Wiedemann’s Fine Beer, Brewery and Pub
I have been wanting to come here for a long time. As I live not far from here and my daughter goes to school down the street from here…I end up driving by this brewery a lot. My intrigue comes not from simply driving by, it also comes from the long history of this brand. Although the building and the beer itself may be new kids on the block, the brand itself is one of Cincinnati’s oldest. Wiedemann’s began its heritage way back in 1870 in Newport, Kentucky just across the river from Cincinnati. Jon and Betsy Newberry purchased the rights to brew the original Wiedemann beers in 2012 and originally wanted to build their brewery in Newport (home of the first version). Those plans fell threw and gave me a lovely brewery right down the street for me to enjoy.
This place is huge! It was once a funeral home and now it is multiple levels with multiple rooms of brewery goodness. One room houses a Foosball table and an electronic darts board, another the bar area, and yet another a small stage for indoor performances. Speaking of performances…Wiedemann’s has live music (mainly on their outdoor stage area) pretty much every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (and often on Thursdays as well). We went on an afternoon before the music had begun so we lost out on the experience. Mrs. Bacchanalian and I were already making plans to come back for some live music and beer before we were even half done with our visit. The back porch and outdoor grounds area are enormous and look like an awesome setting for some live music.
They do have food of the basic bar food variety. We decided on the pretzel with beer cheese and the loaded tater tots (Mrs. B got hers with Goetta). I was not impressed with either food item. The pretzel and beer cheese were pretty tasteless and the tater tots were nothing exciting. They did not make me want to try anything else from the menu. With that said, we did not try anything else so there very well could be some great stuff hidden on the menu.
As for the main event…the beer…there were some ups and some downs. The first I sampled was the Creamsicle Milkshake IPA (ABV 7%). I am a huge fan of milkshake IPAs so this was number one on my list of the beers I wanted to try. The color was a hazy yellow with not much nose to it. The beer was creamy and light with a mild orange/vanilla flavor. It was a good beer but far from other milkshake IPAs I have had. Next up, the Mango Hefeweizen (ABV 4.8%). Nice fruity aroma with a light, cloudy orangish appearance. Nice juicy orange/mango flavors with just a slight tartness to it. I really enjoyed this one. The other beer I had been looking forward to was the By George! DIPA (ABV8%). This would be the other style of beer that excites me. The color was the first thing that threw me off a bit, a clear, brown/amber with no haze. I was not a fan of this one at all. Not at all what I was expecting from the label of DIPA. Almost no fruit or hop. A bland beer. Disappointing. My last sample was the Lost Hand IPA (ABV 6.56%). I like a good IPA. Clear amber in color with a slightly bitter, piney taste. Once again, not a fan.
I also sampled Mrs. B’s selections. First was the Blood Orange Blonde Ale (ABV 3.6%). An almost a clear pink in color, kinda like watermelon juice. Strong aromatics of blood orange. Quaffable! Light, crisp and very tasty. This one was a winner for me. Next, the Summertime Lime Mexican Lager (ABV 5%). A lovely clear yellow in the glass with light lime aromas. A very nice crisp lime flavor. Very refreshing beer. Loved it! This one was the winner for me. The Monmouth Street Blonde Ale (ABV 4.2%) was up next. A clear yellow. Think basic beer…this is it. Kinda like a very good Bud or Miller beer. Good but not my taste preference. Last was the Sparky’s Winter Stout (ABV 5%). A very dark brown, almost black color with a toasty malt aroma. Light toasted malt flavor with a hint of chocolate. Not heavy. This was a nice stout. The surprise for me was that the beers that I came for and would have normally wanted the most were the ones that were disappointing and the ones that I normally would not have thought much about were big winners for me. Just goes to show you about expectations. So even though the beers that I had been wanting did not turn out great for me, there were just as many beers that I had not expected that turned out great for me.
Wiedemann was an interesting place for me. On one hand, I would probably go somewhere else if the only criteria were beers that I crave. However, that is not the only thing in the equation. Along with some really good beer, Wiedemann has a really great atmosphere (and that was without even experiencing the live music) placed into a really great building. This is a brewery that is more like the great neighborhood dive bar that makes you want to keep coming back. For that alone, we will keep coming back.
Mrs. Bacchanalian’s Review:
Definitely somewhere I would return. It felt, and I say this in the best way, like hanging out in a friend’s basement in high school, that rich friend whose parents had a large house and a nice, finished basement, with a pool table, and even a couple of beers on taps, and some cool neon retro beer signs hanging up around the room, with lots of chairs and corners to hang out in and talk with your buddies. The one whose family was really into sports; they watched all the high school football games and every UK basketball game. His dad knew all the scores. Friends were always welcome and there was a steady stream of people coming and going on the weekends. Or, if you’ve ever been to any number of small towns in central Ohio, it had the vibe that all of the restaurants and bars have in those towns. You expect to see your neighbors or parents from your kid’s school. Many of the breweries here are a scene or feel like you have to be part of the elite beer club, but not Wiedemann, it has an unpretentious neighborhood feel. You could take your parents here. Or your granddad. On to the beer…,
The beer was good, all of it. Everything I tried tasted like it had a German influence to it. It is everyman’s beer, nothing too harsh, nothing too strongly anything, just good overall beer with many different styles to choose from. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with any particular beer, but I liked them all. I drank every pour in the flight I ordered, which is unusual for me, normally I love one and dislike a couple, but these were all enjoyable solid beers. I also tried all of Mr. Bacchanalian’s pours. My favorite was the Monmouth Street blonde ale, followed by the coffee stout. I love Guinness and rarely like any other stout but this one was smooth and not burnt tasting, nicely balanced.
The food was…okay. I love bar food; Mr. Bacchanalian can attest that I love my midwestern appetizers – potato skins, wings, nachos, pretty much anything they make at a Barleycorns or a Bennigans. I worked in the restaurant business for many years, so I have a standard that I expect from all restaurant food, even bar food. Everything should be good, in line with the price point, but still quality. The menu here had a lot for a brewery. My rule is to stick with the things they can’t screw up the first time I try it, then venture out if I return. I had the goetta tater tots covered in cheddar, jalapenos, with ranch on the side. It was decent; fatty, filling, just what you are looking for with a beer. I also had the pretzel with beer cheese. The pretzel was flavorless, hardly salted, too doughy, like it had been microwaved, and the beer cheese it came with was thin and bland. I can’t say what the rest of the food tastes like, it may very well be great, but I base my judgments on the basics.
I will definitely be returning here for beer, and to relax, but I will eat before I go next time, maybe bring in a bag of salt and vinegar chips to go with the good beer.
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