Braxton Doesn’t Stay Out Of Cincinnati For Long – Heads To Factory 52

Written By: The Gnarly Gnome
Photography By: The Gnarly Gnome

6/2/25

It was a hit for folks on this side of the river when Braxton announced that they’d closed their taproom in Pendleton, and that the space would soon be listed for sale. Not that it’s actually as hard as some of you make it seem, to cross over the river, but it was a sad news day nonetheless.

One shining piece of that article from the Cincinnati Business Courier, though, was a little bit at the end of it. “Even though the Pendleton site is permanently closed, Rouse hinted at future plans to make up for the fact Braxton is no longer operating in the space. He could not elaborate publicly on when and where that might be.”

Well… today they are elaborating. They’re taking over the HiWire Brewing Company space in Norwood at Factory 52.

Taproom Evolution

Before we talk about this transition between Braxton and HiWire, I think it’s important that we talk about how things have changed for the brewery since they got their start in Covington in 2015.

In the same way that craft beer has been in a constant state of change for the last decade, so has Braxton. When they planned their Cincinnati taproom in 2020, they made the announcement that the taproom itself was designed to be a combination of all the taproom personalities that they’d already opened up. It was supposed to combine their Covington Headquarters with the innovation of Labs and the pure taproom vibe that Barrelhouse brings to the mix. It never quite captured that feeling, though.

It wouldn’t be until they opened their space down in Union, Kentucky, that the real vision would come to life. The taproom is the perfect combination of every aspect of what Braxton is. This also includes the location itself… surrounded by neighborhoods, suburban, a place where people want to show up, bring their entire family… and just hang out.

I anticipate that as we see Braxton continue to grow, this is exactly the type of space that we’ll see them grow into.

Places like Union… places like Norwood.

Factory 52

In 2023, Factory 52 opened up the first phase of its huge new development located in the former US Playing Card factory site in Norwood. This mixed-use space combines apartments with retail. There’s an amazing food hall – pickleball, a massive green space with its own bar – and TWO, yes two different taprooms.

The space sets itself apart not just with a great mix of places that have opened there, but by the space itself. The team behind the development worked hard to modernize the space, while keeping as much of the original buildings as possible. There are playing cards everywhere to pay homage to the location’s history, and it feels absolutely incredible.

Out of all the mixed-use developments in Greater Cincinnati, this is one of the coolest and an absolutely perfect one for a Braxton expansion.

HiWire

I feel like we (unfortunately) slowed down, or even stopped talking about it, but the devastation that Asheville, North Carolina, felt from Hurricane Helene plays a big part in this story. HiWire has been in a state of recovery ever since the hurricane wiped out their headquarters, and as part of that recovery, they have had to make some really tough choices about the direction of their business.

Part of that meant that the Cincinnati taproom wasn’t able to stay open.

It DOES NOT mean that you won’t be able to find HiWire beer around Greater Cincinnati, though. They aren’t planning on pulling back their distribution at all, and in fact… they’re still going to play a big role in this new Braxton space as it comes to life.

Braxton At Factory 52

Braxton has been in conversations with the folks at HiWire for around six months at this point, trying to figure out how to make this work in the best way possible. The arrangement that they came up with is perfect, too. Braxton will be assuming ownership of the lease and opening a new, renovated taproom in the former HiWire Space.

As part of the transition, current HiWire employees will be retained by Braxton to operate the space, and not only that, but they’ll be keeping some HiWire beer on tap as well.

In fact, the two breweries already have plans in place to collaborate on a special, commemorative, co-branded beer to celebrate the new chapter for them. You can expect to see that later this summer.

It’s so important (to me, and probably to the breweries, too) that you realize that this isn’t just some takeover of a closed taproom. This is a partnership, and the start of something that I think is going to be really great going forward. The quote from Jake Rouse puts it very simply: “This transition is not transactional, it’s really the start of a new friendship.”

About The New Taproom

The taproom transition begins today, 6/2, as Braxton takes over the space. With that, the taproom is currently closed as they renovate the space and bring the new vision to life. They are not only taking over the main floor space with its extensive interior and bar space, but also taking over the rooftop space as well.

If that’s not enough, Braxton is also taking over the green space in front of the taproom and the full-service bar that is situated outside. This bar will be rebranded as ‘The Porch by Braxton Brewing Co’ and provide a great spot for folks to snag a drink while they’re outside in the summer.

Speaking of being outside… the outdoor programming is only going to keep getting better. Braxton is looking to continue to offer family-friendly programming and events, including movie nights and tons of great pop-up activations.

In short, this space is going to be excellent.

My Takeaway

Cincinnati is tough on outsiders. When you couple that up with the difficulties that HiWire has been facing over the last year, with the hurricane, it’s not horribly shocking that they had to rethink what this space looks like.

I’m incredibly happy to see that they did it in a way that enables them to still have a presence here. There are plenty of folks who have come to call the HiWire taproom their spot, and to not leave them high and dry means a ton to me.

Braxton has found ways to weave itself through the changes that we’ve seen in the industry, while at the same time still making great beer along the whole journey. This evolution of what their satellite taprooms look and feel like is natural, smart, and exactly what I think they should be doing. There are some brands that beg for every space to have their own naturally developing personality, and sure, there will be some of that with this space, I’m certain – but that’s not what I expect and want from Braxton.

The Braxton taprooms should immediately feel comfortable, similar, and on brand in a way that, when you walk in, you immediately know where you are.

Keep your eyes peeled to Braxton’s social media accounts for news, but they’re currently expecting the new space (both the taproom and ‘The Porch’) to be open later this month after some minor renovations!