With such a rich brewing heritage, it’s no surprise that Cincy has no shortage of great craft breweries. But what to do when a member of your brew crew isn’t a fan of beer or can’t have gluten? You check out one of these great breweries that offer locally made drink options - hold the hops.

Rhinegeist - 1910 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

A few years ago Rhinegeist, one of the biggest breweries in the region, launched Cidergeist - its hard cider line. Cidergeist features year-round and limited ciders, both in cans and on draft. The seasonal, and very dry, Pip contains heirloom apples, while the seasonal Bloom blends elderflower and pear. Year-round Zappy provides a delightfully dry apple flavor. Rhinegeist has also introduced Geist Tea, their foray into hard tea. The original is reminiscent of sun tea while the Half & Half is a blend of hard tea and lemonade. 

West Side Brewing - 3044 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45211

As West Side Brewing's motto says: “West Cider Best Cider.” This Westwood-based, Cincinnati brewery makes a few different ciders under their “West Cider” label. The year-round Dry is a classic cider while seasonally they produce specialties that include the tropical Pog (passionfruit, orange, and guava), Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie, Apfelwein (an Imperial hard cider), Watermelon, Strawberry, and Raspberry.

Fabled Brew Works - 331 Kenton Lands Rd, Suite 300, Erlanger, KY 41018

For something less often seen, try the outstanding on-tap meads at Fabled Brew Works, a fantasy themed brewery and meadery. Session meads are carbonated and typically feature a lower alcohol content. Try options like Salvatore, with orange, peach, and marshmallow, or Celebramblor made with black currants, blueberries and vanilla ice cream. Or taste their classic meads like Clyde made with pears and vanilla, or Beacons of Minas Tirith with blackberries, walnuts, and coconut.

Wooden Cask Brewing Company - 629 York St, Newport, KY 41071

Wooden Cask makes their home in a historic building that once was home to gangsters and gamblers, and later was one of the best punk clubs in the Midwest. This brewery creates a Peach Orchard Cider that is available on tap. Enjoy dinner from the on-site restaurant, Beards & Bellies Barbecue with your brews.

Moerlein Lager House - 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Founded in 1853 and reintroduced in 1981, Christian Moerlein Brewing is a Cincinnati staple. Their award-winning brewpub, the Moerlein Lager House, brews plenty of beers on site, and creates Moerlein Cider. This cider is crisp and refreshing with a dry finish. They also offer a berry infused variant.

West Sixth Brewing - 100 W 6th St, Covington, KY 41011

Lexington, Ky. based brewery West Sixth recently opened the taproom West Sixth Covington Haus in what was originally a firehouse. West Sixth produces a dry house cider that’s available year-round. Look for limited release options like the semi-sweet, canned Cherry Cider.

MadTree Brewing - 3301 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209

MadTree has a drive to create great beer and great connections in the community. Come to this renovated airplane hangar and sample their canned cocktail, Sway. This zero sugar Vodka Soda is available in a plethora of flavors like Grapefruit + Ginger, Strawberry + Guava, and Raspberry + Lemon.

Braxton Brewing Co. - 27 W 7th St, Covington, KY 41011

Braxton Brewing is known for their great collaborations like Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chip Milk Stout, and their events like the annual Dark Charge Winter Block Party. The same dedication to their craft shows in their hard seltzers. Look for Birdie, a citrus and grape hard seltzer available in cans or on tap, or Rally, a citrus and cranberry hard seltzer only available in Braxton’s taprooms.

Fifty West Brewing Company - 7605 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45227

Fifty West is inspired by the Great American Road Trip across Route 50 and serves up flavors of Americana in their beer, their classic American food menus, and their additional beverage offerings. Their Vodka Seltzers are available in several flavors including peach, watermelon, and blackberry. They also offer Hard Lemonades, one for each season—Pink Lemonade, Cherry Limeade, Bomb Pop Lemonade, and Strawberry Creme Lemonade. Their Sunflower THC Seltzers are available in Blueberry Dream, Cherry Limeade, and Orange Cream Pop.

Northwood Cider Company - 2075 Mills Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45212

If you want to flip the script for your beer crew try Cincy’s first hard cidery and taproom, Northwood Cider. They use fresh-pressed apples and a variety of other natural juices, purees, fresh botanicals, spices, and more to craft their ciders. Try Gem (their signature sweet), 1903 (a classic dry cider), BomBerry (sweet, mixed berry), or their current seasonal offering. Bonus: they even offer a delicious, house made, non-alcoholic cider on tap for anyone looking for a non-alcoholic drink.

From Norwood to Newport, Ky. the Cincy region has plenty of options for locally made, delicious beverages. Crafted with care, these ciders, seltzers, meads and more will quench your thirst while delivering plenty of refreshing flavor.