Exploring Third Eye Brewing - Craft Parenting Podcast & Blog

Written by: Joe Ludwig

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 only have 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. The fourth brewery that we visited this year is Third Eye Brewing.

I feel ashamed to say that I’ve never been to Third Eye Brewing before this year. For one, the co-owner of Brink Brewing, Kelly Montgomery, is now the head brewer and we are a big fan of his beer. We should have gone opening weekend like we tried to do for Brink. I am a stubborn West Sider. Needless to say, we remedied this travesty and we had a great experience.

Third Eye Brewing is located in Sharonville, Ohio in the Northern Lights District. They opened their doors in June 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their beer is award-winning, including several medals at the Great American Beer Festival, U.S. Open Beer Championship, and the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup. They also recently announced that they are opening a second location in early 2023, which will include production space and a taproom in Hamilton, Ohio.

From their website:

“At Third Eye Brewing company, we believe in helping everyone open their ‘mind’s eye’ to a world of new possibilities… one pint at a time. We believe in trying new things and lots of experimentation with our brews so you can expect us to rotate a lot of different small batch recipes to meet many different tastes. We will offer a wide range of styles from the latest trendy IPA’s to more traditional European inspired lagers, ales and even a few other interesting fermented beverages. Our goal is to make sure everyone finds a favorite or two that they can call their own. We look forward to creating some awesome brews for you and with you!”

I was so glad that we were able to visit this brewery the other week. We had several of their beers plus we ate dinner there and everything was phenomenal.

The Taproom

Third Eye has a large taproom that expands inside, an outdoor patio in the front and back, and even a rooftop. There is an abundance of seating options including stools at the bar, high-tops, and picnic benches. There are TVs scattered throughout the taproom. Instead of windows, they have big garage doors so when the weather is nice, patrons can get fresh air.

We’ve been there a couple of times and each time that we’ve been there the taproom has been packed with people but they have so much space that we’ve always been able to find a place to sit. The taproom is right next to the Sharonville Convention Center, which means that parking is not an issue.

The taproom definitely has charm to it. In addition to the TVs, they have an entire wall dedicated to their slogan “Live Life, Do Good, Drink Beer”, plus pictures of their logo throughout the taproom.

The pièce de la resistance and the centerpiece of the taproom is the giant mural that sits behind the bar. What an absolutely stunning and unique piece of art.

Food Options and Events

Third Eye has its own kitchen and the food is amazing. Make sure you visit their website or check their social media for details on when the kitchen is open. They have a limited menu on certain days of the week.

Throughout the week they host a variety of events. Tuesdays are deemed “taco Tuesday” and the kitchen opens up at 4 PM. Wednesdays they have host trivia from 7 to 9 PM. Every Sunday, they have a bloody Mary bar with some crazy toppings. If you are interested, they do rent out part of their taproom for private parties and events. For more information about availability and rental rates, please visit their website.

The Beer

Third Eye typically has anywhere between 15 to 20 beers on tap at any one time. From dark and malty beer to hoppy juicy IPAs and everything in between, they have something that everyone will enjoy, including hard seltzer, a limited selection of wine and spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.

If you don’t have time for a pint in the taproom, they have a limited selection of cans available for purchase. They also fill growlers and crowlers. They do distribute in cans and draft at select bottle shops, gas stations, and bars throughout the city. If you want to know where you can find their beer, check out their handy beer finder on their website.

What We Drank

Joe:

Higher Purpose
Milk Stout
ABV: 6.3%
IBUs: 24

Caroline Drank (Flight):

Enlightenment v4
Blood Orange American Wheat
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 25

Empowerment
Pale Ale Pink Boots Collaboration
ABV: 5.6%
IBUs: 41

Beyond Sight
Brown Ale with Hazelnut
ABV: 5.6%
IBUs: 25

Total Debockery Doppelbock
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 23

To-Go Beer:

Pale Down Under
Australian Pale Ale
ABV: 5.8%
IBUs: 49

Groovy Baby!
English Mild
ABV: 3.8%
IBUs: 18

Higher Purpose
Milk Stout
ABV: 6.3%
IBUs: 24

Most Hefinitely
Hefeweizen
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 15

Final Thoughts

I was very impressed with Third Eye Brewing. For one, the taproom was bigger than I thought it would be. I’m in several beer groups on Facebook and Third Eye regularly gets a shout-out. Now that I’ve been there, I can now say that it’s very well deserved. Their beer was fantastic. I also appreciated their full-kitchen menu. Everything that we had was delicious. If you are into Blood Mary’s (which I am not), I hear that their Bloody Mary bar is stellar.

As I said at the beginning of this blog post, I feel ashamed that it took us two years to get out to Third Eye Brewing. If you are on the fence about going for whatever reason, make sure you get out. You will not regret it.

For more information about Third Eye Brewing, check out their website. You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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