The Mom’s Guide to Craft Beer in Cincinnati

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craftbeerDid you know that the second week of May is American Craft Beer Week? Until recently, neither did I, but I’ll take any reason to celebrate with a delicious craft beer. When my family moved to Cincinnati last summer one of the first things I did was check to see what kinds of breweries the city had to offer. We moved from Minneapolis, where we witnessed the explosion of craft beer over the last five years. We were hoping something similar was happening in Cincy, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn how much our new city has to offer.

First up, if you haven’t been to Listermann’s tap room, you’re missing out on, in my opinion, some of the best beer in the city. Listermann and Triple Digit are two brands, but the same brewery. They both make delicious beers, but Triple Digit focuses on strong beers with a 10.0% ABV and higher. One of their best beers (and probably my husband’s favorite beer of all time), is their Chickow!, a hazelnut brown ale. It’s best on tap and if you’re lucky they may even be offering it on nitro in the tap room. Listerman is pretty low-key and kid-friendly too. I always bring my son, though we try to go when we know it won’t be too busy because the space is small.

Second, a much more popular brewery, is Rhinegeist in OTR. If you’ve never been, expect it to be pretty busy on a weekend. It’s a big space though, with plenty happening inside the brewery too. They typically have corn hole games going on as well as up to a few private events at a time. Since this is a big space I feel like it would be pretty kid-friendly on days when it’s not super busy. They’re planning an expansion though, so there are already plans to remedy the crowds. As for the beer, I’ve had a good number of beers at the brewery that are harder to find in stores. And if you like IPAs and haven’t tried Rhinegeist’s Truth, you’re missing out.

mt-carmel
My husband with my son at 6 months, already interested in delicious craft beer.

Next on the list is a smaller brewery, but since it’s only about two miles from my house, Mt. Carmel Brewing is another favorite. (They can all be my favorite, right?) Again, a smaller space, but a lot more to offer when it’s warm out and the patio is open. There’s often a food truck present to offer some awesome food to go with your beer. Inside is cozy and every time I’ve been there I’ve had some great conversations with strangers, whether they were patrons or staff. I feel like it’s a cozy space that attracts nice people. While the taps don’t change as often as some, Mt. Carmel offers excellent beers, always. Their Snapshot Series Imperial IPA is one of my favorite local beers.

Bonus: One of our favorite places to hang out that’s not a brewery, but definitely has a great craft beer offering, is actually Jungle Jim’s in Eastgate. They have 20+ craft beers on tap at any given time, offer samples, and feature a brewery every Friday night with 4-6 of that brewery’s beers on tap for just $3-4. Plus, since the bar is right inside Jungle Jim’s, it’s a fun place to just walk around while sipping your beer or while shopping for some to bring home. Again, we always bring our son with us either in the stroller or a shopping cart, which actually include cup holders.

This is definitely not a complete list of Cincinnati breweries (actually no where near close to complete), but if you’re new to the city or to craft beer, it’s a good place to start.

And if you have a favorite place or suggestions for me to try, please comment because this is information I need to know!

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