Once one of the largest brewing boomtowns in 19th-century America, the Queen City was home to major pre-Prohibition beer kingpins and, in recent years, has bolstered an ever-expanding craft brewing scene. Here in Cincinnati, good beer is more than just a rising trend — it’s a centuries-old tradition that lives on through the many craft breweries the city has to offer. To share in that tradition, here are the top 25 best breweries in Cincinnati according to Yelp.

*All quotes are taken from Yelp reviews.

25. Rebel Mettle Brewery 412 Central Ave., Downtown “Super cool brewery! Industrial atmosphere. Good beer. Gearheads and veterans welcome..” — Kay J. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
24. Fretboard Brewing 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash “Great place with fun live entertainment. Typical brewery with lots of people and a little chaos.” — Terry L. Photo: Brittany Thornton
No. 7 Best Taproom: Dead Low Brewing 5959 Kellogg Ave., California Within walking distance of Coney Island and Riverbend Music Center, this brewery features a taproom, beer garden and kitchen. Dead Low Brewing serves up more than a dozen beers, seltzers, sour, and stouts. And be sure to come hungry. Along with a wine and spirit menu, the brewery also offers an extensive food menu; many dishes utilize Dead Low brews, like the beer-battered haddock sandwich and the beer cheesecake. Photo: Kaitlyn Handel Photo: Kaitlyn Handel
22. Streetside Brewery 4003 Eastern Ave., East End “Great variety and unique bears. Didn’t try any food. But the flights are a great way to try a lot of different beers.” — Kara T. Photo: Scott Dittgen
21. Cartridge Brewing 1411 Grandin Road, Kings Mills “A busy place, but great combo of amazing food and beer and they have options for the non beer drinkers! The boisterous atmosphere was perfect for a fun date night with a toddler in tow! The staff was super friendly and helpful. When our daughter fell in love with and devoured the pineapple beer garnish, they brought her a few more! So thoughtful!” — Andrea T. Photo: Sean M. Peters
20. Locoba by Platform 1201 Main St., Over-the-Rhine “Excellent place for caffeine and craft beer. Never too packed for a stop in. Great choices and offerings.” — Kelsey O. Photo: Israel Viox
Esoteric Brewing Co. 900 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Esoteric Brewing, Cincinnati’s first minority-owned brewery, is slated to open in Walnut Hills this May. The brewery will be located in the 1930s Art Deco Paramount Building, part of the Paramount Square development at Peebles Corner. The 6,000-square-foot public space will have a speakeasy vibe, with lounge chairs, cocktail tables and a waitstaff. Because the brewing equipment will be housed in the basement, a viewing space will be carved out so customers can look down into the brew hub. As for food, they’ve partnered with grilled cheese truck C’est Cheese, which will serve food from a window inside the taproom. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
18. West Side Brewing 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood “Really good brews, great space and super nice staff. We live pretty close so we’ll be back for sure!” — Scott N. Photo: Olive Collins Niesz
17. Wiedemann’s Fine Beer 4811 Vine St., St. Bernard “The food here is better than you would expect at a brewery restaurant. I recommend the fish sandwich or the burger. Excellent selection of draft beers brewed on-site.” — Ed R. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
16. Northern Row Brewery & Distillery 111 W. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine “The staff here are all rockstars! The service is excellent and of course the beer is phenomenal! The food is also amazing.” — Jae B. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
15. Urban Artifact 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside “I love this adorable little brewery. It’s the place to go for any connoisseur of light, refreshing fruity beers and the best part is everything is vegan!” — Heather B. Photo: Brittany Thornton
14. Hofbrauhaus Newport 200 E. Third St., Newport “German food is hard to recreate faithfully, but the Hofbräuhaus does a fine job at it. Add to that an excellent assortment of beers (big ones!), and you’re almost sure to have a good time. Try sitting in the Biergarten for maximum atmosphere.” — Andrew M. Photo: Susan Keller
13. Bircus Brewing 322 Elm St., Ludlow “If you want to find 1 of the coolest breweries/bars/circus performers around in NKY, you must come here! Not only are their staff great, but the beers are even better. The environment is peaceful, relaxed, & “weird”; next time I come, I will be trying their wood-fired oven pizza!” — Shelby Z. Photo: Facebook.com/bircusbeer
12. Listermann Brewing Trail House 3701 Montgomery Road, Suite D, Norwood “Came here yesterday afternoon for the first time. Didn’t know it was here, we just happened to be driving by. The place was surprisingly empty… not sure if people don’t know about this location or what. Beer was great… we were offered many samples. The pizza and salad were delicious. A lot of food for the money. The servers were very nice and helpful in deciding what to get. Will definitely be back” — Julie D. Photo: Facebook.com/LBCtrailhouse
The OTR StillHouse is a distillery, winery and brewery in one located in a former 1890s ice manufacturing warehouse. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
HighGrain Brewing 6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton Newish Silverton brewery HighGrain is offerings its brews for touchless pick-up — through their deck-side order window — and delivery. (Their taproom is also open.) Order online at highgrainbrewing.square.site and your beer will be delivered Friday through Sunday — as long as you’re within a 12-mile radius of the brewery. Order by 2 p.m. for same-day delivery. And there’s free shipping for any order over $25. Check out their “Holiday Fun Pack” featuring four crowlers: a Euro Pale Ale, Juicy IPA, Mexican Lime Lager and Robust Porter for $34.99. Photo: Sean M. Peters Photo: Sean M. Peters
9. Brink Brewing 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill “These guys do beer right. Love all their beers, as do others based on all the awards they’ve won. My favorite is the Moozie Milk Stout. No food in house but they have a terrific Puerto Rican restaurant right next door called Mashed Roots that delivers to your table. Highly recommend!” — David F. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
8. Fifty West Brewing Company 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township “Such a fun spot to take the family. The kids can have fun and so can the adults. Doesn’t hurt that the burgers are really good!” — Megan C. Photo: Provided by Fifty West
7. Woodburn Brewing 2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills “Great spot! Love the beer, the food is awesome and the people are so nice. This is an up and coming part of town with a lot of independent local stores around. Highly recommended.” — Chris L. Photo: Provided by March First Brewing
6. Rhinegeist 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine “Great atmosphere, great beer! Free parking lot across the street from the brewery. Kid-family friendly with games, cornhole, ping pong, etc.” — Morgan F. Photo: Rhinegeist
5. Braxton Brewing Co. 27 W. Seventh St., Covingtom “Great beers and their Covington spot’s rooftop bar is excellent. Great hang out. I’ll be back for sure. I had the Cherry Turnover, very good.” — Brad B. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
4. BrewDog Cincinnati 316 Reading Road, Pendleton “Arcade, good beer and football playoffs? This is the spot. Hazy Jane and the sweet and spicy wings.” — Jeremy M. Photo: Adam Doty
Nine Giant 6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge Nine Giant is the stuff of legends. Its story begins with a giant named Nine. Though many don’t know, these mythical creatures once called Cincinnati home, guzzling the great brews of the city’s past. But when the city’s once-great brewing ceased, the giants slept, fields and flowers growing over them. Long after, Nine was awakened in Pleasant Ridge; he rubbed his tired eyes, trees still growing atop his head. The giant found a place among the shimmering taps and glistening blue walls of what would become his namesake. There are no flagship beers at Nine Giant — its 10 taps are subject to endless experimentation. You’ll find that general styles remain, but each batch offers an opportunity to swap out flavors and ingredients. Photo: Jesse Fox Photo: Jesse Fox
MadTree Brewing 3301 Madison Ave., Oakley MadTree Brewing is now offering its first ever non-alcoholic beer — becoming one of the first major Cincinnati-based breweries to delve into the non-alcoholic beer scene. MadTree’s Leave No Trace tastes like a pale ale without the alcohol and is available exclusively at the taproom. Photo: facebook.com/MadTreeTaproom
19. Taft’s Ale House 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine ”I came here with my gf for dinner one weekend in the summer and we had a great time. The food, service and beer was very tasty and it’s also different than the Brewporium so the variety was nice in case you’re thinking about visiting both. This place can be more of a sit-down style dining experience (top level) or the order and sit at a table with friends while playing board games feel (bottom floor). They have an elevator and ramped entrance so it’s accessible which is great. ” — Fuschia H. Photo: Jesse Fox Photo: Jesse Fox