USA, OH: Streetside Brewery now open in Cincinnati

Streetside Brewery is now open in Cincinnati’s Columbia Tusculum, Cincinnati.com reported on October 5.

The brewery and taproom, located at 4003 Eastern Ave., currently has limited hours, but will go to its regular schedule after its grand opening celebration on October 7.

Brian and Kathie Hickey and their son, Garrett Hickey, have been planning to open the brewery for more than two years. They built a new 5,000-square-foot building on the site of the former East End Café, which operated as a live music bar from 1887 until 2010, when it was heavily damaged by fire.

The new building includes a 2,000-square-foot taproom with seating for 68 inside and about 25 more outside. With a concrete bar, reclaimed redwood tables, TVs and garage doors that open to the outside, Kathie Hickey describes Streetside as "comfy industrial."

A rail overlooks the brewery, which sits at a lower elevation than the taproom. With its 15-barrel brewing system, the brewery's production capacity is about 3,000 barrels per year. The Hickeys expect to make about 800 during their first year.

To start, Streetside will serve six of its own beers: an ESB (English-style pale ale) with apricot, an imperial porter, a pale ale, an IPA, a green tea honey blond ale and a Berliner Weisse with raspberry. The latter won "King of Ohio" at the 2016 Ohio Craft Brew Festival, which took place Sept. 23 and 24 in Columbus.

"We're trying to push the envelope with our stuff because we're in a saturated market with a lot of competition," said Luke Shropshire, Streetside's lead brewer, who previously worked for Mt. Carmel Brewing Co. "We're trying to cycle through some stuff that isn't really done here in Cincinnati."

Garrett Hickey, Streetside Brewery’s managing brewer, has brewed at several breweries including Rivertown Brewing Co.

Some kegs will be distributed to nearby bars and restaurants. As Streetside increases production, the business will bolster its product distribution network.

A food concept for the brewery is in the works, Kathie Hickey said.

In addition to its own brews, Streetside will have five guest beers on tap and will also serve wine and Smooth Cincy coffee. Eventually, the owners plan to add free Wi-Fi and start opening around 8 a.m., Kathie Hickey said.

After the grand opening, hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday (closed Tuesday); 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, though they may stay open later on weekends if the demand is there.

06 October, 2016