CINCINNATI — Cleveland based Platform Beer Co. plans to open a new concept in the Over-The-Rhine District of Cincinnati, OH. Platform originally opened a Tasting Room in 2014 in the Ohio City Neighborhood of Cleveland, OH and added a second location in Downtown Columbus in 2016. Platform’s newest location will be a new concept for the 3-year-old brewery; one that marries beer, coffee and barrel aging.
The 2,500 sq ft storefront located at 1201 Main St., on the corner of Main and 12th, will be branded “LOCOBA by Platform”, short for Local Coffee Barrels. Hours will begin early acting as a relaxed coffee shop with pastries and grab and go food. A lunch menu will spotlight locally sourced products made fresh daily and the evening will see the space transformed into a Tasting Room serving a variety of Platform products, wine options and crafted cocktails.
Co-owner Justin Carson states, “When considering a Cincinnati Location, we wanted to do more than just a tasting room. We saw an opportunity to have a space that could do creative things with coffee, beer and spirits barrels.” Platform plans to brew batches on-site and age beer in barrels sourced from local and regional distilleries, then use those same barrels to soak un roasted coffee beans. Those beans would then be sent to local roasters and eventually served at the LOCOBA location. Carson adds, “It creates this really interesting proposition where a customer can taste a spirit, taste beer aged in that spirit’s barrel and taste coffee from beans soaked in that same barrel.” Platform will also sell these unique coffee beans to go out of the location.
Platform has already partnered with The Coffee Emporium in Cincinnati to begin soaking beans that would be used when the Tasting Room opens. Phoenix Coffee Roasters in Cleveland has been the source for coffee beans used in making High Brow Barista Coffee Rye Pale Ale, now available in cans. The brewery also plans to work with our roasters around the State. Platform plans to launch a year round line of canned cold brew coffee this year that will be available in retail stores throughout the state.
Platform Beer Co has been working with Cincinnati based developer, Urban Sites, and the project has a planned opening of Summer 2018.
About Platform Beer Co.
Platform Beer Co. is an independently owned craft brewery based in Cleveland with a hometown Tasting Room and Production Facility. In addition to Platform’s local presence, locations in Ohio include Tasting Rooms in Columbus and Cincinnati (2018). Founded in 2014, Platform crafts an ever-changing variety of styles that blur the edges of beer styles. Offerings include Speed Merchant White IPA, New Cleveland Pale Ale/Pilsner Hybrid, Hyper Retro Lemon Ginger Saison, High Brow Barista Coffee Rye Pale Ale, Yammy Yammy Sweet Potato Ale, Esther Belgian Style Christmas Ale, a variety of fruited Gose and Berliner Weisse Styles, a Small Batch IPA Series featuring New England Style IPAs and a series of exclusive taproom-only barrel aged clean and sours beers. Platform Beer Co. has grown from 97 bbls of beer produced in 2014 to approximately 20,000 bbls produced in 2017.