed during Covid. The Fifty West Burger Bar remains open across the street, and the brewery is also planning to open a location in Deerfield Township in 2024.

Taft’s Ale House also closed in OTR after being a centerpiece since it originally opened in 2015. Taft’s is keeping their Brewpourium locations in Spring Grove and Columbus open, but the Ale House is a big loss.

Although it had been closed to the public since 2016, MadTree closed their original “1.0” location on Kennedy Ave. It was still a busy year for them though, as they became a certified B Corp and announced a future location at Summit Park in Blue Ash. They also celebrated their 10th anniversary in February.

Just over a year after opening, Moeller Brew Barn in Monroe closed in September.

Cincy Brewing Co. closed and was taken over by Cerveceria Ortega, which is still working on getting their brewing license.

A few taprooms closed as well, including the Bircus location in Covington and North High locations in Hyde Park and at Kenwood Mall.

Banner year for third eye

As mentioned, it was a banner year for Sharonville-based Third Eye Brewing. In addition to opening their larger location in Hamilton, they were also named Brewery of the Year at Great American Beer Festival in the 1001-2000 barrel category. They won four medals at GABF, anchoring a total of ten medals by Cincinnati breweries. Other Cincinnati winning breweries were Brink, MadTree, Narrow Path, and Rhinegeist.

Third Eye also won a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup, joining Rhinegeist, Sonder, and Streetside as medal winners. They also won Best Southwest Brewery at the Ohio Craft Brewer’s Cup for the fourth consecutive time – every year they’ve been in existence.

Other cool things that happened