Barrel House Brewing Company

Barrel House Brewing CompanyBarrel House Brewing Company
Barrel House Brewing CompanyBarrel House Brewing Company
Brewery, Eatery

544 West Liberty Street
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45210
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.65
Beers:
11
Ratings:
355
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.14
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
9
pDev:
10.87%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of kmpitz2
Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee

4.68/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
I can't believe I didn't write a review of this place a long time ago. This pub is located in a rather poor section of town, but I believe that they will be moving soon. The number of beers they had on tap were incredible. At least 15 beers were available when I was there. My only problem was that the sampler was only 6 beers, without any room to change what I had on the receiving end. I tried all 6 beers in the sampler plus three others while there. All the beers were pretty good offerings. The food we had was awesome. The best food at a brew pub I had ever eaten. I can't wait to make it back here to eat again. Just a good restaurnat plus great beer to boot. Our waitress was very attentive to us, stopping at the table every 20 minutes or so to see what we needed. Overall this was one of the best brew pub experiences I have ever had.
Nov 23, 2004
Photo of Ahhdball
Reviewed by Ahhdball from Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Finding the place was fairly easy but finding parking was a bitch. One way streets and no turn-arounds made it worse.

I liked the looks of the place. Wood, and a little brass with a copper top bar. The tanks although dimly lit were in full view behind the bar. The taps were all engraved wood with the names of all thier craft in red.

All the staff I spoke with knew the beer and had seperate opinions on each which is refreshing since some places I've been to all seem to have the same opinions. The only issue I had was that some weren't too attentive and hard to get a hold of.

Selection was great. If I only had more time and a designated driver! Too many beers too little time.

Pizza, some subs and salads were on the food menu. Good pizza too.

Nice place. Good food. Great beer! I definitely recommend and will return.
Feb 21, 2004
Photo of ianadams
Reviewed by ianadams from New York

4.95/5  rDev +19.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
While the part of town BarrelHouse is located is very seedy, since I did not get injured or die I gave the atmosphere a 5. The interior was well decorated with plenty to look at while tasting a delicious variety of beer. The sampler, five 5 oz. glasses of beer, is a great way to pass the time whie waiting for your Muffaletta (a must try). All the beers I tried were exceptional, but the Hocking Hills Hefeweizen stood out for me. The vanilla and especially the banana flavors were a great change. Be warned, the Hefe is not a good pairing with dinner, as it is quite sweet.
Feb 10, 2004
Photo of Bierguy5
Reviewed by Bierguy5 from Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Barrel House is a small cozy brewpub in the Over the Rhine section of town. Inside, it is dimly lit, and there are wooben tables and chairs sorrounding the bar. Behind the bar is the brewing area for all to see. Barrel House makes some very tasty beer, and on this evening they had around 10 of their beers on tap. They also have a creme soda that they have made. Our service was average. I was displeased when my wife wanted a sampler of some of their beers, because she could not pick which ones she wanted sample, even when we asked about it. Our server seemed to disappear after our food arrived, then it took quite a bit of time to pay our bill. We requested that our bill be seperate from another couple who joined us, only to be told that it was not possible because of the way the samples were rung up. The selection of beers were good, ranging from a pilsner, kolsch, pale, red to stout. Their food menu is somewhat large with pizza and sandwiches being the predominate items. The food was average. Nopthing really stood out, but nothing was terrible either.

In all, go to Barrelhouse for the beer, it is worth it. Just don't count on getting great service.
Jan 25, 2004
Photo of Puddleglum
Reviewed by Puddleglum from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3
Nice mix of Beerheads, Deadheads, businessmen and locals. Not pretensious at all. Real laid back environment right in the middle of downtown Cincinnati off the main street district enough to not make it ritzy and not make it dangerous. The hefe is excellent and always has been with a fruity top note. The pale is your pure pale. Great beer, great place, great people.
May 17, 2003
Photo of AtLagerHeads
Reviewed by AtLagerHeads from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Fairly spartan surroundings but huge and spacious. Odor of a frequently cleansed floor from spillages. Copper covered bar is functional but not comfortable. Designed for some raucous good times with a front room bandstand stage. Tastings are scheduled on a frequent basis. Staff here obviously enjoy their own products. The menu is loaded with pizzas and other non-grill foods. Great selection of house beers.
Apr 20, 2003
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Located in downtown Cincy in a kind of seedy area. There is limited street parking and a couple pay lots nearby.

The interior is dark with an the bar located in the front and along the side of the establishment.

I visited the BarrelHouse over the weekend in order to take part in their 2002 Microbrew Festival. I was very impressed with the selection of micros at the festival, and the beers served by the BarrelHouse were all very good.

Pizza, German-style sausage and other finger-foods were provided during the event and all were very good brewpub fare. A bluegrass band was brought in which enhanced the festive atmosphere. All in all it was well worth the trip to attend the event, although I would like to return sometime to just sit down and eat their food with a full glass of one of their beers.

I really cannot comment much on the service based on the atmosphere the time I visited but when I did go to the bar to order a Barrel House beer I was treated well enough.
Nov 11, 2002
Photo of Aesop
Reviewed by Aesop from Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
I was there on a slow night, and the beer selection seemed a bit limited. However, the Hefeweizen I tried was very good, and I really liked the Strong Ale.
Growlers are available for takeout, so I brought home some of the stout. Aside from lack of carbonation (which was probably the fault of the growler), the stout was very nice - rich and dark, with coffee notes.
Food was ok.
Good beer, and definitely worth a visit if you're in Cincinnati.
Aug 15, 2002
Photo of mickstepp
Reviewed by mickstepp from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
If you are ever in Cincinnati, skip the corporate gig (Rock Bottom) and head up to Over the Rhine (the old German neighborhood) for the best Brewpub in the region. They don't bottle so a visit is your only chance to sample some pretty good beer. All the staples are available... Pale Ale, Stout, Pilsner and the best Hefeweizen I have ever tasted (seriously!). Nice clove and banana notes but not at all cloying. They have quite a repertoire and rotate lots of styles depending on the season. They do a particularly nice job with Belgian styles and Bocks ( there is a Bock festival in town..in March I think). They only serve their own beers much to the dismay of the occasional neophyte looking for a Bud Light (they have some training beers for those folks).
May 28, 2002
Barrel House Brewing Company in Cincinnati, OH
Brewery rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 355 ratings