It’s coming… Fifty West announced a couple of weeks ago that a new Burger Bar was coming to Deerfield township. It’s a big move and one that I have been thinking a lot about since the news came out.

When the brewery announced that they were expanding their brewery from their original location in Mariemont into Chillicothe back in 2019 (the new location wouldn’t open until 2021) I had a lot of thoughts back then, too, about what it meant for them. A lot of us were curious to see where this would take this brewery that we fell in love with back in 2012 – back before Cincy Beer had really formed the identity we know today.

There was this endless possibility… they had proven the Burger Bar concept here in Cincinnati – it was a huge hit, even during a flippin’ global pandemic. People loved it, the nostalgia of burgers, fries, root beer, and tasty craft beers. Sunshine, outdoor space to spread out with your family. It’s a concept that can seemingly work anywhere, right?

You could build these things all across the country.

It’s Not About The Destination, It’s About The Journey

To focus on where Fifty West could take its brand, the new locations, or expansion is to miss the whole point of Fifty West. Don’t get me wrong, either… I don’t even think that the folks at Fifty West always have always had a tight hold on this concept.

Fifty West is about the experience. It’s about the journey that we take.

I had a really fun time this year so far remembering that. Yes, their next focus could have been a new brewpub in a new city that was ready to experience them, their brand, and their beer – it would have been great for a lot of folks. Instead, we started 2023 off with a reopened brewpub.

The Journey Has A Beginning

It looks different than the smash success of a Burger Bar across the street. It feels different than the production facility that cranks out some great beers for us to fill our fridges and our coolers. The brewpub location, though, is a really important part of the journey.

We talked a lot about what this space means to the folks at Fifty West, and to a lot of us beer geeks, when I had Bobby and Max on Cincy Brewcast a couple of months ago. It’s a part of the story. Not just in a technical sense, with it being the space where they started things off back in 2012, but in a much bigger “life sense” too. The burger bars are for families. They are a little louder, and the food is simple, without a lot of frills. Sometimes you want to go out for a “nicer” dinner and leave the kids with a babysitter. In that way – the brewpub has a very distinct role in the journey, too.

The New Deerfield Location

While they were reopening the brewpub, they were also looking towards the future, the whole time. The brewery clearly isn’t done growing, and the decision of what that means certainly looks a lot different post-pandemic than it might have before it. The brewery, instead of looking towards far-off locations across the country found plenty of spots close to home that they thought the journey made a lot of sense.

The experience of the Burger Bar is one of families… of afternoons spending time together, volleyball, pickle ball, picnic tables, and laughter. The opportunity to be a part of a new development in Deerfield township came up and made a ton of sense for them… it’s hard to ignore how great this will be.

The new location will be extremely familiar… with plenty to do outside in the warmer months, and a comfortable, relaxed space inside to grab a burger with your kiddos. The new development looks like it’s going to be great, too. There is a lot of space to walk around (I’m hearing rumors of a good little DORA zone as part of it) with retail and even some residential space, too.

The new location is coming (hopefully) in the spring of 2024 – so we have a little bit of time to wait, still. But that wait is going to give folks plenty of time to talk about one glaring fact – It’s not on Route 50. Never mind that this spot is going to be a great location where you can spend an afternoon with your family or friends (which is precisely what the “Burger Bar” concept is about) folks are getting hung up on this Route 50 part.

Fifty West Was Never About The Road

Here’s the big takeaway that I have with this. I didn’t understand it for a while, but once I did – the whole brand connects a lot more with me. It’s like a road trip – but one that we take during our lives.

I spent time as a young beer drinker at the Fifty West bar… penny flip nights, knocking back beers with friends. I had happy hours with co-workers in the beer garden. I soaked up the sun and the cool evening air at Punch Out after just finding out my wife was pregnant only to then sit with my little kids in a booth swinging their little feet because they can’t touch the ground yet at their Burger Bar.

Fifty West has had beers that walked me through my story. They have locations that provide the backdrop for storytelling along the way. They are part of countless stories every day – and that is their brand.

So, no. The new location isn’t on Route 50, and I think you’ll get over that.

Life is most definitely a journey – and Fifty West is doing an insanely good job of illustrating that. To stay up to date on the latest information about Fifty West, of course, I’ll try to keep things up here on the website – but you can also make sure that you’re following the brewery over on social media and their website, too!