Dayton’s Pinups and Pints might be America’s first strip club brewpub

Beer and breasts — it’s not a new combination — especially in a town like Dayton, Ohio, but here’s a new spin on the age-old idea — naked women and craft beer brewed on premise. It’s definitely (ahem) an eyebrow raiser that’s getting Dayton’s Pinups and Pints some national attention. You can’t really tell much from the strip club’s/craft brewery’s website, which simply announces:

Starting out as a labor of love in our kitchen, Pinups and Pints is our dream come true. We love beers, and if you do, too, you’ve come to the right place!

In the kitchen, eh? Just take a look at the aforementioned kitchen. Kevin J. Gray wrote a nice piece on “America’s First Strip Club Brewpub” for the Dayton City Paper. For those in Southeastern Ohio who have decided to suddenly leave work early today, the “brewclub” is in Medway, just north of where I-675 dead-ends into I-70. Gray took three compadres to review the brewclub.

“Wouldn’t it be weird,” one of us remarked, “if we got to the club and it was nice inside? Weirder still, if the beer was good and the entertainers were actually, well, entertaining?”

And that might be the weirdest part of the whole story.

When we pulled up, we were immediately surprised by the façade. The lighting was high-end, and the club looked out of place, like it belonged in some bigger, booming town. Inside, the surprises continued. The décor was tasteful and modern. Clearly, it had been recently updated with big, comfortable chairs and ambient lighting. The stage, with its requisite pole and mirrors, was tastefully subdued.

Apparently, owner Scott Conrad is an avid homebrewer, and in the article it interestingly notes that getting a liquor license through regional agencies can be tougher than getting a brewer’s license (clever, Conrad), which allows Pinups and Pints to not only brew and serve its own beer, but also serve guest beers, liquor and wine. But what about the beer it brews on premise?

Pinup Pale Ale, Conrad’s inaugural beer, was being primed for release that Monday, but we sampled an early release. It was a solid pale ale, a good start on a new system and one that will get better as Conrad works out the kinks in his system [a 15-gallon setup]. “If I’m going to have it, I might as well make it good,” Conrad explained. He plans to do an Oktoberfest as well, offering two beer styles alongside the full bar.