Cleveland’s Saucy Brew Works buys Cincinnati-area Cartridge Brewing, which is housed in a cool old cartridge factory

Saucy Brew Works x Cartridge Brewing 🤝🍻
We're stoked to officially announce that Saucy Brew Works has acquired Cartridge Brewing. Huge thanks to our teams and to everyone who has supported both breweries along the way!

Read the Official Press Release: https://t.co/zM1WBitBbg pic.twitter.com/DCS3KAn6Zu

— Saucy Brew Works (@saucybrewworks) December 1, 2022

Since being founded in 2017, Saucy Brew Works has exploded onto the Ohio beer scene and beyond. The brand, which has a great home base location on Detroit Ave. in Cleveland, boasts four locales in Ohio now (Ohio City, Pinecrest, Columbus and Sandusky) and its first brewpub expansion across state lines (Detroit). We’ve also been teased with possible locations in places like Charlotte and Nashville.

Saucy has solid distro all over Ohio (dig the map) either with the House of LaRose (an awesome wholesaler name) or Heidelberg Distributing Co. But it’s not just all beer news: In July 2020, Saucy opened its first Coffeehouse in Orange, Ohio (its Pinecrest locale). Saucy Coffee now has four co-locations, including spots at Columbus, Detroit and Sandusky Saucy Brew Works. I’m not even going to mention coolness like the Vibe Garden or the possibility of expansion in Ohio City. Nope. Won’t do it…

.@saucybrewworks expanding into the space occupied by TITLE Boxing Club in @OhioCity. They are planning an 1,853-square-foot event space in there.

And

Signage for corner retail space at Lorain and West 41st for Goldie's Bakery in the new 41WestCLE development by @myplacegroup. pic.twitter.com/a2Rm6WgSLR

— NEOtrans-blog (@NeotransB) December 6, 2022

But there’s more I will talk about. Last week, Saucy Brew Works announced the acquisition of Cartridge Brewing in Maineville, Ohio, which sits outside of Cincinnati, nearish to Kings Island, nestled along the banks of the Little Miami River. The brewery is housed in an awesome old building (built in the 1860s) that used to be a cartridge and ammunitions factory (dig it). Today, the factory is also home to 134 apartments with easy access to the Miami Scenic Bike Trail (plus, probably further commercial development). Cartridge beers include popular brands like Up The Hill (Munich Helles) and Escape (Pina Colada Wheat Ale), all created onsite in Cartridge’s 15-bbl brewhouse.

TBT from 3 years ago … still just over a year away from our grand opening in 2020. Still takes our breath away to see how everything was coming back to life. Those lights!
📷 Holder Creative, LLC pic.twitter.com/PQEjXR8H5I

— Cartridge Brewing (@CartridgeBeer) September 15, 2022

TBT: History edition! Those two towers – what were they used for? You know we’ve got the answer. Here’s a sneak peek … want the full story? We’ve got that too – book our Tour/Tasting for the whole shebang. https://t.co/5HrwTx1Uf9 pic.twitter.com/dAMRFT7fMa

— Cartridge Brewing (@CartridgeBeer) August 18, 2022

According to the press release, Head Brewer Adam Mills and the Cartridge Brewing team will continue to work at the brewery, but now with access to Saucy’s full QAQC Lab and experience as a highly successful craft brewery with presence throughout Ohio and beyond. Also very cool: Select Cartridge beer will be on draft at all Saucy Brew Works locations with more plans to increase the brand’s distribution footprint. Here’s all the quotes from the release:

Cartridge founder, Kyle Hackbarth shared, “The past five years bringing Cartridge Brewing from inception to reality has been a wild ride for myself and co-founders Anthony Cook and Lindsey Hackbarth. We’re exceptionally proud of the reputation the brand has built and when looking toward the future we knew finding an organization that could take Cartridge to the next level was critical. Saucy Brew Works with their top-quality beer, guest experience-focused brewpubs, community-focused culture, and being right here in Ohio was a natural fit.”

Brent Zimmerman, Co-Founder and CEO of Saucy Brew Works said, “Steeped in the history of our Country, we couldn’t be more excited to expand the Saucy Brew Works family of brands to the Cincinnati area through the acquisition of Cartridge Brewing. We, as a company, have always desired to have a physical presence in the Cincinnati area (I am a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio) and when Kyle and I connected about this opportunity, we visited the facility and instantly fell in love with the architecture, setting, and deep history of The Peters Cartridge Company and the surrounding buildings.

Mr. Zimmerman continued “My grandfather served in WWII as a navigator in a prolific way and I couldn’t help but think that maybe (while a long shot) some of the ammunition from his B26 Marauder were in fact manufactured in this very facility. All the stars aligned and we jumped at the opportunity to take the Cartridge brand to the next level. We couldn’t be more excited to write the next chapter of this historic site, while respecting its deep rooted history as it relates to our Country’s past.

Eric Anderson, Co-Founder and CBO of Saucy Brew Works said, “When the opportunity came f or Saucy Brew Works to assume operations of Cartridge Brewing, I was thrilled. As we learned about the community, people, and history of Kings Mills, OH and surrounding towns, the excitement grew even more. Our growth as a company is only possible with the support and love from the neighborhood, and for that we are always grateful. The rich history of the Peters Cartridge Company and the building itself are incredible. Our humble intention is to uphold and shine light on those memories, support our local community, and bring our brewing and culinary prowess to Southern Ohio . The star-studded cast already in place at Cartridge Brewing has welcomed Saucy with open arms and together we are aligned for a very bright and tasty future. Thank you to all that have hoisted a pint within the historic walls, we can’t wait to see you again!”