After making an official announcement back in October that they’d be opening the Fretboard Brewery and Public House in Hamilton, Ohio things started happening a lot quicker than I had mentally prepared myself. After what I’m sure was a painfully long process for the folks at Fretboard, the day has finally arrived, and the new location will be opening their doors starting tomorrow – December 11, 2019.
The Skinny On The Location
If you’re a local, you might be at least semi-familiar with the building that Fretboard moved into, it’s the old location of Quarter Barrel in downtown Hamilton. The bones of the space were pretty freaking cool, with three floors and a rooftop that is easily one of my favorite places to grab a beer and watch the sunset in the summer.
When Fretboard came in and took over the brewing space, they (as well as restaurant partner, Looking Glass Hospitality) took what they liked, and reworked the things they didn’t, turning the great little brewpub into something that I know the folks up in Butler County are going to fall in love with.
The brewpub covers all the areas of the space – from a first floor ‘Pub Atmosphere’ to the second floor’s casual dining room and that upstairs rooftop beer garden (seasonally, when the weather allows it) – no matter what you’re in the mood for they’ve got it covered for you. Their new menu is also available on all three floors – we should talk about that, right?
The Food
They’re working pretty hard to make sure that the Public House menu fits in with Hamilton, as well as Fretboard. The chef team is using fresh, local ingredients whenever possible and are working hard to elevate the idea of what “pub-fare” can be.
You can head over and check out the menu on their website – it’s right here – but while I haven’t tried the food yet, after my quick review of it I can tell you 100% that I am really, really excited to try some of the stuff on there. Southern Fried Chicken Thighs? BBQ Mac and Cheese? Pimento Burger? There’s going to be a lot to try over my next few visits.
The Beer
This is a fully functioning second brewery for Fretboard, not just a taproom disguising itself as a brewery (That’s why they make the “Big List” as the 64th brewery in town as of this writing). What that means for the beer side of things is that in addition to the staple beers that you already love from their Blue Ash “Mothership” you can expect that you’ll get your hands on some fun, one-off new brews from their new system as well.
Assuming that you’ve got that person in your group that’s out with you for dinner that doesn’t like beer, you’ll be happy to know that they’ve got a full bar in addition to the beer you’ll find on tap.
The Grand Opening
As I mentioned earlier in the post, they’re kicking things off starting tomorrow. The Fretboard Brewery and Public House is located at 103 Main Street in Hamilton – it’s right on the corner as you cross the bridge, you can’t miss it.
While you’re in town, make sure that you stop by Municipal Brew Works – it’s a short walk away, and with the entertainment district in Hamilton you can drink a pint on the way. Hell… while you’re at it stop by North Second Tap over on 2nd Street, and Casual Pint over on Riverfront Plaza – there’s some great beer being poured in Hamilton right now!