Samuel Adams Tap Room
It was a lively crowd on a Wednesday fall evening in Over-the-Rhine. Walking into the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom through the outdoor patio entrance was memorable. Colorful murals painted on the surrounding buildings brighten one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, where Findlay Market has long been an icon. Inside, the atmosphere strikes a balance between spaciousness and coziness, creating an inviting neighborhood gathering spot that promotes community. Interior design and lighting enhance the building’s authentic charm, fostering a warm, welcoming environment. Living spaces throughout encourage face-to-face conversations, and outdoor patio seating challenges the traditional bar scene—an appreciated and common feature at most microbreweries. It’s a great place to enjoy the city, especially when the weather cooperates. Even in winter, Cincinnatians have excellent indoor spaces designed for socializing.
Conversation flowed easily with the friendly people sitting on either side of my husband and me. Background music and noise levels didn’t interfere with hearing or being heard. The personable taproom attendant enjoyed talking with us about the attributes of the latest craft creations, such as “Porch Rocker,” a delicious, lemon-infused, thirst-quenching beer. She sent us home with a complimentary six-pack. It is one of the brewery’s newest and most successful experiments. Trying a microbrewery’s offerings is a great way to experience local culture and is well worth considering. The Queen City has a rich history of beer brewing, thanks to Germans seeking a new home and settling what was, at the time, an undesirable area that later became the OTR neighborhood. Germans back then weren’t very popular for obvious reasons—info picked up on a Cincinnati Legacy Tour.
About the beer. The four 5.5-ounce pours in my custom flight included Cincinnati Lager, Cincinnati IPA, Toasty Boi Brown Ale, and Logan Street Wheat Beer. Cincinnati Lager’s description is traditional German malt paired with American hops. The creative combination results in a lager with a slightly sweet aroma, crystal clarity, a white, frothy head, and a golden color. Just the right amount of bitterness gives this medium-bodied lager great flavor and a pleasant aftertaste. Moving on from a lager to an India Pale Ale, Cincinnati IPA is a light reddish-amber color with a citrusy aroma. It is a medium-bodied ale and has a pleasant grapefruit flavor that finishes slightly bitter. Beers like this one are turning me into an IPA fan. The Brown Ale, Toasty Boi, is an inviting chestnut color with a light brown head. It’s a medium-bodied, clear, high-carbonation ale with delightfully balanced caramel and hop flavors—a good choice for warming up on a chilly evening.
Although our gracious hostess had many more beers for us to try, the last one on the flight was Logan Street Wheat Beer. Hazy as it should be, this deliciously citrusy, sparkling, medium-bodied beer is straw-colored and has a white head. Refreshing, hoppy, and very drinkable. Other samples included Winter White Ale, a spicy, citrusy, bubbly beer with a light-to-medium body and a pleasant aftertaste. Also, Old Fezzy Wig is a medium-dark brown-amber with a delightfully light spicy scent, a spicy aftertaste, and a balanced medium bitterness. The taproom offers appetizing dishes such as bratwurst (infused with summer ales) served with Grippos potato chips, and pizza, which pair well with a flight. We shared a couple of delicious, giant Bavarian pretzels, along with cheese sauce and Düsseldorf mustard.
Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom, a member of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, is considered a microbrewery or “craft” beer brewer because of its on-site small-batch brewing. Opened in 2018 to serve rotating experimental beers alongside classics, the business focuses on direct sales to customers—pints, growlers, and crowlers, along with limited releases of small-batch experimental brews. Jim Koch, a brewer with deep Cincinnati roots, had a vision for better, fresher beer made with high-quality ingredients. This vision came to life in Samuel Adams Boston Lager, a family recipe he revived in his kitchen in 1984, which has significantly influenced beer-making in Cincinnati since then. Its connection to Boston suggests an intercity friendship—a Boston company sharing love in Cincinnati. Neighbors reaching out to neighbors and cities reaching out to cities. Cheers to the memory of American founding father, revolutionary leader, and statesman, Samuel Adams! Dump the tea and oppression—drink delicious craft beer instead.
