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BUILT AROUND beer<br />
Local craft breweries are creating communities<br />
It’s not just about the beer. Yes,<br />
craft breweries in Cincinnati and<br />
Northern Kentucky are seeing a<br />
resurgence with numbers topping<br />
pre-prohibition days. And brew<br />
masters across town are taking<br />
great care to bring you high quality<br />
beverages made in small batch<br />
barrels. But today’s breweries are<br />
serving up beers with a strong dose<br />
of socializing.<br />
“When we started with beer, our<br />
focus was educating the public about<br />
craft beer with its different tastes<br />
and varieties,” says Bobby Slattery,<br />
co-owner of Fifty West Brewing<br />
Company. “But we quickly took in<br />
the bigger picture—beer invites community.<br />
People were being drawn to<br />
a place where they could gather and<br />
socialize.”<br />
Driving by Fifty West on 50 West<br />
(Wooster Pike) most afternoons and<br />
evenings and you see throngs of people—those<br />
of drinking age and often<br />
their children and dogs—enjoying<br />
the outdoor spaces. There’s sand<br />
volleyball, cornhole, pickleball and<br />
biking in warmer weather and an iceskating<br />
rink when it’s cold.<br />
There’s no doubt that Slattery and<br />
his team are trailblazers in this brewery-meets-activity<br />
arena. In fact, Fifty<br />
West was the first brewery in the area<br />
to launch a running club. When asked<br />
about the combination of beer and<br />
athletes in training, Slattery says it’s<br />
really about those individuals wanting<br />
to loosen up (literally and figuratively)<br />
and be social. “Beer serves as a<br />
catalyst,” he says.<br />
Other events the brewery has sponsored<br />
include a tug of war contest,<br />
boxing matches, multiple concerts<br />
and soccer games. Slattery admits<br />
soccer was not a hit so they replaced<br />
that area with three pickleball courts.<br />
“We like to be ahead of the curve,”<br />
he says. “We’re always trying to<br />
figure out what type of communityoriented<br />
events are needed. We get<br />
in there early and we take risks—acting<br />
sort of as trailblazers—and we’re<br />
not afraid to fail. We stick with<br />
what works and keep looking for new<br />
ideas.”<br />
Ready to hop in on the fun?<br />
In addition to Fifty West, other breweries<br />
across Greater Cincinnati are<br />
building communities of their own.<br />
We suggest you visit the following<br />
websites for activity and event calendars.<br />
braxtonbrewing.com<br />
fiftywestbrew.com<br />
fretboardbrewing.com<br />
grainworks.beer<br />
rhinegeist.com<br />
thirdeyebrewingco.com<br />
Note: Fifty West has plans to launch<br />
a Northern Cincinnati brewpub at<br />
Deerfield Crossing in June of 2024.<br />
24 Home & Leisure
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