The much-anticipated Ei8ht Ball Brewing is set to open its doors to the general public on November 23 at 11 a.m. However, this isnt your run of the mill local craft beer brewery. As we are quickly realizing, they do things a little differently across the river -- in a very cool way.
Bar? Brewery? Both!
What stands out as unusual is that the brewery is coupled with an extensive craft beer bar oh, and its housed in a liquor store. True to form, Ei8ht Ball was the first to lure a local, well-respected, head brewer from an established brewery to head up their operation (then there was this, this past week).
At this point they have a rock star head brewer, a bunch of shiny new brewing equipment, and a tap room bar with 42 taps. But out of the gate they only have two beers from Ei8ht Ball (more on this later).
So, what do you do with the rest of the vacant taps? Hook them up with a beer nerds fantasy draft lineup.
While most tap rooms almost exclusively carry their own product they have decided to transform the bar into a beer education center. Like their brewmaster, they pulled a coup and hired on local sud-slinging legend Peanut Kahles (formerly of Mariemonts Dilly Deli). He and his staff aim to teach patrons about the world of beer through flights, pints, and growlers.
While different from the norm, it certainly supports the business model of the bars surroundings. It also fits in well with the spirit of craft beer brewing where there is a place for every beer and something to please every palate.
This isnt a realm of hyper-marketing trying to cram brand loyalty down consumers throats. This is the brotherhood/sisterhood of craft beer in action.
First Beers
As I mentioned before, they have two brews prepared for their launch. K-Hole, an imperial stout, and The Wheel: Prodigal Son, an American pale ale. Here are the details:
K-Hole (9.1% ABV): Our first brew ever. This big bold Imperial Mocha Stout will sneak up on you. It's just too tasty, brewed with coffee, cocoa and lactose. The Wheel: Prodigal Son (6.3% ABV): Our first go on the Wheel: Prodigal Son is malty sweet with a bunch of floral goodness. This is one fine American Pale Ale. Initial Tap List
You have to do something with those 40 other shiny taps, so why not load it up with a whos who lineup of beers? The styles range from West Coast IPA to Barrel Aged Strong Ale to Sour Stout to Hefeweizen enough to please any palate and expand others. The breweries represented include Mikkeller, Rivertown, Three Floyds, Bosteels, Quaff Brothers, Oscar Blues, Dark Horse, and many more. Check out their website for a complete listing so you can start making your tasting list.
I think this is going to be a pretty exciting place with the beers they produce on-premise as well as the commercially made friends they serve in the taproom. Stay tuned to the Cincinnati Beer Events calendar for more info on special events.
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