Brewery Spotlight: Shedding Some Light On Darkness Brewing

Craft Beer Joe

7 years ago

Darkness Brewing is a small brewery that opened a year ago in Bellevue, Kentucky – just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. They are seeing a lot of success in their little corner of the world with plans to continue to meet the growing demand for their beer. So when I decided to start to highlight breweries, I chose them because they are one of the many small breweries that don’t get as much attention as others.

And since they have been open for a year, a big one year anniversary party is being planned. Make sure to read all the way to the end to learn more about what to expect and why you need to be there to help them celebrate.

Origin Story

There’s no right or wrong way to start a brewery but Darkness Brewing started in a very familiar way; with home brewing. Eric Bosler, one of the founders, began homebrewing about five years ago. He had worked in the bar business for years and always enjoyed small batch beer so he began making his own beer. After a few years of brewing on his own, Ron Sanders, the other founder of Darkness, joined in. As they improved their homebrewing skills, friends and family started to encourage them to open their own brewery.

With a ton of support, Eric and Ron decided that owning and operating a brewery is what they wanted. Since they were going to focus on dark and unusual styles of craft beers, the name Darkness Brewing was created. Bellevue, Kentucky was picked as an ideal location since Eric lived there and understood the neighborhood. This was a brilliant move. The area has embraced them and it doesn’t hurt that they are just minutes from the highway so visitors from other areas can easily get there.

What To Expect

You might drive right by them the first time you visit. While they sit on the main road, there is a lot of other buildings and signs that can distract you. There is street parking as well as the bank next door; but only park there after banking hours.

Walking up to the brewery you will first notice the area out front that has tables and cornhole. On most evenings, you will find a good portion of their customers out there enjoying the weather. There is a large garage door that leads to the taproom which is left open whenever weather permits. Inside, there are tables to the left and a bar directly in front of you.

While the outside of the building is an off white color, most of the inside is dark. Which makes sense with a name like Darkness Brewing. The bar is made from reclaimed wood that was salvaged out of a home from the 1860’s. There’s some artwork on the walls including a Darth Vader near the restrooms which have barn style doors on them. The space is really easy going and the perfect spot to just relax.

The Beer

Darkness Brewing uses a 3.5 bbl brewhouse and has been adding fermenters with the goal of having around 70 bbls of fermenting space by the end of 2017. So they do not have the largest capacity but that doesn’t stop them from making some really interesting craft beer.

In fact, taking risks with brewing is one of their favorite parts about having their own brewery. Trying new styles or ingredients helps keep their customers interested because you never know what they will have next. They serve their beer by the glass, flight or growler. And if you bring someone along that doesn’t care for beer, they always have a cider on tap.

When you stop in, you’ll probably find a few of their go-to beers on tap. These include Man On The Moo (milk stout), Hop Head Nebula (black IPA/cascadian dark ale) and Bellevue Common (Kentucky common ale). Those last two aren’t styles you see every day so it’s easy to see that they like to do things a little bit different. Another fan favorite is their Toastonut which is a coconut cascadian dark ale. One that I really enjoyed is called Pineapple Fire which uses their Bellevue Common as the base with pineapple and chipotle chilies added. The sweet and heat were perfectly in balance.

What To Eat When You Visit

If you are enjoying a few drinks then there is a good chance that you will want something to eat as well. Darkness Brewing doesn’t offer a menu. However, they do have pretzels and beer cheese from The Pretzel Place. A local bakery, Mama C’s, also provides special beer cupcakes. So if you are looking for a snack or something sweet, they can take care of you in the taproom.

If you need a full meal then check out these spots that are all within walking distance: Avenue Brew and Bellevue Bistro. Both have high ratings on Yelp so check them out before or after seeing our friends at Darkness Brewing.

Location

224 Fairfield Ave, Bellvue, KY 41073

(859) 815-8375

Hours

Monday – Thursday: 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friday – Saturday: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Sunday: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Connect With Darkness Brewing

The guys at Darkness always have something going on; keep up with them on social media and don’t forget to check into their beer on Untappd.

Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Untappd

Related Post: Craft Beer In Columbus

My Thoughts And One Year Anniversary Details

Darkness Brewing is doing a great job in their first. They are meeting the needs of the Bellevue area. Their brewery has great atmosphere and their beer is not only good but also interesting. Look for these guys to slowly grow and begin to get their craft beer into bars and restaurants around the area.

And mark your calendars for August 12th. Their one year anniversary event is going to be the place to be that weekend. It’s from 1pm – 11pm and they aren’t holding back. From the looks of it; they intend to take over the entire downtown Bellevue area. There’s going to be something for everyone.

Here’s what they have planned:

Variations Of Their Favorite Beers
4 Live Music Acts
3 Comedians
A Comedy Show With Drinking Games
Circus Performers
Craft Tents
Face & body painting and Henna Tattoos

So if you want to check out a place that is taking some risk to bring you beer that has the flavor and uniqueness to stand out, then Darkness Brewing is for you.