This is not the place for me to explain what defines a brewery as a “local Cincinnati” brewery….if you are ready for that you’re going to have to head over here and read about it… This post today is a little more specific about what I do consider one of our local breweries, and the fact that it seems to be falling through the cracks for a lot of people that I talk to… in fact, I just finally made my first trip out to Quarter Barrel Brewery and Pub in Oxford very recently so I won’t criticize too much.
If you don’t know anything about the brewery, I can give you a quick run-down. Quarter Barrel was nano-before anyone else in town was. They started brewing on their 1 hecto-liter (.85bbl) brew system back in 2010 and started pairing up their unique brews with an eclectic “local first” guided menu. This philosophy still guides what they do today… head brewer Brandon Ney is known to push the style comfort zones of Miami University students with his beers, as well as the constantly rotating guest taps featured at Quarter Barrel (The night I was there featured a Apricot Wit called Witpricot and a brilliantly spicy beer called Scorpion Death Drop that was a Braggot featuring a healthy addition of Habanero and Chipotle peppers).
The beers that I tried at Quarter Barrel are certainly up to par with (if not better than some) other local offerings… the space is a fantastic upscale feeling bar atmosphere, fit for dinner or late night drinks. It’s not as if the brewerty sits by itself so far out of town that there is nothing else to do if you go to spend an evening in town… so why is this gem not being talked about more?
Are we getting comfortable? Are people settling into their neighborhood brewery, or their favorite local place to have a beer? Tell me… are you afraid to venture out to a new brewery that might be a little outside of your comfort zone? I have a hard time believing that this is true… who doesn’t love new beer to try?
So…chime in. Tell me what is keeping your butt from being in a barstool at Quarter Barrel?