Esoteric Brewing Company
Mrs. Bacchanalian and I decided to go early on a Friday evening to check out one of the newest breweries to our local Cincinnati scene… Esoteric Brewing Company. The publicity leading up to their opening this past Labor Day weekend seemed to always be focused on the fact that they are the first minority owned brewery in the Cincinnati area. My focus was to see how good their beers were.
The first thing that comes to the senses is that this is a different kind of brewery. Now I say this not as a bad thing at all. Just that the vibe of Esoteric feels less brewery and more lounge/nightclub. Don’t get me wrong, they are definitely a brewery, as the beers surely showed me. The décor and the arrangement are designed with a very specific feel and purpose. The vibe says, come kick back and hang out with us. Relax and enjoy.
There are comfy sofas and chairs along the perimeter with a few tables as well (more during non-Covid times). The seating and the arrangement are designed to create a specific experience. It is sleek without pretension.
We tried quite a few of their brews and I will say right up front that I was not disappointed in any of them. The first up was the Chrysalis Cream Ale (ABV 4.8%). Not at all what I was expecting when ordering a cream ale. Light in color and body, I was expecting a much fuller body and taste. With that said though, this is a really nice beer. Light citrus aromas with an almost wine like quality to it. The Divine Matirx Wit (ABV 4.7%) was up next. Similar to a Hefeweizen (in fact the names both refer to “white” beer). Delicious beer. Light, bright, sparkly and zesty. I would come back for this beer alone. The Ethereal was an interesting experience (ABV 6.7%). This beer comes with basil and without basil. Yes, you heard correctly…basil…in beer! As odd as it may sound to you, it works! This is a lighter beer as well and I must say I actually enjoyed the basil version the most (both were tasty). The Mystic EPA (English Pale Ale) (ABV 5.1%) was a nice EPA. Light brown in color with toasty malt flavors. Good drinking, smooth EPA. The Dahlia Brown Ale (ABV 5.3%) was the heaviest one we tried. Dark brown in color with very toasty malt and toffee flavors. A good sipping beer for sure. My tastes tend to go lighter now-a-days but this was a very good beer. The last beer we sampled was the Lotus West Coast IPA (ABV 6.5%) . This was probably my favorite of the bunch. Pine, orange and a bit of bitter at the end made this a very enjoyable drinking brew.
With live music just starting, we had to end our experience at Esoteric. This was a very enjoyable time at a unique brewery. I fully enjoyed all of their beers and look forward to coming back and enjoying them again. Esoteric is a very welcome addition to our very large (and still growing) brewery scene here in Cincinnati.