Beer Sellar

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +14.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I've heard about and seen this place for several years and finally got a chance to check it out prior to a Reds game recently. It was a Sunday afternoon. The back deck was filled with folks headed to the game via the ferryboat, the inside is large and roomy and at the time about a third filled. The taps are plentiful with macros, well known craft selections (Sam Adams, Bass, Blue Moon, Stella, etc.) , and some better beer ones like DFH, Stone, Bells. I had a DFH 60 Minute followed by a Stone pale, both were great. 3 to 4 bucks a pint, about average for a bar. While I didn't try any bottles, that menu is several pages long.

The place is known to be a meat market on weekends, the management is content to leave it at that. They don't really cater to the craft beer enthusiast outside of providing the taps. And that's great, but they have the room to do much more. A beer appreciation class, seasonal tasting events, things that could tie in their investment a little better to the people.

My advice is to go during low tide, weekdays or afternoons.

05-10-2007 02:55:13 | More by brewdlyhooked13

nasman

Ohio

1/5  rDev -69.9%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | $$$$

I have never been in an establishment that does so little with so much. Despite having a stellar selection of beers, particularly for a place in this region, they still fall miles short of the mark. Having been there before and being less than impressed with the upkeep of the craft beers offered, I agreed reluctantly to check the place out once again, hoping to see an improvement. It was the weekend of Cincinnati’s Bockfest and we were seeking a good beer bar away from the event after living off bock beer for three days.

When we arrived, despite the size of the establishment, we found them to be not very busy, with only five other patrons in the place and one barmaid. For the first round, we ordered several quality selections we were familiar with such as Stone’s Arrogant Bastard and McEwan's Scotch Ale. It immediately became apparent that this place does not clean their tap lines-ever! My friend who ordered the McEwan's noted it seemed a bit dark in color. When he sampled it, the taste was so bad he immediately coughed and almost spit it up on to the table. He asked us to try it to make sure it was not just him. Each of us who did had a similar, gut wrenching experience that caused us to gag. We immediately pointed out the product was bad to the barmaid working, who seem kind of dumbfounded. She told us everyone else liked it, but she offered to switch it with something else. My friend decided to play it safe and order a Guinness, which he figured was ordered enough that it would a t least be fresh. Meanwhile, I took a sip of my Arrogant Bastard and found it to be nearly as bad as my friend’s McEwan’s. I shared my opinion and a taste of my beer with my friends, who concurred. I have drank Arrogant Bastard many times and am quite familiar with it’s taste and texture. When the barmaid returned with my friend’s Guinness, we commented on the issue with the Arrogant Bastard. Our barmaid went on to explain that Arrogant Bastard is just a bad beer and always tastes that way. It became quite apparent she knows very little about beer. She told me she would check with her manager to see if she could replace this also. At the same instance a friend who we warned about this ongoing experience decided to get a club soda so those of us already with beers could finish up and go somewhere else. Our barmaid responded to his request by asking what club soda was, she had never heard of it. Apparently her job is to sit around in skimpy camouflage attire and flirt with the regular customers who drink primarily either Miller or Bud despite having nearly sixty-five other beers on tap. Any knowledge of drinks beyond those specific selections seemed to be beyond her comprehension.

The management seemed equally educated, he felt that Arrogant Bastard was just a bad beer and always tasted “skunky”, so it was not their fault. He was also unable to explain the similar results my friends were having with their selections, including my friend who ordered the Guinness as a replacement. He found his Guinness to be only slightly less satisfactory than his McEwan’s. We left the rest of our so called beers and got out of there as fast as we could. I could go on and on about other problems I see with the place. But the bottom line is, if you are trying to be a beer bar, you need to know your product and you need to take care of it. The way this place mismanages what were once quality products, if the barge on which it sits sinks into the Ohio River, only one thing could be the result of the submersion. The only foreseeable result is the foul river water could only undoubtedly serve to improve what is left in the Beer Sellar’s inventory of these once fine products, as well as improve their sanitation. Stay as far away as you can from this place. The Newport Beer Sellar will undoubtedly soon qualify for EPA Superfund money to get rid of all the spoiled beers and clear out the stagnant filth that is excreted by this establishment’s many taps.

04-09-2007 00:46:05 | More by nasman

Yetiman420

Ohio

3.24/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Gosh, this place is tough to review. Very good and very bad at the same time.

My wife and I went prior to a Reds game in early August. From a location standpoint, it's on a shared barge with Hooters on the Ohio river. They were charging $5 to park right in front, but I drove down towards Don Pablos for plenty of free parking. The location is also within easy striking disttance of the Haufbrau Haus and The Party Source which is the #2 grossing liquor store in the nation and has an excellent beer selection.

So the good includes the largest beer selection in the Cincinnati area (plenty of "crap on tap" though), good happy hour prices, an excellent view of the river/Cincinnati, and the opportunity to take a $4 round trip ferry to the Reds game. We often walk to Reds games from the Hofbrau Haus so you could also do it from here.

The bad, which makes me very sad. My wife an I are convinced there was something wrong with the beer. She had the Bar Harbour Blueberry and Hoegarten and I had the Stone Pale/IPA and a Bell's Two-Hearted. They all tasted funny. She could not finish her Hoegarten is was so bad. Given the run-down status of the facility, I suspect they never clean their beer lines. She had to resort to Corona in a bottle. It's also dissapointing to see most of the people drinking domestic macro schwag when there are so many good options. Frankly, the poor quality of the good beer would turn me off to it.

If you like to people watch and enjoy a slice of mid-western Americana, you can hang out here or at Hooters after an event or when they're busy and enjoy some sweet mullets and people who are frozen in the 80's.

Go in with low expectations, enjoy the view, and laugh deep down inside at the low points of the tri-state lifestlye.

08-10-2006 13:55:25 | More by Yetiman420

Tchuck

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

We went here after spending most of the day at the Hofbrauhaus (our waitress recommended it), and it was a nice change of pace. It was quiet, the sun was setting, and I was pretty impressed with the tap selection, bearing in mind that I didn't have many opportunities to try the local beer. The bartender was attentive, gave samples out to my friends who weren't sure about what they wanted. The other patrons were pretty friendly, which I'm not used to, being from Boston and all. I left and came back a few hours later in the evening, and there was a loud cover band there that didn't provide me an incentive to stay. I would definitely go back during the daytime--has a nice view of the river and the Cincinnati skyline, there is a good selection of drafts (which pleased my BMC-preferring friends and me as well). There is a cover charge to enter the barge on weekends--I think it was $5, but there was a live band inside the Beer Sellar as well as outside on the barge, which had another bar and Hooters.

06-05-2006 01:08:51 | More by Tchuck

cproioi

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +22%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

Atmosphere: Went in during the day at 2. I think I was the first customer. It was pretty empty and seemed like it could accomidate a large amount of people. However, it was not overly impressive atmosphere wise.

Quality: Very good the bartender knew how to pour a beer.

Service: Very friendly and able to talk about beer took time to make sure I was happy with the place.

Selection: I love this part 60 Beers on Tap 120 bottles. Beers ranging from Stones IPA and Arrogant Bastard, three different Bell's (Two Hearted Ale, Porter and Amber), BBC Bourbon Barrell Stout, a couple of Rogue Beers, Great Lakes Brewing Company Beers and your usual domestic water.

Price: paid $3.50 a pint for microbrews not bad in my opinion.

04-12-2006 02:19:55 | More by cproioi

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.84/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Stopped by on the way through Cincinnati. After hearing mixed reviews, I was quite delighted with the visit, though I see why the criticism exists. The bar has a terrific approach, located literally on the Ohio river in a barge, beside Hooters (I almost didn't make it to the Beer Sellar), overlooking the Cincy skyline--quite nice. The buildings rustic nature adds a sense of tradition and history without becomming pretentious. They offered some nice draft beers such as Arogant Bastard, Dead Guy, Stone IPA, some nice English / Scottish fare, several Bell's beers, and local brewery beers. 1/3 to 1/2 of their offerings is the stuff that can easily be found at your local karyoke bar or you negihborhood Speedway gas station. They are a little schizophrenic about whether they want to take beer serious or just attract the 'smash-the-can-on-your-head' crowd. The staff, though slight, has a terrific knowlege of beer and is eager to ensure that your visit was pleasant. Definately worth a stop, but there's not much there to surprise you.

03-03-2006 16:49:07 | More by BEERchitect

fightingwords

Kentucky

4.3/5  rDev +29.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Great place to drink any night except Thursdays. 60 taps that rotate frequently 120 bottles that hardly get enjoyed. The food is your typical burger and fries kinda offering. I love drinking here on a calm summer night with a couple of guys. I tend to duck out when this place becomes a college bar with awful live acts. There are so many good offerings and there is a great beer guide to help you make your decision with acurate nomenclature and descriptions. The staff has always been quick with the pints and super fun to talk to. Though if they are busy, regardless of the tip size, service is cookie cutter and first come first serve.

The word...One place with a number of guises. The atmosphere can change by the hour but the beer is always good. The only place of its kind when it comes to draft beer.

03-01-2006 05:45:06 | More by fightingwords

frazbri

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +22.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

We stopped at the Beer Sellar Saturday evening. The bar was nearly empty. (we started early I guess) Our bartender was friendly and attentive, but not incredibly knowledgable.

The tap selection had a great range of styles and nationalities. I had an Arrogant Bastard and a Dead Guy, but I could have had Hoegarten, Spaten, Great Lakes, Fullers, Chimay, or more.

I wish there was a little more crowd. It's kind of hard to judge a place when the place is empty. I know it was fairly early, but...
If you are searching for selection in Newport, give the Beer Seller a try. It's on the barge next to Hooter's.

11-29-2005 05:11:27 | More by frazbri

clvand0

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5

Stopped by this place with over the weekend with a fellow homebrewer. It's on a barge on the Ohio River on the same barge as a Hooters. A guy at a local beer shop recommended this place, said they have 160 beers and 60 on tap ... so we obviously had to stop by. They have a very large selection of beers in the bottle and they do have a lot of taps. But honestly, the beers on tap aren't all that great. They have a Great Lakes brew, Tennets, Guinness, Harp, Bells Brown, and things like that. Nothing really struck me as excellent. We didn't have any food, just liquid bread. It has a great view of Cincinnati from the river. There is a bar area and some tables and then you can sit out on the deck, right on the river. The atmosphere was very geared toward the macro drinkers with Miller and Bud specials posted all over the place. The bartender seemed a little stuck up and uninterested in talking about the beers. Not a bad place, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

02-14-2005 12:56:21 | More by clvand0

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +28.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

This is located on a barge in the middle of the Ohio River (which, by the way, belongs to Kentucky, not Ohio) and moored just off the levee in Newport. It is located next to Hooters and shares outdoor deck space. The selection of draft beers is awesome and includes many macros, but, more importantly, lots of craft brews and fine imports. The bottled selection is equally huge. The service was great on a Tuesday afternoon, but then it had a limited crowd as this is obviously a hot nightspot. Huge seating areas and an outdoor area overlooking the river. Good prices and decent parking on the levee road.

Update: I must be getting sloppy with my reviews as I've heard from both AKSmokedPorter and hoprus this morning. In any case, hoprus asked about the selection and here's some of the lowdown -

Partial draft listing:

Alts - W. Frankenheim

Ales - Barrelhouse Pale Ale, Bass, Boddingtons, Flying Dog Doggie Style, Goose Island Honkers Ale, Goose Island seasonal (Summertime right now), GLBC Eliot Ness (misclassified), Honey Brown, John Courage, Leinenkugel Red, Lindeman's Lambics - Framboise, Kreik, and Peach, McEwans, Murphy Red, Newcastle, SNPA.

Wheats - Abita Purple Haze, Blue Moon, Frankiazaner Dunkle,
Hacker-Pschorr, Hoegaarden, Paulaner Hefe, etc, etc.

They also have selections for Bocks, Stouts, Porter (Edmund Fitzgerald), Pilsner, Dunkles, Ciders, and Lagers (about 20 and it includes my old favorites - Tennants and GLBC Dortmunder Gold.)

You get the idea and there are perhaps 50% more than the drafts in bottles; great stop. $2.50 domestic pints from 2-8 weekdays. Their fax number is (859) 291-4182; perhaps they'll fax the beer menu directly to you.

08-06-2003 02:54:46 | More by AtLagerHeads