Cincinnati Beverage Company
242 W McMicken Ave, OTR (no taproom)
3087 Terminal Dr Gate A15, Hebron (CVG Airport)
Cincinnati Beverage Company, also known as CinBev, is the parent company of Cincinnati brands including Little Kings, Christian Moerlein, Hudeophl, and Burger. In 2020, new owners decided to cease production at their OTR brewery and instead produce their beers via contract at another local brewery.
The brands were sold again in 2022 to local entrepreneur John Richardson, the chairman of SugarCreek, a food processing company based in Washington Court House. Richardson plans to revive the brands, and is also investing at least $30 million to renew pre-Prohibition era breweries Jackson Brewery and Clyffside Brewing Co. The eventual goal is to potentially have homes for each of the brands including returning brewing to in-house.
The first step is to open up production at Felsenhaus in the Felsenbrau Building on McMicken Ave. The building is a historic brewery that has been recently used as an event space and coworking space. As of 2024, CinBev is brewing Hudy Delight, Little Kings, and Christian Moerlein beers in the newer part of the brewery that dates to the 1930s.
Christian Moerlein is a legendary name in the Cincinnati brewing community dating to the 19th century. Greg Hardman bought the brand in the early 2000s, along with Queen City classics like Hudepohl and Little Kings. Now, the beer can still be enjoyed at the Moerlein Lager House, which is run by a separate company and partially owned by CinBev.
Major Awards
US Open Beer Championship
- Christian Moerlein Roggenbier (Historical Beer) – Silver Medal – 2024
- Christian Moerlein Pitch Pilsner (American-Style Pilsener) – Bronze Medal – 2024
- Little Kings Cream Ale (American Cream Ale) – Silver Medal – 2023