I used to be a person who said that my craft beer preferences were pretty typical. I liked IPAs and ales and lagers, and lots and lots of hops.

Similar to many people, I’m a seasonal drinker. I like the light, bright stuff in the spring and summer, flavorful harvest ales in the fall, and dense, dark beers in the winter.



There didn’t seem to be much room for any other styles on my beer palate. I moved to Cincinnati in 2014, and Urban Artifact had always been on my radar, but I often brushed them aside as the people who brewed “weird beers.”

When my girlfriend Angie and I visited every brewery in Cincinnati earlier this year, I had this to say about Urban Artifact:

As far as the actual beers go, they’re a little “out there” for me, but they definitely have a huge following and have been ramping up production recently. If you want proof that they’re not your typical craft brewery, their most popular beer is Finn (5.4%), a sour farmhouse IPA. If that sounds like a whole lot to decipher through in your mouth, it is. They specialize in sour and gose style beers, and are definitely a unique player in the Cincinnati market.

One of the issues that I had with these guys is that I went in expecting them to be a “typical” brewery. And that’s the complete opposite of what they are, and what they are trying to be. Urban Artifact is challenging what it means to be a craft brewery, and what they’re doing is starting to grow on me.

Sometime earlier this year, I randomly ordered a Letterbox because I was in the mood for something different. What I got was a sour ale that looked more like prune juice than beer, and it was very lightly carbonated. And I freaking loved it. The beer has so much depth of flavor, and you can literally taste the fresh fruit (lime, orange, raspberry, and mango) right from the get-go.

Undeterred by this pleasantly overwhelming experience, I decided to put Urban Artifact back on my radar. I guzzled down some Keypunch, a key lime gose that is an impeccable summer beer. It’s perfectly tart and refreshing and I could easily have a six pack of these in a day.

I also like Flash Lamp more than I like most witbiers, and don’t even get me started on Whirligig. That’s a beer that could cause a beer revolution it’s so damn good. If you like blueberries or have ever even heard of blueberries, try you some of this fizzy goodness.

Then Angie and I went to Bewilderfest, the brewery’s annual festival of out-of-the-box beers. They had so many new, unique options that it was almost overwhelming.

In short, don’t make the mistake of thinking of Urban Artifact as just another craft brewery. They’re so much more than that. Thanks for doing something different.