Northern Row

What Northern Row does

Northern Row is a craft brewery and distillery operating a single taproom at 111 W McMicken Ave in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine Brewery District. The company began in-house grain-to-glass distilling in 2017 and now produces a portfolio of traditional German-style beers (Helles, Marzen, Hefeweizen, Kolsch, Pilsner), American IPAs, barrel-aged offerings, and house-distilled spirits including Northern Liberties Bourbon, Good River Vodka, Five Stories Gin, and Lazarus Rum. Brewing and distilling operations are fully on-site, with spirits aged in-house using the building's 30-foot deep lagering basement and barrel aging program.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer taproom model with unit-priced menu items (beer $4.50-$9, cocktails $13-$20, food $5-$17) plus a $4.99/month Loyal Local subscription membership that bundles weekly beer, six-pack, and parking perks. Off-premise spirits distribution runs through OHLQ (Ohio Liquor), and ancillary revenue lines include Eventbrite-booked distillery tours on select Saturdays, private event hosting, and a catering menu. Marketing is driven by Instagram (@northernrowbrewery), email newsletter, and community presence in the OTR district.

Northern Row serves local Cincinnati residents, tourists visiting Findlay Market and Washington Park, craft spirits enthusiasts on distillery tours, and event-driven foot traffic from nearby TQL Stadium. The venue is housed in an 1895 Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. building with original Carnegie steel beams and a 1905 backbar returned in 2018, providing heritage positioning that anchors the brand identity. The company is independently owned, holds the Brewers Association Independent Craft Brewer seal, and operates with 11-50 employees.

Name

Northern Row

Legal name

Northern Row

Website

https://northernrow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Northern Row is a craft brewery and grain-to-glass distillery operating a single taproom in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine district, producing traditional lagers, IPAs, bourbon, gin, vodka, and rum for on-site consumption, OHLQ retail, tours, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery and Distillery

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Distilleries (312140), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft brewery operations
• Craft distillery spirits
• Taproom hospitality
• Grain-to-glass production
• Barrel aged whiskey

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Taproom Food & Beverage Sales: On-site consumption of craft beers, cocktails, spirits flights, and scratch-made food menu items at the Cincinnati taproom. Covers beer ($4.50-$9.00 ABV range), cocktails ($13-$20), food ($5-$17), wine, coffee, and NA beverages.
2. Spirits Retail Sales: Bottled spirits sold for off-site consumption including Northern Liberties Bourbon, Good River Vodka, Five Stories Gin, Lazarus Rum, and specialty releases. Available at taproom and through Ohio Liquor (OHLQ).
3. Loyal Local Membership: Subscription membership program at $4.99/month providing $1 beer every week, $5.99 six-pack every week, and up to $6 in parking covered weekly. Recurring subscription revenue with member perks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Northern Row is a craft brewery and grain-to-glass distillery operating a historic taproom in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine (OTR) Brewery District. The company brews traditional German lagers and ales on-site, distills and ages bourbon, vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey in-house, and sells these beverages alongside scratch-made food at its taproom and through Ohio's OHLQ liquor distribution system. The taproom also offers distillery tours on select Saturdays, private event hosting, and a monthly subscription membership program.

Product overview

Northern Row is a brewery and distillery taproom located in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine Brewery District. The company operates as a grain-to-glass distiller producing craft beers, whiskeys, gins, rums, and vodkas in-house. The product portfolio consists of core beers (lagers, IPAs, stouts), house-distilled spirits (Northern Liberties Whiskey, Five Stories Gin, Good River Vodka, Lazarus Rum), craft cocktails, and taproom food. Services include distillery tours (booked via Eventbrite), event hosting, and a loyalty membership program. The company occupies a historic 1895 building formerly part of the Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northern Liberties Whiskey: Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and whiskey products
• Good River Vodka
• Five Stories Spirits
• Lazarus Rum

Products and services

• Northern Liberties Whiskey Grain-to-glass bourbon and whiskey produced and aged in-house at the Cincinnati distillery, including a Bottled-in-Bond release. Available at the taproom and through OHLQ retail.
• Good River Vodka Craft vodka produced in-house at Northern Row's Cincinnati distillery and featured in taproom cocktails.
• Five Stories Spirits (Whiskey) House-distilled whiskey offerings under the Five Stories Spirits sub-brand, including barrel-aged expressions.
• Five Stories Gin Craft gin produced and aged in-house under the Five Stories Spirits brand, available in multiple styles including a gold-medal Barrel Aged Peach Brandy expression.
• Lazarus Rum Craft rum produced in-house at the Cincinnati distillery, including a coconut rum expression, available at the taproom and through OHLQ.
• Core Beer Lineup On-site brewed clean, balanced lagers and ales inspired by tradition and Cincinnati's brewing heritage, anchored by German-style lagers such as Helles, Marzen, and Pilsner.
• Seasonal Beers Rotating seasonal craft beers brewed on-site at the Northern Row taproom.
• Special Release Beers Limited and barrel-aged beer releases, including bourbon barrel aged doppelbock and collaboration brews.
• Taproom Craft Cocktails House-made cocktails priced $13-$20, crafted with Northern Row's distilled spirits, served on-premise only at the Cincinnati taproom.
• Taproom Food Menu Made-from-scratch kitchen menu with locally sourced ingredients, with small bites ($5-$12), sandwiches ($14-$17), entrees ($15-$16), and desserts ($6).
• Distillery Tours Educational tours of the Northern Liberties Whiskey Co. distillery covering the whiskey-making process, stills, and aging barrels for craft spirits enthusiasts.
• Private Event Hosting Private event and group party hosting at the 1895 OTR taproom with in-house food and craft beverage service.
• Loyal Local Membership Recurring monthly membership program providing weekly beverage perks and parking coverage for frequent taproom visitors.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The Wooden NickelminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Antique dealer that facilitated the return of Northern Row's historic backbar. The backbar was built in Cincinnati in 1905, spent over a century in Golden, Colorado, and was returned to the taproom in 2018 through The Wooden Nickel's acquisition and sale.
• Dave Berger (Design Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner who crafted the warm, industrial aesthetic of the taproom space. Repurposed salvaged materials and hand-built many features including tables from inverted overhead cranes and sliding shutters from reclaimed wood.
• Pride Supporter GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with FC Cincinnati Pride Supporter group to create 'Supporter' - a blood orange Kolsch beer brewed as a crushable favorite for the FC Cincinnati season.
• Riverside WoodworkingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal woodworker who milled the bar top from a black walnut tree (cut down in the 1950s on Dave Berger's grandfather's farm in Delhi) and shaped it just down the street from the taproom.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Old Rittenhouse Spirits / Smooth Ambler: Smooth Ambler is a small-batch craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, gin, and rum with award-winning products and on-site tours/tastings. Comparable to Northern Row as an award-credentialed craft distillery combining bourbon production with experiential visits.
• Watershed Distillery: Midwest craft distillery producing bourbon, gin, vodka, and specialty liqueurs with on-site tastings and tours. Comparable to Northern Row's grain-to-glass distillery, sub-brand portfolio (multiple spirit types), and tasting-room / event-driven experience.
• New Riff Distilling: Northern Kentucky craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, gin, and malt whiskey with on-site barrel aging and a tasting room. Direct comparison to Northern Row's grain-to-glass distillery operation (whiskey, gin, rum, vodka) and tasting-room-led go-to-market.
• MadTree Brewing: Cincinnati-based craft brewery with taproom(s), packaged distribution, and event space. Comparable as a Cincinnati craft producer with broad portfolio of lagers/IPAs and a hospitality-led taproom model.
• Taft's Brewing Company: Cincinnati OTR craft brewery with a taproom, food menu, and event hosting in a historic brewery-district building. Directly comparable to Northern Row on geography (OTR), format (brewery + food + events), and historic-building positioning.
• Listermann Brewing Company: Long-running Cincinnati craft brewery with taproom and homebrew supply retail. Comparable as a Cincinnati craft brewery of similar scale operating a taproom and producing year-round and specialty beers.
• Rhinegeist Brewery: Large Cincinnati craft brewery operating a taproom and producing year-round and seasonal beers (IPAs, lagers, sours). Directly comparable to Northern Row as a Cincinnati-based craft brewer with taproom-driven revenue, though Rhinegeist is materially larger in scale and distribution.
• Tributary Brewing: Small Cincinnati-area craft brewery with taproom. Comparable on scale, Cincinnati footprint, and taproom-driven direct-to-consumer model.

Regional players

• Braxton Brewing Company: Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati-area craft brewery operating multiple taproom locations with food and events. Comparable as a Midwest craft brewpub chain combining beer production and on-site hospitality, though at a larger multi-location scale.
• Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. Cincinnati heritage brewery that historically operated out of the same 1895 building Northern Row now occupies. Comparable as a Cincinnati brewery brand with heritage positioning, though now distributed more broadly across Ohio rather than operating a single taproom.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/northernrowbrewery
• Xx.com/northernrow
• Facebookfacebook.com/northernrow

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Row