Visit one of Cincinnati’s oldest beer brands in the Village of St. Bernard
Written by: Joe Ludwig
Admittedly, as I have grown older, I have become a person of habit. I realized this during the height of the pandemic when we couldn’t go anywhere. The fact is, even if we could go somewhere during this time, we would mostly just end up going to our favorite hangouts.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with being a regular at your favorite restaurant, bar, or brewery. When I was a waiter (in another life), I loved all of the regulars who came in. They were fun to talk to. I understand that time and money are limited commodities and it might feel less risky to go to the same place over and over again so as to not waste these things. But I learned something else during the pandemic: nothing is guaranteed.
Cincinnati has always been a beer city. We have 60+ craft breweries to choose from and that’s not even including the ones in Dayton, which isn’t that far away. I realized that I can’t call myself a true supporter of Cincinnati craft beer if I haven’t been to half of the breweries. That’s why one of my goals this year is to get out and explore 12 local breweries in the Greater Cincinnati area that I haven’t been to before. My first stop? Wiedemann’s Fine Beer and Brewpub.
Caroline and I have zero excuses as to why we haven’t been to Wiedemann before. It is located in the Village of St. Bernard, just minutes from I-75, and is a reasonable drive from the West Side. In fact, its central location makes it very easy for most people to get to. I am going to get into a short history of Wiedemann and my experience of the taproom when I went with Caroline and the kids.
The (Abridged) History of Wiedemann
Wiedemann celebrated its grand opening on June 26, 2018. The 4,000-square-foot taproom was a former funeral home and has been renovated into a tavern-like environment.
But the story of Wiedemann doesn’t start in 2018. It began in 1870, over 150 years ago, when a German-American named George Wiedemann, Sr. founded the George Wiedemann Brewing Company. The brewery was located across the Ohio River in Newport and eventually became Kentucky’s largest brewery. After George passed away in 1890, the business was operated by his sons. In 1967, the Wiedemann Brewing Company was sold to the G. Heileman Brewing Company. The brewery in Newport eventually closed in 1983 and the Wiedemann name was later sold and brewed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. In 2007 the brand was dropped.
In 2012, the name, recipe, logo, and all intellectual rights were purchased by Jon Newberry. He re-established the brand and started brewing Wiedemann Special Lager in small batches. It was during these early years of the brand relaunch that Caroline and I both had our very first taste of Wiedemann beer.
In 2013, Caroline and I volunteered at Cincinnati Beer Fest on behalf of the Cincinnati Donauschwaben Society (we were the ones in the funny costumes.) Our booth was next to the Wiedemann booth. I explicitly remember this because they had a CD player (or something) constantly playing jingles from the old commercials.
I enjoyed the beer. It was particularly refreshing because I feel like most of the offerings at Beer Fest that year were double IPAs and Wiedemann offered a lager (I believe). We briefly talked to whoever was running the booth and they gave us a brief history of Wiedemann since Caroline and I haven’t heard of it before. They explained that their intention was to eventually open up a taproom. The festival ended and, to be honest, I forgot all about Wiedemann beer. Five years later, after jumping through a ton of hoops, their plan to open up a taproom was finally realized.
The Atmosphere
Caroline and I stepped into the taproom for the first time on January 26, 2022, and I was absolutely blown away. The walls were covered with Wiedemann memorabilia. The collection of posters, pictures, lights, and other memorabilia throughout the taproom is incredible and, frankly, impressive.
They have on-site parking in the back of the building. It’s a decent size. When we went, it was almost completely filled with cars but we still managed to find a spot. There are two entrances to the taproom, one in the front of the building on Vine Street and one in the back of the building. In the back of the building, there is a beer garden to hang out in when the weather is warmer and also additional seating on the deck.
The building is separated into several rooms, it felt a bit like a labyrinth at first. When entering the back entrance, there are several tables, a bar, a refrigerator filled with their take-out options, and an entryway into a hallway. The main bar and additional seating are down the hallway to the left, while the front entrance and a room dedicated to their mug club are to the right.
Our Dining Experience at Wiedemann
Wiedemann has a full kitchen menu and operates just like any other restaurant. They had a wide variety of beers to choose from including traditional German beers such as Fleischmann’s Garden Brew Hefeweizen, Monkey’s Dunkel, or the Bohemian Special Brew, which is a Pilsner that made Wiedemann’s famous. They offer a selection of their beer menu for take-out in cans and, according to their website, all of their beer is available in 32, 64, or 132 oz growlers.
When Caroline and I went, we took the kids with us. We sat in the backroom, near the kitchen, because we knew that it was trivia night. They had high chairs available for the kids, which was nice. I ordered their Blackcat Stout, while Caroline ordered the Winter Lager. We took home cans of their Bock beer and their Wake Me Up Hazelnut Coffee Milk Stout.
Lilly was a wild child so I didn’t get all of the pictures that I wanted during this trip. So I returned not long after and I enjoyed the Monkey’s Dunkel and Bohemian Special Brew. All of the beer that I have had so far was absolutely delicious.
Their food menu has a good variety of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. For dinner, I ordered the Grilled Chicken sandwich and Caroline ordered the Wiedie Burger. We brought the kids their dinner for the most part but we also ordered them a Brewhouse Pretzel and a side of tots.
If you are interested in getting food to go, they offer carryout and a drive-thru option, which I imagine was very helpful during the height of the pandemic.
As I mentioned before they host trivia every Wednesday plus live music multiple times a week. Make sure to check out their event calendar for the most up-to-date information. I’m sure when the weather gets nicer it will be packed full of events.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t been to Wiedemann’s Fine Beer and Taproom, I highly recommend going. The atmosphere is great, all of the historic memorabilia is fun to look at, the food and beer are delicious. It’s just as family-friendly as any other restaurant that you might go to as a family but it’s locally owned and the beer is made right here in Cincinnati. We will definitely be returning soon.
So that’s one new brewery down, 11 more to go. Where should we go next?
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wiedemann
https://wiedemannsfinebeer.com/
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