In the 1800s, well over half of Cincinnati's population was German or German-American, many of whom called the West Side home. Naturally, this led to a strong history of brewing and beer-drinking in the very foundation of our city. And yet, there aren't any West Side breweries paying homage to our legacy.

Bridgetown Brew Works is a family owned craft brewery and taproom set to open on the West Side in Late Spring to Early Summer of 2014. Cincinnati has a handful of craft beer options, but few really represent our beer-loving legacy. By honoring our heritage, we'll bring some West Side flavor to the local beer market and provide Cincinnatians from all over the city a new, authentic destination to enjoy not only our in-house beers but a variety of other locally-brewed options.

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to represent our city's heritage and bring it into the future of craft brewing with our West Side brews. When we open our doors this Spring/Summer you'll have the opportunity to not only explore other locally-brewed favorites, but also 5 of our own in-house brews:

• Oak Hills Lager
• Hairpin IPA
• Muddy Creek Wheat
• Bridgetown Hefeweizen
• Roland Sodas - Root Beer and other natural sodas

Jim Gunnarson grew up on the West Side of Cincinnati, and has been dreaming of opening a brewery for years. Jim has been brewing his own beer since the 90s, refining his recipes and making connections throughout the Cincinnati brewing scene. His day job is in IT, but his passion lies in brewing.

Heather Glenn-Gunnarson has been living in Cincinnati for the past ten years.  She is on maternity leave, taking a break from her Marketing career at Procter & Gamble. Her passion is giving back to the community and is Co-Chair of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Take Back the Night scheduled for April 2014. 

"Our children Julia, Lily Ann, and Trevor are our legacy.  We want to create something for them as well as you, for generations to come."

Together, Heather and Jim have been building the dream of Bridgetown Brew Works. With Heather's marketing experience, Jim's entrepreneurial spirit, and their local connections, they are confident that BBW will become a local favorite.

Though we have yet to open our doors, we have made significant strides towards Bridgetown's future success.

We have begun our initial marketing and outreach, and already have built a substantial following on Facebook and Twitter

We built a fully operational website

We have already begun presales of our beer

Our first month's capacity has been pre-sold already

We will be brewing 2 batches each week (equivalent to roughly 40 half barrels), with very little backstock

Testers of our brews are giving us rave reviews

We have begun developing our 4 seasonal brews: a summer ale, oktoberfest, Christmas ale and winter ale

We have received a few great press mentions as excitement builds: BrewProf.com and Cincinnati.com

     We have glasses, t-shirts, and growlers already designed and ready to go

As a member of the local community we also want to give back to the people and businesses that support us.  That is why we have decided to share our success.  To do this we have chosen to support Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  Every quarter when we return profits back to our investors, 5% of those profits will be donated to Cincinnati Children's Hosptial and other local charities.  5% of this funding campaign will also go directly to Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Cincinnati Children’s is a nonprofit hospital and research center dedicated to bringing the world the joy of healthier kids. A gem of the Queen City, Cincinnati Children’s is recognized as one of the top 3 children’s hospitals in the nation. Families travel to Cincinnati from around the world for access to their renowned specialists, innovative care and pioneering research.

A number of local businesses have already stepped forward as sponsors of our brewery. We wish to take this opportunity to honor them and express our gratitude! Please check out these great local businesses and do your part to support our local economy.

Bridgetown Brew Works is so close to being a reality. We have identified a few locations (though we aren't ready to disclose it yet, we will tell you it should be somewhere on Harrison Avenue between Miamitown and Cheviot...). We've finalized a few of our beer recipes and the others are nearly perfect as well. Now, we need your help to build our Taproom and Brewery.   We can then begin production of a bunch of delicious brews and serve you the beautiful people of Cincinnati and the West Side.

$20,000 will be enough to accomplish our initial steps of securing a location, and some buildout but anything beyond will help us get the doors open even sooner. We also are donating 5% of everything raised here to Cincinnati Children's Hosptial so the more we receive the more you help the charitable organizations we support.

Want a break down of how the funds will be used?  We do have other sources of funds but these funds are just to open the doors and get our taproom open.  Our total goal is $225,000 which will allow us to be fully functional and brewing beer by summer time. 

And now, the good stuff. Not only will your contribution enable us to bring delicious new brews and a great new brewery to Cincinnati's scene, you can also score some great rewards!  Since you are being so generious we want to return the favor.  We'll be donating 5% of this campaign and future profits to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Giving Hope program and we plan to include more local charities in the near future.  If you know of a local charity that needs help please let us know and we will add them to our future plans.  Every level also comes with free beer so belly up to the bar and pledge something today.

Bridge Helper $10+
Thanks for your support! We'll hand over a pint glass koozie for your pledge and 1 Free Pint! Keep those drinks cold!

Bridge Builder $25+
Receive a limited edition Bridge Builder pint glass, koozie, and your first 4 pints FREE!  Plus your name listed on our website as an Apprentice Bridge Builder.

Growler Bridge Builder $50+
Receive a limited edition Bridge Builder pint glass, koozie, and growler, along with 2 FREE Growler Fills and 4 FREE Pints! Plus your name listed on our website as an Bridge Builder.

Bridge Builder Pub Crawl Kit $100+

Receive a Bridge Builder pint glass, and growler, along with 4 FREE Growler Fills and 8 FREE Pints! You'll also receive a t-shirt and pint glass koozie, as well as your name listed on both our website and taproom wall as a Bridge Builder.

Just your name plate on the wall! $250+
Your name will be inscribed on a name plate that will hang on our tap room wall. Plus, you'll be rocking a BBW t-shirt, pint glass, koozie, and enjoying 12 FREE Growler Fills and 12 FREE Pints of our beers on us!  Your name will also be posted to our website and taproom wall as a Master Bridge Builder.

Bridge Architect Membership $500+
Become a part of something bigger than yourself: become a Bridge Architect. You'll receive all of the rewards mentioned above, including 18 FREE Growler Fills and 18 FREE Pints, and will also have responsibilities.  Your name will also be on our website and taproom wall as a Bridge Architect. See below for the responsibilities of being a Bridge Architect in the BBW Architectural Society.

It's Breaktime! $1,000+
Everything below this level and something to eat.  We just brew beer but during our grand opening we will have a 5 course dinner catered in for you and a guest.  Plenty of our beer to compliment the food as well.  You'll also receive 24 FREE Growler Fills and 36 FREE Pints!  Your name will also be on our website and taproom wall as a Bridge Backer.

Senator and his Tools $2,500+
You'll get a hands-on tour of our brewery and learn all the ins and outs of brewing our beers. We'll give you all the tools and equipment you need to start brewing at home! And of course you'll also receive all the rewards listed above.  Naturally you get everything above, along with 48 FREE Growler Fills and 48 FREE Pints, and your name on the website and wall Senator.

Name that Bridge! $5,000+
Since bridges need to be named once built we feel that your effort deserves a reward.  We'll honor your generous contribution by engraving a shiny name plate with your name and affixing it to one of our fermenters! You'll also be named a Lieutenant Governor and honored as such on our taproom wall and website, in addition to receiving all rewards mentioned above.  For this level, we are offering Free Beer for 12 Months (Limited to 4 Pints a week and 2 Growlers a week)!

Governor $10,000+
Well all bridges need to be christened.  Naturally you get everything we are offering below this level since being the Governor comes with perks.  You will be forever embodied on a seasonal beer that you will help create and brand with our brewmaster.  We will also donate the proceeds from the first 10BBL batch to a non-profit charity of your choice.  Your name will also be on our website and taproom wall as the Governor.  On top of this, you'll get Free Beer for Life! (Limited to 4 Pints per wek and 1 Growler a week).

Partner $25,000+
Become a partner of Bridgetown Brew Works. You love our beer, or our respect for the West Side community, or maybe you've always had the dream of owning a brewery, too! We're honored you want to join our team. We'll deck you out with pint glass koozies, t-shirts, and all the other perks that come with co-owning a brewpub.  Naturally the legalities are detailed so please contact us first if you are interested in this level.  You can contact us via our website.

This is an exclusive membership for friends of Bridgetown Brew Works and is available with a $99 annual membership. But during this campaign, you can get a lifetime appointment to the BBW Architecural Society with a pledge of $500 or more. See membership details below.

• Bridge Architect T-shirt
• Free glassware with every BBW beer release
• Access to exclusive events and beer releases
• Membership to a private tasting panel
• Free and discount pint nights in our future taproom
• Free tour access for you and your guest
• 25% off all BBW merchandise for the duration of your membership