Butler County and more specifically Fairfield had been desperate for something to call their own for a long time (when it comes to the brewery world). We’re a part of town packed with craft beer fans (have you seen how crowded a Jungle Jim’s pint night can get?), yet for a while, we had to drive to West Chester or Hamilton to get to the closest taprooms to fill up our pint glass. All that changed when local residents Dan and Debby Ebben opened up Swine City a year ago.
About Swine City
The idea for Swine City started long before the brewery actually came to life. There were the standard hurdles that I think every project faces, but they were certainly faced with all of them. Without spending the whole time you’re here going into all of the details, I think that it’s safe to say that since they’ve had their doors open the challenges haven’t stopped for this new brewery either – it’s been a heck of a first year for them and a real trial by fire.
It’s easy to get a pretty good idea of what Swine City is about when you stop by their taproom. It’s a little rough around the edges, their location on Industry drive in Fairfield is fitting with their industrial taproom packed full of their brewing equipment… but within the concrete and stainless steel there is a warmth brought about by old barwood, dark colors and an atmosphere that didn’t take any creativity to foster… it just came with the people that fill the taproom each day.
Swine is definitely family friendly – they provide plenty of space for kids to play (they’ve even got over one and a half acres outside when the weather cooperates). Big picnic tables in and outside provide space for you and all your friends to gather and have a beer while playing a board game or two. If one of your friends isn’t a fan of beer…don’t worry – wine and cider are tap list staples at Swine City.
The Anniversary Celebration
To celebrate their first anniversary, Swine City is throwing a weekend-long party for us to enjoy.
Friday (Today) – things kick off at noon with their 1-year beer release on draft (I’ll talk about that in a minute) – they’re also running Happy Hour from 2-5pm where you get $1 off pints of beer. If you’re in the market for some great swag, they’ll have raffles for merch and gift cards all day too.
Saturday – Doors open at noon again with lunch from Drunken Hog BBQ until 5 pm, and then Dinner from Sweet & Savory Express. At 1 pm you’ll get your first chance at bottles of that one-year anniversary beer (again… I’ll have more on that shortly).
Sunday – Doors again at noon with food from the Sioux Chef. They’ll also be throwing two surprise new beers on tap when their doors open. 1 pm is lunch and cocktail time, with some experimental beer cocktails (like the Peach Bellini called “If You Threw A Party” with peach juice and grenadine). Again… they’ll also have raffles for merch and gift cards all day long.
The Anniversary Beer
The weekend at Swine is very much about celebrating their first year in business… and there is a lot of ways to do that. For us beer geeks, though – there’s only one really proper way to celebrate, and that’s with a beer release. Swine has been working on this one for a while, and it’s finally ready!
Under The Moonlight is a wine barrel aged farmhouse ale, that got the fruit treatment with around 1lb per barrel of raspberries. This funky beer is a perfect example of the stuff that I have been excited to see from Swine City since I first got my chance to try some of their early ideas for Swine City.
There is not a ton of this beer that will be available, with less than 300 of them probably on sale, and they’re going to have a 2 bottle limit per person (so bring your spouse… your mom, your grandma).