I’m excited to hit Fifty West Brewing’s new location on Route 50 in Chillicothe, Ohio

Fifty West Brewing Co. was No. 49 on the 2018 list of the fastest growing craft breweries in America. The Cincinnati-based brand is a personal fave, and the brewery continues to expand forward. I was particularly geeked to hear that the brewery will be opening a new brewpub on Route 50 in Chillicothe, Ohio. I used to motor back and forth on 50 exploring towns like Chillicothe from Ohio University. It’s a great area and great opportunity to serve an underserved market. A grand opening is slated for late 2019/early 2020. To the press release!

“Route 50 spans across the heart of the country from Ocean City, Maryland, to Sacramento, California. Our travels on this road gave us a sense of how America evolved and was built from coast to coast,” said Bobby Slattery, managing partner of Fifty West Brewing Co. “We had a dream that one day we could expand the Fifty West experience. This brewpub is the next step in bringing that vision to life.”

The press release also notes an interesting business tactic, finding small communities not yet served by the craft industry.

The ever-changing and competitive landscape of craft beer over the past decade has forced brewers to think about expansion with a nod to historical perspective. “Breweries in the late 1800s served as centerpieces for countless communities throughout the country,” Slattery continued. “Today’s breweries mirror their late counterparts as social centers, breathing life back into so many great towns across America.”

This shared history opened Slattery to communities on the rise located along the brewery’s namesake highway. “Route 50 took us to an amazing town in Chillicothe, Ohio and we fell in love. Chillicothe is a city rich in people and history, with many parallels to our core values including access to trails, rivers, and parks. We could not be more thrilled to be a part of this revitalization,” concluded Slattery.

This new project will be located on Route 50 at 1 N. Paint St. in the heart of downtown Chillicothe. The cost right now is estimated to be something like $2 million and will hopefully provide up to 30 new jobs for the area. Definitely a cool move.

“The city of Chillicothe is delighted to welcome Fifty West Brewing Company to our wonderful community,” said Mayor Luke Feeney. “We look forward to the brewpub on North Paint Street creating jobs, spurring continued economic development and revitalization downtown, and serving as a wonderful business for our residents to enjoy for years to come.”