When you discuss the modern history of craft beer in Cincinnati, you have to include Listermann Brewing. Their story is unique and speaks to the power of doing what you love while letting it evolve over time.
And while there are over 50 breweries in the Cincinnati area, Listermann remains a favorite among craft beer enthusiasts and brewers. In fact, part of their business is a homebrew shop where many professional brewers got their start – more on that later.
Let’s learn more about Listermann Brewing and what’s made it an iconic brewery in a city known for beer.
Origin Story
Listermann Brewing has become an iconic Cincinnati brewery. Their location has never been ideal and their brewing system isn’t fancy but there is something unique about who they are and the beer they create.
Their story starts back in the early 1970s when Dan Listermman attempted to make homebrewed beer. It went bad, really bad. In fact, the beer was so terrible that it took 15 years before he attempted it again.
So in the late 1980s, he and a friend attempted to make beer once again. The results were great and Dan was hooked on homebrewed beer. He joined a homebrew club, The Bloatarian Brewing League, and never looked back.
Since Dan was an engineer by trade, he quickly realized that the equipment homebrewers used was inadequate. So he set out to fix that. His first product was called “Phil’s Philler” and was a better bottle filler. With a little help to market the product from a friend, he started manufacturing and selling these in his spare time.
More products followed and in 1991, Listermann Mfg Inc was born. And by 1993, he made the move to quit his “day job” and go full time at his own company.
The business grew and Dan realized that Cincinnati needed a better homebrew shop. So in 1995, he moved his manufacturing to their present location at 1621 Dana Ave which also allowed him to open up a retail store; Listermann’s Brewery Supply.
As time moved on, the retail shop began to overshadow the manufacturing side of the business. Dan wanted to phase out the manufacturing and focus on retail. And that’s when he got a call from someone looking to sell a 2BBL brewing system. Listermann thought it was a fair price and he bought it.
The manufacturing was closed and Listermann Brewing Co was created. However, Dan’s wife wasn’t happy with the $4,000 license fee required to sell beer. But Dan had already brewed about $14,000 in beer. His wife realized the only option was to renew the license, sell the beer, and save the brewery.
While Dan is truly a self-made man and built much of Listermann on his own. He realized that he was going to need help on the marketing side. Kevin Moreland came to him looking to rent some space so he could start brewing because he wasn’t able to secure a brewery on his own.
Dan realized he had lots of valuable information that would help him sell more beer. So he brought Kevin on to brew at Listermann and help him grow the brand.
This partnership helped turn Listermann into what it is today. Kevin eventually parted ways with Dan when he got the opportunity to open a new brewery which is the well-known Taft’s Ale House. Kevin continues to make his presence know throughout Cincinnati craft beer but that’s probably a story for another time.
From manufacturing to homebrew shop to brewing; Dan Listermann has an amazing story about how following your passion and instincts can provide a life time full of great craft beer.
Learn More About Their History Here
What To Expect
Listermann Brewing sits on the South side of Dana Ave; just across from Xavier University. Their building is unassuming and you may even pass it by the first time.
To the right of their building, is a very large lot for parking and they have a small patio area that stretches along the entire front of the building.
If you arrive the morning of a beer release, you’ll find people lined up down the front of the building and down the side street. More on that in the Beer portion of this article.
Taproom
Listermann Brewing existed before Ohio laws allowed taprooms. So the original layout of their space didn’t account for customers coming in to drink beer. When the law changed, they adjusted and are continuing to make changes.
In the past, the homebrew shop was just as large as the taproom but over the past few years, the homebrew shop was shifted to a different part of the building to make more room for taproom customers.
When you walk in, you are entering the relative middle of the taproom. To your right, is the bar that stretches along the back wall. It’s an ornate wooden bar. There are high top tables in this area plus a booth in the back corner.
If you make your way up the few small steps to your left, you’ll see the rest of the taproom. This is referred to as the indoor beer garden. Immediately on the left is the kitchen where Renegade Street Eats operates – more on that later.
The rest of the space is full of tables, benches, and games. The windows are opened as often as possible to help bring in fresh air.
And you can’t miss the mural on the wall that prominently features Dan Listermann.
Homebrew Shop
The soul of craft beer resides within homebrewing. It’s really where all of this started; beer enthusiasts wanted more options so they made their own beer at home.
Listermann Brewing embodies the soul of craft beer because they started by manufacturing homebrewing equipment and evolved into a full scale homebrew shop.
Their homebrew shop continues to be a favorite in the entire city. They offer a wide selection of equipment and ingredients; not to mention knowledgeable staff to make sure you are learning how to make the best beer possible.
And it’s not just beer supplies but they also offer everything you need to make your own wine, mead and cider.
Learn More Here And Take A Look At Their Catalog
More Than A Brewery
Beer is just beer; but craft beer is so much more. It’s about the people and the community. The beer is the means to making it all work together.
The group at Listermann really enjoys bringing the community together in a way to support a good cause. Their most successful campaign to date is their well-known Fiona series.
Fiona is a baby hippo that was born at the Cincinnati Zoo. Read more about Fiona here.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Listermann team is continually working out new collaborations with other organizations. This helps bring more people to their taproom and they provide a portion of the sales to the cause.
For example, many of the monthly New England IPA releases benefit Elementz which helps provide urban youth an artistic outlet. One of Listermann’s exterior walls is even used for youth to practice graffiti in a legal, safe manner. The Cincinnati Art Museum is another example , not to mention the countless collaborations with other breweries.
And you can’t forget about the beer release they did to support International Women’s Day.
And the best part about it is they often bring the organization in to help brew the beer. They focus on involvement every step of the way.
You get the feeling that the group at Listermann understands that it’s about more than the money.
Related Post: Building Community At The Neighborhood Brewery
The Brewery
Dan Listermann built this brewery one step at a time and continues that same mindset to this day. This means there was never a time that he overhauled the entire brewing system.
Instead, he’s added on little by little.
Starting with re-purposed dairy equipment – yes you read that right – Listermann operates a 10 bbl brewhouse. From there, they’ve added fermenters to support their growing business.
Here’s the full rundown:
- 10 bbl Brewhouse – made of re-purposed dairy equipment
- 9 Fermenters
- Six 20 BBL
- Two 10 BBL
- One 7 BBL
- 10 Gallon Pilot Brewing System
And if you’ve followed Listermann for any amount of time, then you’ll know that they first got noticed for the ability make really great dark beers. That has expanded to include a well respected barrel-aging program.
At any time, they have 100 or more barrels of beer aging in their brewery. That’s a lot of barrel-aged beer for a brewery their size. And they’ve produced some amazing, award-winning beers from barrels. More on that next.
The Beer
You know a brewery is a special place when the beer is just one of the many great aspects. And at Listermann Brewing, their beer is award winning, a local favorite, and often causes people to stand in line for hours.
Back when the brewery opened, they were known for making dark beers and they still make a lot of them to this day. In fact, many are so good they’ve won awards.
- Festival Of Barrel Aged Beer (FoBAB)
- 2015 – Silver – Barrel-Aged Chickow!
- 2016 – Gold And Best In Show – Barrel-Aged Chickow!
- 2017 – Gold And Runner Up for Best In Show – Brandy Barrel Chickow!
- Great American Beer Festival (GABF)
- 2014 – Bronze – Nutcase
But Listermann Brewing does more than just dark beers. They’ve grown, evolved, and started making some of the best New England IPAs in Cincinnati. The first Saturday of every month, they release 2 NE IPAs. These typically attract a long line of fans waiting to get their hands on the latest release.
Follow Their Facebook Page For Release Details
Here’s a list of what you can expect to find year round from Listermann:
- Nutcase – bottles and draft
- Chickow! – bottles and draft
- Don’t Talk Sh*t About Norwood – draft
- Losantiville Pre-Prohibition Lager – draft
- Team Fiona New England IPA – draft and occasionally canned
That’s what you can expect to find every single day on their list as well as an extensive list of unique, rare, and tasty beers. They will have up to 16 different beers on at any given time. These will range from light to dark, sour to barrel-aged, and everything in between.
If you can’t find a beer that you like at their taproom then you probably don’t like beer.
Related Article: Pint Or A Flight?
What To Eat When You Visit
The age old question, what do you want to eat?
At most breweries, food isn’t an option and for a very long time Listermann was one of those places.
Yes, they offered food trucks but we all know those can be unreliable. But one food truck was quite reliable and became an almost fixture at Listermann. To the point that they moved in and opened an on-site kitchen.
Renegade Street Eats quickly became synonymous with Listermann – especially their grilled chicken wings. Their large black food truck could be found parked outside the brewery quite often.
So when Listermann began their taproom upgrades, plans were put in place to have a small kitchen added that would be a permanent home for Renegade Street Eats.
For those that frequent Litermann’s on a regular basis, it seemed like it took forever to get Renegade Street Eats opened due to permitting. But it was worth the wait.
Wednesday through Sunday, you can count on fresh, hot food served up with some of the best craft beer in the city.
Try to stop in on Thursday when you can get 6 wings and a pint for $11!
Location
1621 Dana Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
(513) 731-1130
Taproom Hours
Monday     10 am – 8 pm    Tuesday    10 am – 8 pm
Wednesday  10 am – 9 pm    Thursday   10 am – 9 pm
Friday       10 am – 11 pm   Saturday   10 am – 11 pm     Sunday   12 pm – 8 pm
Homebrew Store Hours
Monday     10 am – 6 pm    Tuesday    10 am – 6 pm
Wednesday  10 am – 6 pm    Thursday   10 am – 8 pm
Friday       10 am – 8 pm    Saturday   10 am – 6 pm     Sunday   12 pm – 4 pm
Connect With Listermann Brewing Company
Website    Facebook    Twitter    Instagram    Untappd
Final Thoughts
What else can be said about a brewery that has helped create the craft beer community in Cincinnati?
It’s more than just beer. Listermann Brewing makes some of the best beer in the city but that isn’t why people go there. It’s the people that keep bringing them back.
Listermann is still small and they rely on their customers in a very recognizable way. And it’s obvious that they care about their customers and their community.
I have no doubt that Listermann will continue to change and evolve as new employees and brewers alter who they are. I also am confident that more great homebrewers will be created through their shop and just might open the next great brewery.
Make sure you keep a close eye on their social media; their 10th Anniversary is in late 2018 and I suspect they’ll have a huge celebration.
