MadTree 2.0 Construction

MadTree Brewing is building a new production brewery, taproom, beer garden, and event space at 3301 Madison Rd. in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Oakley.

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Look, it’s a brewery! And the Grand Opening date has been set...

Walls, ceilings, floors, equipment, parking lot, and the beginnings of a bar. These are all things that are in place as construction zooms along at MadTree 2.0. It’s remarkable how quickly it is coming together and how close we are to the Grand Opening and Winter Bonanza anniversary celebration. Check out these pictures and keep reading to find out when you can have your first beer at 2.0!

Let’s start with some of the equipment loading. The brewhouse and hot and cold liquor tanks have arrived and have been installed. There’s nothing like seeing all that stainless steel rolling down the road.

The barrel warehouse may not look like much now but it’s getting closer to completion. New windows have been installed, walls are up, and the floors are being prepared.

The outdoor portion of the taproom is coming along nicely. Walls are up and the roof is finished.

Inside, the heating and air ducts are being hung and the bar is under construction.

A neat feature is that the taproom will connect with the production brewery so you can still see where the beer is made as you sip.

High atop the brewhouse deck - this is where it all begins.

There is so much more to share, but for now save the date -- February 11, 2017!

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It’s getting REALLY real

Holy smokes! It’s starting to look like a real brewery! We’ve been very fortunate to have great weather so everything is moving full-steam ahead in anticipation of the taproom opening Winter 2017. Let’s take a look at all the new progress.

The brewery has front walls and the steel framing for all the windows are in place.

The concrete floor has the non-slip coating laid down now in preparation for delivery of all the brewhouse equipment. You can also see the new high-tech drains that use a fraction of the water to carry away solids and waste when compared to traditional trench drains. They don’t look like much but they are small and mighty.

The offices, lab, hop cooler, grain mill, equipment room, and centrifuge rooms have all been built out.

The new canning line has been dropped off -- this is one of three enormous skids of equipment.

The taproom is coming right along as the framing is completed and the roofing is laid down.

Hello there, enormous parking lot! There’s more to be built out but this is a solid start and gives you an idea of the size.

What’s next? Brewhouse equipment delivery! Here’s a sneak peek of the HUGE lauter tun getting ready to leave the Sprinkman plant in Milwaukee.

Soak it all in!

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Progress you can SEE!

For a little while it seemed like the site had gone idle since demolition was completed, but now we can see some real progress! The old hangar has new concrete floors (complete with an extensive drainage system), is getting a new roof (bye-bye tin metal roof), and the concrete foundation of the taproom has been poured.

This is the point in the project when things start to get REALLY exciting. You know, stuff like picking out the paint for the bathroom, figuring out where to put all the WiFi access points, and deciding on the style of bathroom signs.

Okay, maybe that’s not all that exciting but it is a sign of progress. Check out these construction pictures and keep scrolling for the some very shiny metal objects...

Can you taste the progress? No? Well check out all the new stainless steel that started being delivered. This is the heart and soul of the beer making process. The boil kettle, whirlpool, and liquor tanks arrived and THEY ARE MASSIVE.

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Unearthing The Past

We’ve entered a phase in the project where it seems like a lot isn’t happening since there aren’t dramatic scenes of demolition or construction. However, progress has been made in terms of obtaining all important permits along with preparing for progress.

There was an unexpected find last week as work began to prep for plumbing the new, very large, bathrooms. An old foundation was unearthed from some previous building.

Perhaps it is a piece of the original structure of the Cincinnati Frog and Switch Company established in 1906. The company manufactured railroad track switching components used throughout the United States and internationally. Mr. Charles Partington grew the company into a 40,000 sq. ft. facility on the current 2.0 site, employing more than 100 people. We can’t be completely sure this is a part of that building but it is certainly fascinating to unearth a piece of Oakley and Cincinnati history.

Other exciting work has been the excavation of the floor of the hangar to begin laying down drainage in preparation for pouring the brewery floor. The old concrete floor was removed while portions were “hand excavated” to keep the large steel tie rods in-tact so the building retains its structural integrity. 

During that process workers made a pretty remarkable find. A beer bottle from the Bruckmann Brewery was found 8 feet below the surface in nearly perfect condition. Local beer historians estimate it’s from some time around the late 1910′s prior to Prohibition. You can actually still see the original Bruckmann Brewery building just off Ludlow Ave near Cincinnati State, across the street from the police station.

In addition to the floor preparation, some concrete is beginning to be poured for the HOP COOLER (yes!) and equipment rooms (yawn...). 

Progress continues to be made every day and we have begun planning some exciting grand opening festivities. No, we’re not revealing a date yet! Stay tuned for more updates and keep stopping by the current brewery and taproom to try a really great lineup of beers in the coming weeks and months.

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Demolition and Destruction

What’s been happening lately? Well it is still just a lot of demolition as we continue removing components of the old Rock Tenn facility. At this point, we are down to just a couple of shell buildings to make room for the new taproom and beer garden. Some pieces of construction should begin next month. For now, check out these pictures of the demolition and removal of old equipment.

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Golden Sledgehammers

Yesterday, the official ground breaking ceremony was held which included golden sledgehammers, food from Catch-A-Fire, and, of course, beers. It was amazing to see the community support from the more than 100 people in attendance and you could feel an electric excitement from everyone in attendance. 

Guests got a first glimpse at the site plan along with a drawing of what the taproom entrance may look like.

Demolition and construction will continue throughout 2016 with an expected opening some time during Winter 2016/2017.

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The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Demolition is really moving along and it’s really neat to see the old factory opening up a bit. In this shot, you’ll see the beginnings of what will eventually be the large green space and beer garden off Madison Road. The front of the hangar in the background will have large glass windows to let in some natural light and also give passersby a glimpse at all the stainless steel brewing vessels housed in the production brewery area.

We also put up a new banner on the front of the building that will remain (probably how you found this site). And, yes, there will be plenty of parking and lots of bathrooms!! This portion of the building will be used for staff offices, the barrel warehouse, and private event space.

Next steps are to tear down more buildings which aren’t visible from the road. We’ll have some neat time-lapse footage of all this work to share with you soon.

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Demolition has begun!

Fences are up, walls are coming down, and progress is underway as the old Rock Tenn building is opened up to make way for a much more inviting brewery.  This view is from inside the future production brewery space looking out towards Madison Road.The pile of ruble beyond the wall will soon be a lush beer garden and green space.

Here’s the same view from the opposite direction. Looking from the Crossroads parking lot into what will be a large glass wall with loads of shiny stainless steel tanks behind it in the brewery space.