Rhinegeist Brewery
1910 Elm St, OTR
3209 Spring Grove Ave, Spring Grove (Innovation Brewery)
Everybody in Cincinnati knows Rhinegeist Brewery, and so do many people outside of the city. Their brewery opened in 2013 in a 25,000 square foot warehouse that formerly housed the Christian Moerlein bottling plant pre-Prohibition. They’re known for their Truth IPA and Bubbles Cider, but they’re also perhaps just as well known for their apparel line and crisp, clean marketing.
The massive growth has helped them become the 23rd largest craft brewery in the U.S. as of 2023, and the second-largest in Ohio behind Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing, which is 18th.
Perhaps one of the best things about the Rhinegeist taproom is the rooftop bar, but they’ve also got enough room for lots of fun activities – think cornhole, kickball, and more. It’s definitely one of the most unique spaces in Cincinnati, and a fan favorite for anybody who visits Over-the-Rhine. There’s a streetcar stop right in front of the brewery, meaning Rhinegeist stops right before Reds and Bengals games have become that much easier.
Rhinegeist has also received national attention outside of Ohio, including being named the #7 best new brewery in the world by RateBeer.com in 2013 and winning Brewbound’s 2019 Craft Brewery of the Year award.
Innovation Brewery
Rhinegiest also opened a large production facility and innovation brewery in Spring Grove in 2019, and while that space doesn’t offer a taproom, it helps them crank out about 100,000 barrels of beer a year.
Must-try beer: Saber Tooth Tiger (Double IPA) – Cincinnati’s largest brewery obviously has a ton of great options for a must-try beer, but perhaps their best beer is the seasonal Saber Tooth Tiger release. A way too smooth double IPA, it drinks a lot lighter than its 8.9% ABV. The brewery released Saber Tooth in cans for the first time in 2018, and it’s also a little bit of a diversion from their well-known design. The sleek black can perfectly highlights their love for all things prehistoric.
Other great beers: Barrel Aged Ink (Imperial Stout), Perpetual Passion (Sour), Truth (IPA)
Major Awards
Great American Beer Festival
- Kiwi (The Bird) (New Zealand IPA) – Gold Medal – 2023
- Quid (English Style Summer Ale) – Silver Medal – 2019
- Sherry Ink (Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout) – Silver Medal – 2015
World Beer Cup
- Uncle (Scottish-Style Ale) – Silver Medal – 2024
- Cheetah (American Style Cream Ale) – Gold Medal – 2023
US Open Beer Championship
- Glyptodon (Barrel-Aged German Lager) – Silver Medal – 2022
- Gold Record (German Kolsch) – Bronze Medal – 2022
- Saaz Who? (Bohemian Pilsnener) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Shuffle (German Kolsch) – Bronze Medal – 2021
- Uncle (English Mild Ale) – Bronze Medal – 2021
- Cheetah (American Cream Ale) – Silver Medal – 2020
- Perpetual Passion (Barrel-Aged Fruit Sour) – Bronze Medal – 2020
- Uncle (English Mild Ale) – Gold Medal – 2019
- Guava Tangent (Specialty Beer/Anything Goes) – Silver Medal – 2019
- Perpetual Passion (Specialty Beer/Anything Goes) – Bronze Medal – 2019
- Double Oaked Mastadon (Wood/Barrel-Aged Quad) – Gold Medal – 2018
- Uncle (English Mild Ale) – Gold Medal – 2017
- Puma (International Style Pilsner) – Gold Medal – 2016
Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers
- Perpetual Passion (Wild Beer Sour With Fruit) – Gold Medal – 2018
- Double Oaked Mastadon (Strong Dark Beer) – Silver Medal – 2017
Ohio Craft Brewer’s Cup
- Rye Barrel-Aged Night Whale (Wood Barrel Over 8% ABV) – Gold Medal – 2022
- Cheetah (American Lager) – Silver Medal – 2022
- Cloud Harvest 6 (NEPA/Hazy Pale) – Gold Medal – 2021
- Dad (Amber/Red Ale) – Silver Medal – 2021
- Morelas (American Lager) – Silver Medal – 2019
- Knowledge (Imperial IPA) – Bronze Medal – 2019
- Mosaic (American Pale Ale) – Bronze Medal – 2019
- Cloud 5 (NEIPA/Hazy IPA) – Silver Medal – 2018
King of Ohio
- Knowledge (Imperial IPA) – Bronze Medal – 2019
Brewbound
- Craft Brewery of the Year – 2019
RateBeer.com
- #7 Best New Brewer in the World – 2013
- Ohio’s Best New Brewer – 2013