OTR Still House
2017 Branch St, OTR
Whether you call it the Knox Joseph Distillery/Brewery or OTR StillHouse, this place is already pretty special in the Cincinnati landscape.
No matter if you like beer, spirits, or wine, OTR StillHouse has something for you. It’s also a huge entertainment space, with 5,000 square feet indoors, and 6,000 square feet outdoors including a live music venue. Knox Joseph Distillery also occupies 3,000 square feet of space on the property. And in a rarity for OTR – parking is available! Both street parking on Central Parkway, as well as a parking lot nearby.
Chris Mitchell, he of Listermann and Woodburn Brewery fame, is the award-winning brewer who teamed up with longtime distiller Dr. Tom Asquith and Pet Wants founder Michele Hobbs to form the OTR StillHouse team. Mitchell left OTR StillHouse in 2022 and joined the team at the new 16 Lots Southern Outpost in Newport. Their space is also just steps away from the FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium in the West End, so it’s a perfect place to pregame for match day.
The StillHouse opened with 11 of its own beers available on draft, including German styles like kolsch, pilsner, Vienna lager, and Berliner Weisse, as well as a hazy session IPA, imperial stout, American brown ale, porter, American wheat beer, and a honey amber ale.
Of course spirits are a cornerstone for the distillery. They offer blended whiskey, vodka, and gin, and added straight bourbon in 2022. They also feature wines, including rose, red blend, cabernet sauvignon, and sauvignon blanc. Multiple varieties of hard seltzer are available, and if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic option, they make their own root beer and cream soda.
A unique touch is that everything made there uses water from an aquifer that is tapped directly below the building.
For food, they partnered with chef Josh Campbell for Sqr (“skewer”), with Japanese-style street food with southern influences cooked over a robata.
The centerpiece of the entire space is a custom-built pot and still as well as a repurposed bar that was originally at the Brazenhead Irish Pub in Mason.
Outside, the stage is a main feature that hosts local acts.