Folded in the large mural are things that can be seen at the original Third Eye location, and some new stuff.
But patrons will need to wait until next month for the Hamilton location to open, and co-owner Tom Collins said they’re just waiting for inspections to be completed, and knock out a few punch list items.
The beer’s been brewed. The tap system is nearly installed. The furnishings should come in any day now.
When the final inspections are complete, Collins and his co-owner Tom Shaefer can then announce an opening day. So for now, they’ll just say they’re opening next month, and Collins said that “it probably will be in the middle of the month.”
“We’re getting there,” he said. “We’re getting down to the final finishing touches.”
Third Eye Brewing has been brewing beer for the past two weeks in Hamilton, and both this location and the original one in Sharonville will provide products for the 15 to 20 beers that will be on tap.
The brewery at 850 S. Erie Blvd. (Ohio 4) is a renovated former Pepsi bottling plant, which has larger fermentation tanks than at the Sharonville location.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“This is maximizing our production, and we’re going move from about maxing out a little less than 2,000 barrels a year to over 10,000,” said Collins.
The estimated $4 million expansion project will feature a full kitchen, a 5,000-to-6,000-square-foot tap room that will be able to accommodate about 200 people, and outdoor seating. Collins also said there would be a 50-person private event space overlooking the fermentation tanks, which “we just learned through the process there is a need for larger parties booking space. We feel like we’re going to get a lot of usage out of this.”
The 28,000-square-foot brewpub and brewery is unique, with a large arching façade not seen on any other building along Ohio 4 and South Erie Boulevard.
“For us, we like the history of the building. We like the idea of taking something and revitalizing it,” Collins said. “We just thought it was great,” he said. “There’s just so much great stuff going on in Hamilton. We just thought it was the right place at the right time.”
THIRD EYE 2023 AWARDS
Third Eye Brewing has received this year 13 medals and two best brewery honors. They include:
At the Great Amerian Beer Festival, they were named Brewery of the Year for a brewery producing 1,001 to 2,000 barrels. They received gold medals for their Double Astral and Chai Eye Captain beers and silver medals for their Gourd Darn It and Mounds of Importance (a collaboration with Narrow Path)
At the World Beer Cup, their Higher Purpose brew received a bronze medal and at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, they received a gold medal for the Dark Aura and three silvers for their Double Astral, Space Toast Continuum and Kelly’s Private Stash.
At the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup, they were named Best Southwest Ohio Brewery as they won gold for Higher Purpose, silvers for Untapped Potential and Inner Sight, and a bronze for Kelley’s Private Stash.
About the Author
