In a world where breweries are popping up all over the place, it really takes something special for a new offering to stand out. Mason’s Sonder Brewing has done a lot to stand out, deciding to open a massive brewery on 6.5 acres near Kings Island complete with an oversized beer garden, bocce ball courts, cornhole, volleyball, and fire pits.
The brewery itself is massive, at 16,000 square feet with a 30 bbl system. You definitely get the feeling upon walking in that this place was designed to be something big and something special, and it is.
We got to visit during their grand opening celebration this past weekend, and the place was packed despite the fact that it was a cold, rainy Saturday night. The staff was awesome and the short wait for beers was impressive for a place on its first night.
But most importantly, the beer is delicious. Sonder poached Luke Shropshire from Streetside, and the quality of beer that they opened with was nothing less than impressive. Chase Legler, formerly of New Glarus in Wisconson, is also on the brewing team. They opened with a solid well-rounded tap list, including a New England IPA, a coffee kolsch, a tiramisu stout, a traditional IPA, a witbier, a pale ale, and a traditional kolsch. It should be interesting to see where the beers go in the future, with Shropshire’s passion for sour beers and Legler’s background brewing traditional German styles.
Sonder also partnered with BrewRiver to provide food, offering nice bar fare at a pickup window for their grand opening. The pricing was also solid at less than $10 per item which is always important in a food menu.
The idea behind the name “sonder” is that everyone has a story, and it’s obvious that Cincinnati’s newest brewery will have plenty of tales to tell in the future.