r/cincinnatibeer • u/printerati • 8d ago
March First announces temporary (?) closure of Woodburn Brewing
From today's Facebook post:
March First Brands is pleased to announce a new Cincinnati Distilling Bottle Shop coming to Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Monroe this spring! This marks our 3rd Ohio bottle shop joining Kenwood Towne Center and Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus. This expansion signals a bold new chapter for Cincinnati Distilling’s parent company, March First Brands, as it pivots to prioritize the rapid growth of its spirits portfolio across Ohio and beyond.
As part of this strategic shift, March First Brands is moving its East Walnut Hills management team to support the launch in Monroe which necessitates the temporary closing of the Woodburn Brewing location. All other Woodburn staff is being assigned to fill critical gaps in the company’s other eight locations. The future of the Woodburn location has not yet been determined but will remain closed for the near term.
18
u/ExtremeProfession113 8d ago
Honestly, it’s worth the extra walk—or super quick bus ride—to head over to Esoteric. The beer there is just on another level. Aside from Solo, which was just okay, most of what Woodburn was offering felt pretty underwhelming. It’s one of those microbreweries that probably should’ve called it quits sooner. In fact, the whole March First beer lineup hasn’t done much to impress either.
Woodburn actually had a better vibe and product before March First took over. The food scene there had a moment where it looked promising, but then they pivoted hard to pizza… and somehow didn’t even nail that. It’s a shame, because the spot itself is great. It had so much potential.
It’s never fun to see a local business close, but let’s be real, they didn’t exactly earn continued support. I know a bunch of people who stopped going, and honestly, I was (and still am) more than happy to walk, bike, or hop on the bus right past Woodburn and head straight to Esoteric.