Typically on Brewery Adventures we’re heading to big cities like Atlanta or Columbus or Virginia Beach, but this week we are traveling about 40 miles east of Cincinnati to the small village of Mt. Orab. Home to about 4,000 people Mt. Orab is a bustling little area that actually has two breweries.

Well, one is technically a winery, but they brew beer.

Angie and I ventured out to Mt. Orab on a cold Saturday night to continue our Cincinnati Brewery Adventure, feeling lucky to be able to hit two breweries to make up for the 45 minute drive.

Sons of Toil

Our first stop was Sons of Toil, a new addition to the Cincinnati brewery family that opened in September. I’d be lying if I said I expected the place to be as busy as it was. Despite the small taproom, the place was nearly full with people on Tinder dates, families playing games, and regulars at the bar. We first wanted to try a flight to get a sample of some of their offerings, so here’s what we had:

-Juicy New England IPA

-Green Chili Pale Ale

-Holiday Ale

-Coffee Porter

All were very solid and true to their style, and it’s nice to see that they are doing something a little outside of the box with their green chili pale ale. It was a little too “unique” for us, but it seems to be a good seller.

The place is an old barn that doesn’t necessarily feel that way inside, and it’s clear that their beer is pretty solid. It’s fun to see some of these places on the outskirts of what would be considered Cincinnati being a meeting place for beer lovers of all kinds.

Bardwell Winery

Next, we traveled a few miles west to Bardwell Winery. They have food and wine, but we were here for the beer. I tried their Orabian Dark, which is an English Mild Ale, which I was pleasantly surprised by.

It’s a very small little place that is run by a husband and wife, and they were very friendly in talking to us about Mt. Orab as we sat at the bar for a few minutes. We of course also had to try some of their wine, and ended up buying a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon to take home and enjoy later.

Check out the full Cincinnati Brewery Guide here.