Firehouse Grill & Brewery

During the initial influx of craft brewers in the Cincinnati area in the 90s, this place was Watson Brothers, a sister location of Main Street Brewery in downtown Cincinnati. It has been Firehouse Grill for a number of years, with brewing added relatively recently. The beers in my flight of house brews ranged from blah to pretty good. But the service left much to be desired. I expect a place that brews it's own beer to have servers that are knowledgeable about the beers made there. The style on one of the brews on offer wasn't listed on the menu and wasn't apparent from the description. The server could say nothing other than it was a "very light beer", which doesn't exactly narrow the possibilities. The service was lacking in other respects. The food is good but some of the menu items have rather small portions for the price. If you're in the area but have a limited amount of time, I would recommend Fretboard instead.

Nice place with good food and lots of local craft on tap.

Stopped in here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, and it was pretty much empty, which is fine by me. It’s a big place, too, with a rectangular bar in the middle of the main room. There are some take-out coolers of beer by the host stand, which is an unusual touch for a restaurant around here. There are about 40 taps and a similar number of bottle options. About half of the taps were local breweries, and some of the rest were Ohio craft breweries, as well. Macros to satisfy the staunchest suburbanites out here, but an impressive selection overall. Prices on beer were fair, food might be average to a buck or two high for what it is, basic bar food. Our server wasn’t great, she was pretty slow and unconcerned with us, which was a shame given how few people were in there. Still, this is one of the best options in the suburbs, particularly in the Blue Ash area, for craft beer. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Warehouse look, with a themed decor of firehouse paraphenalia, but a lot of taps, and bartenders who are friendly and know the brews they are serving. Flights are available for all brews on tap. Food is typical pub fare of good quality. I will return, if for no other reason, because they will have new local brews I’ve not yet sampled.

A good upscale in Blue Ash with a nice atmosphere. TVs are all over, and the beer selection is good and includes a lot of locally made brews. Our service wasn’t great, but the food was good. Worth a stop, especially to watch a game.

Hidden gem right next to Cavalier Distributing in Blue Ash. I stepped in for the first time last week after they hosted a "best beers in Cincinnati" event - they did a tap takeover with all Cincinnati breweries, about 35 different beers, and allowed people to vote on which was best with different categories. That’s a really unique and impressive undertaking, really shows that these guys have a passion for local craft. They also typically have a selection of macros on tap, though. The place inside is pretty nice, with a bar in the center, and tables all around - sort of a sportier bar, with lots of the decor nodding to firefighters. Bud / Bud Light flags and merchandise around. It was relatively quiet on a Monday when I stopped in, just the way I like it. The bartender and buyer were very nice, and were very knowledgeable about beer and the local scene. Spent a good amount of time talking to me, very friendly. Prices on beer were reasonable, and when I asked for a half pour on a beer I was accommodated. Overall, a cool beer place in an area that really has nothing else interesting that I’m aware of. Will return for future special events / tappings, and will come back sometime to try the food