CINCINNATI — Taft's Brewing Company will close its last brewporium on Sunday, December 29, the company announced Wednesday.
Taft's Brewing Company closed the Ale House in Over-the-Rhine at the end of 2023 after eight years in the renovated historic St. Paul's German Evangelical Church. Now, that space is occupied by Mellotone Beer Project, which just opened at the end of November.
Taft's location in Columbus also recently closed.
The brewing company is being acquired by Cincinnati Beverage Company, a local company that produces Cincinnati beer brands. According to a press release, Cincinnati Beverage Company plans to include Taft's beer in its local lineup, which also includes Hudepohl, Little Kings and Christian Moerlein.
This means that Cincinnatians will still be able to find Taft's beer, despite the brewery closing all its locations.
In a press release, Taft's said the longstanding employees at its Cincinnati brewporium were given advanced notice of the closure and will receive severance pay. The brewing company also said it is trying to help employees find new jobs, and encouraged anyone with any job opportunities to reach out to them.
"Taft's wants to graciously thank their longstanding fans, friends, the city of Cincinnati and all who shared in the enjoyment of good beer together with them," reads the press release.
A statement from Taft's Brewing Company's leadership team included in the press release said they are still thrilled the beer brand will stay alive under the Cincinnati Beverage Company.
We truly love Taft’s. It has been an incredible labor of love for over a decade. We know how important this brand has become to craft beer drinkers in Cincinnati and we take that very seriously. We’re beyond thrilled to keep Taft’s beers alive via Cincinnati Beverage and ensure these brews continue to be available throughout the city.
Taft's Brewing Company was first founded in Cincinnati in 2015, when they opened Taft's Ale House in the former church at the corner of 15th and Race Streets in OTR. The company opened the 50,000-square-foot brewporium on Spring Grove Avenue in 2017, before moving north to open its Columbus location in 2019.
After Taft's announced it was closing the Ale House in November 2023, the business pointed to a decline in tourism and an increase in material goods costs as contributing factors.
"Ownership has self-sustained daily operations of Taft’s Ale House for the past couple of years, and it is clear that our current business model is unable to financially support the location. Our main concern right now is our Ale House team and assisting with future employment however possible," the Taft's ownership team said in its 2023 release.
Watch Live:
