USA, OH: Construction of Nine Giant Brewing facility underway in Cincinnati

One of Cincinnati's newest breweries is under construction with plans to be open by this spring, Cincinnati Business Courier reported on January 22.

Nine Giant Brewing signed a lease at the corner of Montgomery and Ridge roads in January 2015, and construction is now underway. Co-founder Brandon Hughes is aiming to open at the site by May.

"We wanted to build something focused on the tap room experience rather than distribution," Hughes said. "We found a Goldilocks zone of being not too big but not too small."

Hughes said construction is about halfway complete. The brewery has received federal licensing but is still waiting on its state certification.

Rather than take space in an industrial zone to keep rent low, the Nine Giant founders wanted to be part of a community. Hughes said he's not particularly interested in distributing kegs or cans all over the city but would rather focus on the brewpub experience.

"We built a business we think is viable without having to sort of play in that arena. I think that space is getting a lot more crowded," he said. "What we like about the craft beer scene is the tap room experience and going in and being able to find beers you can't on retail shelves."

Nine Giant is one of about a dozen Cincinnati-area craft breweries currently in the works. It will join the ranks of 21 craft breweries already churning out beer in the region.

Hughes and co-founder Michael Albarella are brothers-in-law. Hughes has Cincinnati roots, and when both of the co-founders' families moved back to the Queen City, they decided to go into business together.

"We knew we wanted to be on the East Side. That's just where I'm from, so I knew the areas. I went to Xavier, so the Norwood/Oakley/Hyde Park area is my stomping ground," Hughes said. "We started looking around in that area and saw a real opening in Pleasant Ridge. It's definitely up and coming as an area, there was space for us and it was right in the middle of a business district. I think it's an under-served market."

27 January, 2016