Fifty West Brewing Co

JimR1968

Ohio

1.7/5  rDev -57.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 3 | food: 1 | $$$$

The service is HORRIBLE, the bartender was RUDE. I cannot believe the good reviews I am reading from others regarding the food, the service, and the beer; are those people simply that clueless or are they written by the employees themselves? The food is WAAAY OVERPRICED and TINY portions. They call themselves brewers? Their beers are flavorful, but immature and no character. What I mean is, over-hopped, over-malted, and over-flavored. Flavor alone does not = good beer. Someone had an idea for a money-maker BEFORE they learned to craft beer; a sickening Cincinnati trend continues at Fifty West. Their Coffee Stout is a perfect example of an over-zealous and uneducated attempt at the style. If I want to drink Espresso I'll order an Espresso, thank you very much. Most of all, the bartender was EXTREMELY rude to our party and spent more time flirting with big tippers than doing her job of serving beer. I will NEVER go back due to the poor service we received from BECCA and the pseudo-crafted under-fermented overpriced and over-hyped Yuppy beverages that they call "Beer". If you get diarrhea and a POUNDING headache the next day from under-fermented beer hurried into your glass, just remember- you have been warned.

04-08-2013 19:15:11 | More by JimR1968

dccoor

District of Columbia

4.85/5  rDev +20.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | $

This is a great new brewery in Cincinnati. The beers are all very tasty and well made and the atmosphere of the tasting room is cozy and inviting. There is a shuffle board table and a record player pumping out classic rock. The bar offers a selection of about 12-15 house beers. The Hoppy When Wet IPA is a great fresh hop IPA and had a great bitterness I don't usually find in a fresh hop beer.

02-24-2013 16:55:26 | More by dccoor

TheBierBand

Ohio

5/5  rDev +24.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I have been to Fifty West Brewing Co. several times since it opened to the public in late November 2012. It is located in an old historical location just east of Mariemont, OH formerly called the Heritage House. The tap-room is rather small and has a woody, cozy feel to it. Lot's of dark wood trim.... but it also has a distinctly modern feel to it. The tap-room is a bi-level room; one main level with the bar extending one whole side then, you take a few steps down into a cozy lower level with a stone fireplace. There is another adjacent room with a suffleboard table. The atmosphere is really nice. You can tell that the craft-beer appreciating public has been thirsty for a place like this, because it's always got a good crowd.

Their whole theme is about America's adventuresome spirit. The name "Fifty West" pays homage to US Route 50 that extends from coast to coast (and the brewery happens to be planted right on US 50!). There is a classic vintage VW Van parked under the front canopy all painted with the Fifty West logo and earthtone colors. Many of their beer selections are named with travel and adventure in mind (Lonliest Road Stout, Speedbump Kolsch, Coast to Coast IPA, etc.). The music that plays in the tap-room is from vinyl records on a turntable. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they seem genuinely happy and up-beat. The brew crew is always smiling with the satisfaction of seeing the public enjoy their creations.

They usually have about 15 beers on tap at any one time, all of their own creation. Every beer I have tried has been terrific and a fine representation of the style. I believe that this place has something for everybody. If you are new to the craft beer scene, there are a few safe choices, and if you are looking to test your own adventursome spirit, they've got that covered too.

In my humble opinion, they have done everything right. I have to give them a perfect score of 5 (out of 5) on everything... Atmosphere - check; Quality - check; Service - check; Selection - check.... by way of Food, they serve up homebaked soft pretzels and cheese for now. But I believe that in late February or early March they will also be offering food (which I would assume will be just great as well).

The bottom line: If you are in or near Cincinnati, if you appreciate a well-crafted beer.... ya gotta check this place out.

02-05-2013 15:51:00 | More by TheBierBand

rodney4130

Kentucky

4.48/5  rDev +11.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Place is set up kind of like a lodge. Very cozy. 12 taps covering most all of your basic styles. All very solid, but nothing particularly mind blowing. The coffee stout was the best that we had, and to be honest, it was a truly exceptional example of the style. The owners seem to be young guys, but they are friendly and clearly giving this an honest effort. A free shuffleboard table is always a nice touch too. Servers were very pleasant and knew their product. Free pretzels and beer cheese from a local bakery chain are a super nice touch, and there is a food truck outside. A welcome addition to our growing beer scene in Cincinnati.

12-02-2012 00:43:18 | More by rodney4130