USA, OH: Cartridge Brewing slated to open in Maineville this fall
A long-abandoned and well-known historic Maineville factory will once again operate — but not in an industrial sense, the Cincinnati CityBeat reported on September 24.
A portion of the Peters Cartridge Factory, aka “The Powder Factory” to locals, is being transformed into a brewery and restaurant called Cartridge Brewing, slated to open this fall.
The space, located along the Little Miami Bike Trail and Little Miami River, is part of a larger redevelopment operation by Bloomfield Schon, which will eventually renovate the former factory to offer 15,000 square feet of commercial space and 130 market-rate apartments, according to their website.
A portion of that commercial space will soon be home to the area’s first brewery.
The rich history of the factory dates back to the late 1800s (more on that in a little bit), and while brewery owner Kyle Hackbarth’s dream to open a beer-based business doesn’t stem back quite that far, it is at least a couple decades in the making.
The hop seed was planted when Hackbarth and his now-wife Lindsey (brand experience director of the brewery) met in college at Purdue University and realized they both shared a love of craft beer. They dreamed of eventually opening their own brewery, but their plans were halted after the tragedy of 9/11, when Hackbarth decided to enlist in the army. After almost a decade of service, he was honorably discharged in 2012.
Several years later, Hackbarth embarked on a new career and he and his family moved to Cincinnati, where his brewery dreams were awoken once again. An opportunity to obtain space within the Cartridge Factory’s new redevelopment project presented itself, and after one site visit and a meeting, he signed the letter of intent to make his dream a reality.
The team behind Cartridge Brewing has partnered with several local businesses to build an establishment that extends beyond a place to drink house-brewed beers. In addition to their eight to 12 rotating brews — with varieties including (but not limited to) kettle sours, stouts and pilsners — Cartridge Brewing will also be a sit-down restaurant boasting a wine project and full-service bar.
Hackbarth says hospitality will be at the forefront of their business model.
“We view Cartridge Brewing as a hospitality business that happens to make beer. Meaning, we wanted to differentiate ourselves from other craft breweries by offering a seamless guest experience with a full sit-down restaurant/brew pub concept centered around service,” he says in an email interview. “We’re excited to be fulfilling the local need for not only a local craft brewery, but a true dining experience — a family-friendly meal option, a date night, or happy hour with your friends coming off the bike trail.”
Chef Jerry Johnson will helm the restaurant, bringing with him his years of experience at notable Queen City eateries like Jeff Ruby’s, Sotto, Mita’s, Restaurant L and Le Bar a Bouef. According to a Facebook post by the brewery, Johnson’s culinary style will offer an upscale yet approachable pub menu.
Inside the brewery there will be three main sections: the taproom, with a bar and high-top seating; the dining room; and a lounge-like “conversation space,” with soft couches and chairs. There will also be a seasonal patio located outside of the taproom.
Hackbarth says hospitality will be at the forefront of their business model.
“We view Cartridge Brewing as a hospitality business that happens to make beer. Meaning, we wanted to differentiate ourselves from other craft breweries by offering a seamless guest experience with a full sit-down restaurant/brew pub concept centered around service,” he says in an email interview. “We’re excited to be fulfilling the local need for not only a local craft brewery, but a true dining experience — a family-friendly meal option, a date night, or happy hour with your friends coming off the bike trail.”
Chef Jerry Johnson will helm the restaurant, bringing with him his years of experience at notable Queen City eateries like Jeff Ruby’s, Sotto, Mita’s, Restaurant L and Le Bar a Bouef. According to a Facebook post by the brewery, Johnson’s culinary style will offer an upscale yet approachable pub menu.
Inside the brewery there will be three main sections: the taproom, with a bar and high-top seating; the dining room; and a lounge-like “conversation space,” with soft couches and chairs. There will also be a seasonal patio located outside of the taproom.
The team decided to partner with Platte Architecture and Design because of their experience with historic redevelopment. When planning the space, the focus was on highlighting the history while providing some more traditional taproom elements.
“We built the interior design around the frame of the space — high ceilings showcasing worn concrete walls...beams that could tell a thousand stories of their past...huge windows that welcome light throughout the day,” says Hackbarth.
“We then mixed in various elements to create depth and warmth — warm woods cover the back bar and two giant wall displays in the dining room... Geometric light fixtures highlight the custom river tables (made by an old Army friend) using both wood and concrete to highlight our Cartridge C logo.”
When it came to choose a location for the brewery, Hackbarth was drawn to the unique past of the factory.
“The rich history and the legend of it as the iconic 'powder factory' to all who know or visit this area made it truly a once-in-a-lifetime location to build our long-time dream of a brewery,” he says. “They simply don’t build buildings like this anymore — from the beauty of the high ceilings and giant windows to the uniqueness of the site’s location... It’s a gorgeous brick factory nestled in a sleepy valley lined with trees along the river.”
Many in the area are familiar with the property, but may not know the depth of its history.
The Peters Cartridge Factory — as we know it as today — was built after an explosion caused by a freight train running into a couple of boxcars filled with blasting powder. The wreck devastated the company's former factory buildings located across the river and caused damage up to 12 miles away from the site in 1890. The company produced ammunition, like gunpowder and cartridge-loading machines, on a large scale, eventually providing supplies for the Spanish-American War and World War I.
The company was later sold to Remington Arms and produced ammunition for World War II. After the war, the factory was shut down in 1944 when the company decided to consolidate their locations.
From the 1940s to the '70s, the space was used for a multitude of purposes, including a record pressing and storage site for Columbia Records, a barrel house for Seagram’s Distillery and a manufacturing location for LensCrafters, in addition to its use as a studio and workshop location.
But after five decades, the space will come alive once again, and will welcome visitors with a cold beer (wine, cocktail or soda), approachable, sophisticated eats and some top-notch hospitality.
If you’d like to support the new neighborhood brewery, you can contribute to their Kickstarter campaign. Their goal is to raise $25,000 by Oct. 15 (they're offering some incentives for different donation amounts). As of Sept. 24, they've raised more than $18,000.
Cartridge Brewing will be located at 1411 Grandin Road in Maineville.
24 September, 2020
