Third Eye Brewing Company
11276 Chester Rd, Sharonville
850 S Erie Blvd, Hamilton
Third Eye Brewing Company became Sharonville’s first craft brewery when it opened in June 2020. A group of five owners came together, including Tom Collins and father/daughter team Tom and Chloe Schaefer.
The name has a fun meaning. The third eye is typically known as the mind’s eye and it looks for new possibilities. The brewery hopes to “open your mind’s eye, one pint at a time.”
The colorful taproom, which was a ground up build, is located across from Sharonville Convention Center. The building is a wood and brick mix, with garage doors, a patio, and an upstairs deck. The space is incredibly Instagrammable, including an awesome vivid mural behind the bar, and the slogan “Live Life, Do Good, Drink Beer” on the wall. If you’re the artsy type, you’ll enjoy the concrete bar with embedded art.
The brewery created more excitement and buzz around their expected opening when they announced that Brink Brewing Co. co-founder and head brewer Kelly Montgomery had joined Chloe Schaefer to form the new brewing team.
Third Eye offers beers for all types of palates, including trendy IPAs, lagers, and even cider. They have quickly become one of the most-award breweries in the area, including winning Brewery of the Year at Great American Beer Festival in 2023, third place overall at the 2022 US Open Beer Championship and Best Southwest Brewery at the Ohio Craft Brewer’s Cup from 2020-2023.
Third Eye Hamilton
In November 2023, Third Eye opened a massive new taproom in Hamilton just off of Ohio 4, increasing their capacity from 2,000 barrels to around 10,000 barrels per year. A former Pepsi bottling plant, the Hamilton location is 28,000 square feet and features a large taproom as well as a dedicated event space.
Must-try beer: Higher Purpose (Milk Stout) – Medals aren’t everything, but this beer has racked up gold medals at the US Open Beer Championship and Great American Beer Festival. The beer is perfectly sweet and creamy and what’s even better is that it supports the Live Like Maya Foundation.
Major Awards
Great American Beer Festival
- Brewery of the Year (1001-2000 Barrels) – 2023
- Chai Eye Captain (Herb and Spice Beer) – Gold Medal – 2023
- Double Astral (Chocolate Beer) – Gold Medal – 2023
- Gourd Darn-It (Pumpkin Beer) – Silver Medal – 2023
- Mounds of Importance (Collaboration Beer – With Narrow Path) – Silver Medal – 2023
- Higher Purpose (Sweet Stout or Cream Stout) – Gold Medal – 2021
World Beer Cup
- Higher Purpose (Sweet Stout or Cream Stout) – Bronze Medal – 2023
US Open Beer Championship
- Dark Aura (Peanut Butter Beer) – Gold Medal – 2023
- Spacetoast (Imperial Stout Specialty) – Silver Medal – 2023
- Double Astral (Chocolate/Cocoa Beer) – Silver Medal – 2023
- Kelly’s Private Stash (Barrel Aged Barley Wine) – Silver Medal – 2023
- Third Place Overall – 2022
- Dark Aura (Peanut Butter Beer) – Gold Medal – 2022
- Double Astral (Chocolate/Cocoa Beer) – Gold Medal – 2022
- Barrel-Aged Kelly’s Private Stash (Barrel-Aged Barley Wine-English) – Silver Medal – 2022
- Deep Euphoria (Oatmeal Stout) – Silver Medal – 2022
- Higher Purpose (Cream Stout) – Silver Medal – 2022
- Higher Purpose (Cream Stout) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Higher Consciousness (Strong Scottish Ale) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Higher Purpose (Cream Stout) – Gold Medal – 2020
- Groovy Baby! (English Mild Ale) – Silver Medal – 2020
- Perfect Sight (Brown Ale) – Bronze Medal – 2020
Ohio Craft Brewer’s Cup
- Best Southwest Brewery – 2023
- Higher Purpose (Stout) – Gold Medal – 2023
- Inner Sight (Brown/Dark Ale) – Silver Medal (2023)
- Untapped Potential (German Style Ale) – Silver Medal (2023)
- Kelly’s Private Stash (Wood/Barrel Aged Beer over 8%) – Bronze Medal (2023)
- Best Southwest Brewery – 2022
- Untapped Potential (German Style Ale) – Gold Medal – 2022
- Gettin’ Twisted (Specialty/Hybrid Beer) – Gold Medal – 2022
- Higher Purpose (Stout) – Bronze Medal – 2022
- Groovy Baby! (Brown/Dark Ale) – Bronze Medal – 2022
- Pumpkin P-Eye (Herb/Spice/Pepper Beer) – Bronze Medal – 2022
- Best Southwest Brewery – 2021
- Best Small Brewery – 2021
- Untapped Potential (German Style Ale) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Double Astral (Specialty/Adjunct Stout) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Higher Calling (Scotch/Smoked Beer) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Double Astral Coffee (Coffee Beer) – Bronze Medal – 2021
- Best Southwest Brewery – 2020
- Best Nano Brewery – 2020
- Untapped Potential – Best of Show – 2020
- Untapped Potential (German Style Ale) – Gold Medal – 2020
- Funky Fresh (Sour/Wild With Fruit) – Gold Medal – 2020
- Dark Aura (Specialty/Adjunct Stout) – Silver Medal – 2020
- Liquid Harmony (American Lager) – Bronze Medal – 2020
- Pumpkin P-Eye (Herb/Spice/Pepper Beer) – Bronze Medal – 2020