New Brew Review5 min read

Call me excited! I am walking distance from my house to the coolest new brewery in town…Woodburn Brewery! They had a soft opening last weekend, and it was off the charts!

This place is definitely the most chic brewery in town. The amazing space sets pace for the amazing beers. Yes, the exposed brick–and as much of the original building that could be kept–is there, but they took it to another level.  The copper bar and tile work is so cool. The light fixtures and tall glass doors with the awesome logo are like artwork. Speaking of the logo… a ton of thought and drafts went into designing it. The W is, of course, Woodburn, and the cool art deco-type Phoenix is underneath. The meaning behind the logo is the Phoenix rising from the ashes like the home of the brewery that is rising from debris. Thanks to Dennis’ wife Jennie for her design expertise, since she has been a director and producer in movies, a set designer for the Opera and currently designs the set and more for Crossroads Church Christmas show Awaited.

I sat down with Dennis Chacón and Chris Mitchell to get their story. Both with a brewing background–Chris’ years at Listermannand Dennis, active in home brewing–they wanted to start their own gig.  They met by chance as Dennis was scoping out a spot in OTR. They started talking and, voila, the brewery was born.  They continued their search exhaustively and found themselves back at the cool space on Woodburn (lucky for me). Previously a movie theater, bank and a dry cleaner built in 1909, this was the space for their dream.

There are 30 taps that will be pouring at some point.  Currently, they are pouring 6 outstanding beers. My favorite is the Pineapple Saison, made with real pineapple (not too fruity, but light with a punch). I can’t wait to try the Steinpils. Lets just call it the Michael Phelps of beers!! It is a 4x Gold Medal winner in Germany. Dennis and Chris made friends with the brewer in Germany who let them have the exclusive rights for the recipe in the States. He even came over with an entourage of friends to try it. While they nervously sat around a table waiting for his reaction, he took a sip, smiled, then they killed a barrel between the group!

They like to maintain a local touch to their beers and even have bee hives on top of the building for the honey.

They will be adding four more, including the Steinpils, for the Grand Opening on August 26th. They will eventually have guest beers and occasionally some seasonal changes.

As for now, you can order in food from local spots such as Suzie Wongs,Fireside Pizza, O Pie O, Cafe DeSales  and Just Q’in…all right around the corner. As well, food trucks will be in the parking lot. If that’s not enough, they have plans for their own food in the future.

The Grand Opening is sure to be a fun night with DJ’s , food trucks and the sale of Growlers.

Getting to Know Them…. 

Have you met anyone famous in your life?

Chris said one day, while working on the bar in its beginning stages, the door opened and Emilio Estevez walked in. They chatted, and Chris gave him a tour. So… may be a future spotting when he is in town again!

Who’s your favorite author?

Dennis is such a fan of J.D. Salinger that his two daughters are named after characters from his books. Zoe named after a boy character Zooey in Franny and Zooey.  Esmé from Esmé with Love and Squalor. Great names by the way!

Great News…

Cincy Brew Bus Tourhas added Woodburn to their lineup.  Starting this Saturday, Woodburn will be the meeting spot, followed by Madtree, Braxtonand Taft Ale House.  For $5 off a tour of the breweries, use code Brewburn16 for your future booking

Tips

• Hours: Monday-Friday 4p-midnight and Saturday/Sunday noon-midnight, effective August 26th (But, if you see the lights on this weekend, stop in!)
• Kid and dog friendly (how awesome is that?)
• Great outdoor patio will be open soon
• Make DeSales (the up and coming bar & restaurant neighborhood) a destination ! Myrtles Punch Houseis across the street, and The Growler House–is just around the corner
• Great way to try a few at a time is the “flight of 3”: three 5 oz. pours of what you want to try for just $6
• There’s street parking or a lot off Myrtle and next to Woodburn Brewery

Dumbing down the process of picking what beer you want :) 

• The two most common numbers you see posted under the name of the beer are  ABV and IBU.
• ABV is Alcohol By Volume. This is the description of the alcohol % in a beer, which can be around 2%-12%. (For example, Budwieser is 5% so 12% will get you there quick! J)
• IBU is International Bitterness Unit. This measures the bitterness from hops in a beer and is rated on a scale of 0-100.
• Example: IPA is very hoppy, like around an 80. Note that the bitterness can be effected by the malts. So a beer with higher IBU maybe like a stout, which is not bitter because of the sweetness of the malt that balances it out.
• Hope this helps because it really helped me understand all those numbers
• Click herefor a chart that might help you navigate what’s what in craft beer

Woodburn Brewery
2800 Woodburn Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45206