All About Fifty West Brewing Company

All About Fifty West Brewing Company

Fifty West brands themselves not just with the beer that they brew, but with the experiences that you take part in while imbibing that beer. They’ve been around since 2012, making them one of the city’s older breweries, but they’ve managed to keep reinventing who they are, while somehow still managing to double down on their core brand and solidifying who they are in the minds of their fans.

Think summer when you think of Fifty West. They brew up a really amazing selection of easy-drinking beer that goes down wonderfully while playing volleyball. Don’t sleep on their barrel-aged beers, though. Sip away on some of their finest Imperial Stouts and Barleywine while sitting next to the fire pit on a cool evening… this place might have it all. What other brewery thinks to throw both the Punch-Out (a beer and boxing event) as well as convert its volleyball courts to an ice skating rink in the winter?

It’s brilliant.

What’s 50 West Like?

There are several distinct spaces for Fifty West, and they are all very different, while still feeling very familiar.

The Brewpub is the original space, and still captures the atmosphere that I will always associate with the brewery. Low ceilings, wood beams… its cozy and warm. This is what I want when I think about a brewpub, and the folks at Fifty West not only nail it, but only keep improving upon it as the years go by. They have a beer garden/patio out back that is absolutely phenomenal when you want a quiet spot to grab a beer on a summer evening!

The Production Works facility across the street is anchored by their volleyball courts, pickleball, and biking center which makes up what I lovingly call ‘Fifty Westville’ a compound of outdoor experiences that makes up the brand of Fifty West. The entire front and side of the building open up with big garage doors making this one of the best “open-air” breweries in Cincinnati. I’ve heard it said many times that this is a Denver Brewery that somehow found itself appearing in Cincinnati. Go here if you want to hang out with your friends and get a little loud.

Across the “compound” is the burger bar. The burger bar is an old-school “burger and a beer joint” with comfortable seating for the whole family and a lineup of burgers that can be topped with themed toppings for stops along route 50. I haven’t tried all of them yet… but I’m close, and they’re all amazing.

Out east in Chillicothe, Fifty West opened up a smaller brewpub that is just like their burger bar. It is the first extension of their brand further out on route 50 and showcases the possibility of brewpubs like it across the country.

The Fifty West Brewery Timeline

2008 – The Slattery family buys the house that will become the brewpub, and starts trying to figure out the perfect use for it.
November, 2012 – 50 West opens for business.
2013 – The brewery hosts its first-ever Fifty Fest, a festival that still continues at the brewery today.
September, 2013 – Fifty West expands with a new system to enable them to produce enough beer to keep up with demand. Rumors of a hunt for a production facility start rumbling around town.
2015 – The brewery steps into a new realm with their first sour release, Brett is my Co-Pilot as well as their first cans with a limited Fifty Fest can series (You can read about all their packaged releases here!)
5/6/16 – The new production space, opens for business, on the same day that their 10&2 Barleywine won a gold medal at the World Beer cup (You can see all of Cincinnati’s brewery awards here)
7/9/16 – The brewery hosts the first-ever ‘Punch Out’, an event in which brewers from different breweries box each other… forever changing what it means to host a beer event in Cincinnati. They also release their crowd-pleasing ‘Punch You In The EyePA in bottles”
October, 2016 – Going Plaid, a scotch ale wins big with a bronze medal at that year’s GABF.
August, 2017 – Fifty West makes big news by hiring Scott LaFollette (formerly of Blank Slate) and Chris Siegman (formerly of Mt. Carmel, who eventually moved over to Sam Adams and their new Cincy taproom) solidifying their production team and setting the cards in place for their next big expansion.
October, 2017 – For the second year in a row, 50W wins big at GABF, this year for their most awarded beer to date, 10&2 Barleywine.
February, 2018 – While in the midst of a big production space growth, Fifty West Release their first-ever regular release cans.
March, 2019 – The brewery makes the BA’s list of the Fifty fastest-growing craft breweries in the country. (Read More)
April, 2019 – Fifty West announces the opening of their next brewpub in Chillicothe Ohio. (Read More)
April, 2020 – Right as the world throws itself into chaos, the brewery opens their Burger Bar in their beer garden.
January, 2023 – After a long wait, the brewpub finally reopens after Covid with a refresh and a remodel.