Look, we probably don’t need to do much to convince you to drink a beer (that is: if you do drink alcohol, don’t have a gluten intolerance, etc.). And our city is overflowing with local options. While it’s easy to toss back a six-pack at home, there’s nothing better than seeing where your beer was born with your own eyes and grabbing a fresh pint from the taproom bar. Cincinnati is #blessed to have a thriving craft beer community where drinkers win when they patronize the spaces that make our city so very hoppy. Here is a list of some of the essential breweries and taprooms for fans of local beer. 

March First Brewing and Distilling 7885 E Kemper Road, Springdale; 10 Fountain Square Plaza, Downtown Named for the first day our home was recognized as a state, March First Brewing opened in 2017 and boasts an impressive variety of drinks made on the premises, including beer, cider, whiskey, schnapps, vodka, rum and hard seltzer. If you stop by to sip on some brews, stay and have a bite to eat, the brewery offers snacks like pretzels and beer cheese plus pizza and sandwiches. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Fifty West Brewing Company 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township; 5224 District Park Drive, Deerfield Township Fifty West Brewing not only offers delicious beers but tons of activities to enjoy, like several sand volleyball courts, cornhole and pickleball, plus an ice skating rink in the winter. The brewery hub also has a Burger Bar serving up a menu of bread-and-butter diner specialties like classic cheeseburgers, flat-top hot dogs and loaded crinkle-cut fries. Don’t miss the 12 specialty burgers named for the 12 states that U.S. Route 50 runs through. Grab a house-made root beer or orange soda to wash it all down, or choose from a wide range of Fifty West canned, bottled or draft beers. Photo: Savana Willhoite
Darkness Brewing 224 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue What started as homebrewing experimentation between friends led to the opening of Darkness Brewing. The spirit of adventure is still quite alive in the Bellevue taproom, located just down the street from Party Source. Their specialty is dark beers, but they offer a variety of different brews ranging from pale ales to golden imperial stouts and session ales. Aside from their brews, Darkness has a wide variety of board and card games, live music, a petite art gallery and a food truck located right outside the building. Photo: facebook.com/darknessbrewing
Madtree Brewing Co. Oakley Taproom 3301 Madison Road, Oakley MadTree’s massive 10,000-square-foot beer garden is a fun family hangout. With tons of MadTree-exclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick façade leftover from the building’s factory days, there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking, cornhole-playing, beer-loving humans that hang at MadTree on the regular. Photo: Phil HeidenReich
Dead Low Brewing 5959 Kellogg Ave., California Dead Low Brewing is located within walking distance of Coney Island and Riverbend Music Center. The massive space features a taproom, beer garden and kitchen. They serve up beer, cider and seltzer brewed on-site, as well as a made-from-scratch food menu featuring burgers, sandwiches, pizza, wings, and salad; there’s also a dedicated kids menu and several vegetarian options. Photo: facebook.com/DeadLowBrewing
Bircus Brewing Co. 322 Elm St., Ludlow Ludlow, Kentucky’s nonexistent craft beer scene sent in the clowns, leading to the launch of Bircus Brewing Co., a branch of an original concept from Ghent, Belgium. Pronounce it like ‘beer-cuss,’ a hybrid of beer and circus, as the brew shares the limelight with carnival performances at the taproom. Performers can do everything from breathing fire to flying on the trapeze. The brewery recently opened a Covington location where they offer up their popular wood-fired pizza and weekly drink specials. Photo: Brittany Thornton
Rhinegeist Brewery 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine Rhinegeist, known for being one of Cincinnati’s most popular craft breweries, has a massive taproom attached to their warehouse where they create their delicious brews. While the inside is cool, the true beauty of the space can be seen up on the rooftop bar where you can get a cold drink and see the city. Photo: provided by Rhinegeist
Brink Brewing Company 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill This College Hill brewery is loaded with features that encourage interaction, including a 20-seater community table, reclaimed-wood bar and a gigantic Scrabble board that’s very popular with patrons after a few pints from the brewery’s wide-reaching tap list. They host “Brink for A Cause” events where 10% of all sales for an evening go to a charity or organization, check their website for upcoming events. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Wiedemann’s Fine Beer 4811 Vine St., Saint Bernard Wiedemann’s is located inside of a converted funeral home in Saint Bernard. While that may seem odd, it is one of Cincinnati’s most charming brewery/taprooms. The full kitchen offers enough to encourage an entire day to be spent sampling their crushable, modernized interpretations of Wiedemann beer brewed since 1870. Their wide-ranging menu includes pub grub favorites like chicken wings to more localized flavors like the Goetta melt sandwich, plus salads and grilled cheese. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Listermann Brewing Company 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood Handcrafted ales, a growler station and contagious enthusiasm for home brewing characterize this owner-operated brewing company. Listermann also offers frequent brewing classes, home-brewing supplies and wine-making ingredients and equipment, in addition to cult favorite beers. Photo: Megan Waddel
Nine Giant Brewpub & Fermentorium 6095 Montgomery Rd., Pleasant Ridge; 6111 Ridge Ave., Pleasant Ridge (Fermentorium) Nine Giant is a popular Pleasant Ridge brewery and kitchen. They offer a made-from-scratch menu that features everything from BLTs to impossible burgers and a miso salmon sandwich. Order a growler to go with some of their house-brewed beer. Their 10-tap beer list is constantly rotating depending on the season and what the brewmasters feel like creating. Photo: Jesse Fox
Cartridge Brewing 1411 Grandin Rd., Maineville Head down to the banks of the Little Miami River where Cartridge Brewing sits inside of the historic Peters Cartridge Factory. Their menu features shareables like nachos and pretzels with beer cheese, plus pizza, sandwiches and more. While you’re there, be sure to grab a cocktail or one of their house-made brews. The brewery sits right along the Loveland Bike trail, making it the perfect stop while taking a ride. Photo: Sean M. Peters
Big Ash Brewing 5230 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township This beer “co-op” was founded by a group of 25 homebrewing friends in an Anderson Township basement in 2011. Featuring a self-serve tap wall (with 28 taps), build-your-own-pizza and a spacious outdoor patio, Big Ash Brewing is an ideal spot for a casual night of eating, drinking and socializing. Photo: facebook.com/BigAshBrewing
Fretboard Brewing Company 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash; 2750 Park Ave., Norwood; 108 Harrison Ave., Harrison; 103 Main St., Hamilton (Public House) This Blue Ash brewery achieves the perfect marriage —music and beer— by providing creative spaces for local musicians to rattle off riffs while grabbing brews at the taproom. What could have simply been a traditional German-bier-inspired brewery was electrified into an incredibly active live music venue with a pro-grade sound system? Fretboard has partnered with Smoked Out Cincy to pair their beers with brewery eats. Enjoy a smoked pulled pork sandwich paired with some of Fretboard’s house-made brews. Sandwiches not your thing? Enjoy some bar bites including smoked wings, mac and cheese rolls, barbecue pork fries and more. Photo: Brittany Thornton
Warped Wing Brewing 5650 Tylersville Road, Mason Dayton-based Warped Wing Brewing Company opened its Mason location in February of this year. The 13,000-square-foot location — in the former Brazenhead and Basil’s on Market space — features a large taproom with many of Warped Wing’s popular beers, like the Trotwood Lager, plus house-made hard seltzers. The food menu features smoked wings plus loads of sandwiches, tacos, platters and sharable options that feature house-smoked meats. Photo: provided by Warped Wing Brewing Company
Wooden Cask Brewing Company 629 York St., Newport This taproom’s proximity to Newport on the Levee makes it an ideal destination for shoppers who’d like to have a pit-stop pint. Traditional English, Irish and Scottish beers are the house specialty, though the draft list is no stranger to IPAs, wheats and blonde ales. There are no illusions about what you’ll get when you order a beer, as the drink’s essential essence is reached with each draft on tap. Photo: Paige Deglow
Streetside Brewery 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum Streetside Brewery is proud to be located in Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood — Columbia Tusculum. The Hickey family are residents of the neighborhood and founded Streetside Brewery to share their talent with their community. Enjoy craft beer and grab a bite to eat at The Black Dog Grille food truck that is always parked out front. The brewery recently expanded its patio, adding a massive outdoor area with tons of seating, a bar and bathrooms. Photo: provided by Streetside Brewery
Swine City Brewing 4614 Industry Drive, Fairfield Swine City is helmed by owners Dan and Debby Ebben, both native Fairfielders. The 5,000-square-foot open layout and acre-and-a-half of land are a family-friendly community space. The brewery frequently plays with sippable styles, so taproom selections vary from IPAs and stouts to sours and cream ales. Photo: provided by Swine City Brewing
West Side Brewery 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood Overseen by four passionate homebrewers, the taproom offers tons of West Side beer taps, including West Side’s amber ale, common ale, stout and more, plus a handful of other local brews, cider, wine and soda. The bar also offers patrons a chance to watch TV and play games. Photo: Megan Waddel
Little Miami Brewing Company 208 Mill St., Milford Founded by brothers-in-law Dan Lynch and Joe Brenner, Milford’s Little Miami Brewing Company sits on the banks of its namesake river, pouring beers alongside a selection of brick-oven pizzas. The pizza selection includes everything from the classics, such as the margherita pizza all the way to daring and innovative options. If pizza is not your thing, Little Miami Brewing Company also offers other laid-back eats such as nachos, pretzel sticks, chili and salad. The small-batch brewery offers 16 different brews on tap, from classics to experimentals and seasonals made with real fruit. Photo: Megan Waddel
Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom 1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine There’s no need to truck over to Boston for fresh Sam Adams. This taproom features indoor and outdoor space, spans nearly 9,000 square feet and offers an array of unique beers. 12 beers are offered on tap like the classic Boston lager and more adventurous options like the mango guava IPA; there are also brews available in cans and bottles and a few snack options. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Braxton Brewing Company 27 W. Seventh St., Covington; 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton; 8901 US-42, Union Braxton Brewing Co.’s 5,000+ square-foot seasonal patio features a living wall and some pretty neat views of Covington and downtown Cincinnati. Guests can head to the rooftop to enjoy an entirely new experience when visiting the brewery, with plenty of seating, shady umbrellas and a full bar. The brewery’s Pendleton location offers Braxton’s brews on tap plus eats from Pendalo Wingery. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Woodburn Brewing 2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills This East Walnut Hills brewery offers a plethora of creative beers, from Salmon Shorts, a strawberry tea blonde beer to the Solo coffee-infused blonde ale. Photo: facebook.com/WoodburnBrewing
Urban Artifact 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside Located in Northside’s historic St. Patrick’s church, Urban Artifact has plenty of room to enjoy one of their uniquely sour or fruity brews in the breezy courtyard. They say themselves that it is “one of the best places in the city to sit outside with a beer,” with umbrella-ed picnic tables and huge trees to provide shade. Photo: Brittany Thornton
Grainworks Brewing Company 7790 Service Center Drive, Suite B, West Chester This straightforward taproom sits you right next to the production facility so you can ponder exactly how many pints are in one of those gigantic tanks as you sip an undetermined fraction of its total volume. The space also features a large patio where you can enjoy a beer and some of the live music Grainworks offers. Photo: facebook.com/grainworksbeer
The Common Beer Company 126 E. Main St., Mason Beer is a common ground between many different kinds of people, so this brewery’s name encourages the idea that the taproom be treated like a common area, where anyone is welcome. Mark and Amy Lortz opened their taproom in downtown Mason as a local spot offering booze and a bite. Find wine, liquor, food trucks, a snack menu and their own beer on tap by the glass, flight or growler. Photo: facebook.com/thecommonbeerco
Fibonacci Brewing Company 1445 Compton Road, College Hill Fibonacci offers an expansive outdoor beer garden and urban farm next door to its microbrewery. They have two taprooms, a covered patio, grassy garden space, friendly goats and chickens and plenty of craft beer and wine to sip on while enjoying the open outdoors. Photo: facebook.com/fibonaccibrewing