HAMILTON, Ohio — The explosion of Cincinnati's craft beer scene has, in many ways, gone hand in hand with the city’s larger revitalization.
Behind Cincinnati's new image as a food and craft beer town is a small marketing company making a big name for itself here and in Hamilton, where it’s at the heart of that city’s growing renaissance as well.
From Listerman's Brewing Company's adorable Fiona crowler to Christian Moerlein's artwork and Wiedemann's new logo, when you see craft beer in Cincinnati chances are you're looking at the work of LemonGrenade and its founder, Thommy Long.
"We probably have worked for nine or 10 local breweries," Long said.
The local craft beer explosion has meant parallel growth for Long and LemonGrenade.
"He's been a big part of who we are as a brand and his company has done a lot for us with labeling and who we are," said Listermann General Manager Jason Brewer.
And it was no mistake that Long chose his downtown Hamilton location.
"Looking at neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine and the renaissance that's going on there, I saw downtown Hamilton with the historic downtown and the architecture - to me, it was going to be the next Over-the-Rhine," Long said.
That's exactly what Dan Bates of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce sees for Hamilton as well.
"I think that even though Thommy has great notoriety in the craft beer industry, in Hamilton he's the go-to guy for branding in general."
LemonGrenade has worked hand in hand with business owners right in the impact zone of Hamilton's renaissance.
"One thing I'm really proud about is the fact that we work with mom and pop, very small agencies all the way up to very large national clients,” said Long.
“I've worked for a lot of places where they don't work with someone unless it's over a certain dollar amount. We joke sometimes that we have a drive-up window because people will come in here all the time with very small projects for non-profits or fundraisers because we just love working with everybody.”
