All the Breweries and Taprooms in Greater Cincinnati Every Beer Lover Should Visit

Brink Brewing Co.

5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
“Good beer is about the people, the stories and the experience,” according to Brink’s co-founders John and Sarah McGarry. That is something the McGarrys learned from family — specifically their Uncle Jack. It was his fridge, chock full of artisan beers, and his neighborly values that led Brink to open its doors in College Hill in February 2017. The taproom’s communal table sits 20 and a brick wall stands covered in framed photos of the customers and community.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

HighGrain Brewing Co.

6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton
Located in the former Silverton Memorial Municipal Building, HighGrain Brewing features “old-world styles with a modern twist,” like their Monarch IPA, with citra and Idaho gem hops. The food menu from their in-house chef includes options for vegetarians, meat-eaters and kids. With a focus on sustainability, the brewery’s electricity is also 100-percent powered by wind, and at least one beer is carbon neutral.
Photo: Emily Palm

Bad Tom Smith Brewing

5900 Madison Road, Madisonville
It all started with the story of an infamous Kentucky outlaw: Bad Tom confessed to killing six men before meeting his maker at the scaffolds — “bad whiskey and bad women” were to blame, so he said. Today, Bad Tom Smith Brewing (founded by a distant relative) harkens back to that outlaw legacy with the motto of “Bad ass in a glass.” The brewery, recently relocated to a former Madisonville bank (complete with a 120-year-old vault), offers an open, saloon vibe, 18 taps and Bad Tom Smith Bourbon.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Darkness Brewing

224 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
The microbrewery focuses on the dark and unusual — stouts, porters and browns with ingredients like cacao nibs, lactose, coffee and roasted peppers. The Darkness Diner, a food truck parked in their front lot, prepares its own take on “fun comfort food recipes.”
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Taft’s Brewpourium

4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village
The Brewpourium is an extension of Over-the-Rhine’s Taft’s Ale House, fitted with all of Taft’s top beers, New Haven-style “apizza” and enough televisions to satisfy all of Cincinnati’s sports fans.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

MadTree Brewing Co.

3301 Madison Road, Oakley
Founded in 2013, MadTree’s taproom features a giant indoor and outdoor space. The main attraction is the big-ass beer garden, with 32 MadTree-exclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick fa?ade leftover from the building’s factory days, where there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking, cornhole-playing, dog-loving humans that hang at the brewery on the regular. MadTree also donates 1 percent of sales to nonprofits that work toward environmental sustainability.
Photo: Provided by MadTree

Municipal Brew Works

20 High St., Hamilton
You’ll enter Municipal Brew Works through the garage door of a municipal building in Hamilton. Bring your friends, your dog (follow @dogsofmbw) or your whole family; this brewery has a place for everyone. It also has a brew for everyone. Play some cornhole or hang on the patio with your favorite food trucks.
Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Rhinegeist

1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
This large brewery and event space in historic Over-the-Rhine (housed in an old Moerlein bottling plant) produces hoppy and sessionable ales and Cidergeist, its line of crushable ciders. The seasonal deck is an excellent addition to the city’s rooftop bar scene. Climb on up for views of downtown, Mount Adams and the Elm Street streetcar line.
Photo: Kaitlyn Handel

BrewDog

316 Reading Road, Pendleton
This Scotland-based brewery has expanded U.S. operations with a massive taproom in Pendleton. It’s the chain’s second-largest bar in America (with additional global spots in 60 countries including Germany, Spain, France and Finland, among others). The taproom features a large dining and bar area on the first floor, a game area on the loft-second floor and a rooftop patio.
Photo: Adam Doty

Streetside Brewery

4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum
From their taproom/brewery along Eastern Avenue in Columbia Tusculum, Streetside Brewery blends craft and community with wittily named beers. There’s The Wurst sausage amber, the I Drink Your Milkshake! strawberry/blueberry milkshake IPA and the P.U.C. It pineapple upside down cake Berliner, among other sweet and unique options. The taproom frequently hosts food trucks and programmed events.
Photo: Scott Dittgen

Braxton Brewing Co.

27 W. Seventh St., Covington
Rooted in the ethos and innovation forged in a Midwestern garage — founder Evan Rouse started homebrewing when he was just 16, before he could even taste his creations — Braxton celebrated its fourth anniversary in July by re-upping its commitment to Northern Kentucky, investing $5 million in its flagship location, adding a 5,000-square-foot rooftop patio and increasing its annual production and reach. The taproom pours 30 plus Braxton creations, from the year-round classics — like its Storm cream ale — to toasty bourbon-barrel-aged brews and house brand (canned) Vive hard seltzers.
Photo: Lindsay McCarty

Woodburn Brewery

2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills
This East Walnut Hills brewery offers a plethora of creative beers, from fruity ales made with produce grown at Krohn Conservatory to the Han Solo coffee-infused blonde ale and even old fashioned rootbeer on tap. Dogs are welcome to chill inside the taproom or outside on the renovated patio at Woodburn, where they will receive many pets.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

3 Point Urban Brewery

331 E. 13th St., Pendleton
Acting as a design-minded community hub, 3 Points Urban Brewery offers daytime coworking hours. As early as 9 a.m., you can shuffle in, get a pint of their Origami IPA — or an Urbana Cafe drip coffee if the only buzz you need is a caffeine one — and do your work in the chillest of settings. The taproom is spacious, covered in work by local artists and offers free WiFi, so you can stretch your legs before the happy hour hustle is in full swing.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

DogBerry Brewing

9964 Crescent Park Drive, West Chester
An ever-expanding nanobrewery helmed by two former scientists and passionate homebrewers, DogBerry’s taproom and brewhouse serves craft beer — made with fresh and regional ingredients whenever possible — and plays host to local food trucks. Check their Facebook for happy hour specials and various clubs, including those of the hot sauce, vinyl and mug variety.
Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Wooden Cask Brewing Co.

629 York St., Newport
Formerly the Flamingo and Jockey Club, the building’s history is relived through its taproom: The bar is hand-crafted from the building’s own reclaimed wood. Helmed by Karen Schlitz and her husband, Randy, Wooden Cask’s menu includes 18 crafts on tap, along with featured small-batch brews, seasonal barrel-aged selections, a cider and even wine. The in-house Drunken Hog BBQ smokes all their meat out back and offers a menu of sandwiches, ribs and sides.
Photo: Paige Deglow

March First Brewing

7885 E. Kemper Road, Sycamore Township
With a taproom that opens directly to the brewery, guests get a front-row seat to daily operations and brewers are always ready to interact and answer questions. Though March First thrives on classic brews, like the popular craft lager or Denali IPA, it still finds room for experimentation in its taps. Turning three in March, the brewery also crafts ciders and hard seltzer and distills a line of whiskey, vodka and rum. The taproom also serves pizza.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Taft’s Ale House

1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Located inside a former church, the building is an ode to Cincinnatian and former president William Howard Taft. The multi-floor brewpub maintains some of the sanctuary’s charm (like the bell tower) and serves a menu focused on tri-tip beef, complemented by creative brews, like the popular Nellie’s Keylime Caribbean Ale and Maverick chocolate Porter.
Photo: Jesse Fox

Little Miami Brewing Company

208 Mill St., Milford
Started by two brothers-in-law and a brewmaster friend, Milford’s Little Miami Brewing Company sits on the banks of its namesake river, pouring its earthy beers alongside a selection of brick-oven pizzas. The small-batch brewery offers a range of taps, from classics to experimentals and seasonals made with real fruit, like their Blackbird Fly with blackberry puree. Claim an Adirondack chair around the fire pit for some excellent river views.
Photo: Megan Waddel

Karrikin Spirits Co.

3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax
Karrikin combines a distillery, brewery, bar and restaurant in a gigantic former warehouse in Fairfax. They distill everything from vodka and gin to rum, brandy and agave spirit and produce their own “sparkling spirit,” a sort of take on a hard seltzer. At the restaurant, sample one of the beers on tap: a Czech-style pilsner, citra IPA, El Dorado IPA or rotating draft. They also make their own craft sodas.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fifty West Brewing Company

7668 Wooster Pike, 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township
Located in a historic home, this craft brewery and taproom doubles as a restaurant with a focus on beer pairings. Find their signature orange VW bus, Penny, parked out front. Across the street, Fifty West Production Works is home to additional fermenters to produce thousands more barrels of Fifty West beer each year. The spot also has sand volleyball courts and is a hub for Fifty West’s canoe and kayak rentals. (Fifty West also has its own cyclery and bike rental just down the street off the Little Miami Scenic Trail.)
Photo: Scott Dittgen