Jeff Graff is a turd.

Before I can get too deep into why he’s a turd (he’s the owner of Paradise Brewing), I have to tell you guys a story.

Paradise Brewing is an amazing spot (that’s the understatement of the decade…). Not only can these folks answer your homebrewing questions, sell you some supplies and get you off and running into the hobby, but they’ve also created a space that a lot of folks have fallen in absolute love with. (cue some kind of GIF of me pointing at myself) Back in March of 2014 the little brewing supply store started down a path that has led to this news, slowly but surely.

They opened a taproom.

It’s not crazy to open a taproom in Cincinnati – we all know that there are a ton of breweries around town, but at the time it wasn’t quite so simple. There are only 11 taprooms or brewpubs in town that are older than Paradise. It was novel, it was fun… and I’m not sure that they knew how much, and how many, people were going to love their beer (and them).

What started as a fun idea, and a way to help sell homebrew kits turned into a full-on nano-brewery, which grew into what you know of now when you look at Paradise. They’re still small. With that small size, they are forced to operate a little differently than they might want to, limiting hours to keep all us yahoos from drinking all their beer – and there’s only one way to change that. You have to grow.

The Path To Old Firehouse

Around the same time that Paradise was doing its thing – Old Firehouse was out in Williamsburg, doing theirs. I can’t think of many breweries that had more of a noticeable impact on their city than OFB did. People drove out to Williamsburg every weekend. They supported local businesses and fell in love with the idea of this small town with a taproom.

I won’t dive into some of the reasons that Old Firehouse didn’t survive… but it’s not because Williamsburg didn’t want a brewery. They left a void when they closed their doors in 2019 and the timing here just worked out perfectly. Paradise is filling that void.

What’s This Mean For Paradise?

Look, if you like the Paradise taproom, it’s not going anywhere. It will look the same, it will feel the same – it will be the same. Paradise will get much better hours though as more beer starts moving into their pipeline.

However, this new taproom? It’s gonna be a lot different. They’re dubbing this new space ‘Paradise East’, which for us folks that live on the other side of the city, the idea that Paradise wasn’t east already is a little funny. It’s a new destination, a new space, a new idea for us to fall in love with… but it’s why Jeff Graff is a turd. This is fantastic for them… but now, not only do I have to venture out to Anderson… I have to stop in Anderson on my way to Williamsburg, I think. This should be closer to meeeeee.

They’re going to make changes to the taproom as they turn it into their own space. Gone will be the Old Firehouse theme, and in its place will be an inviting taproom that brings that spirit of what makes hanging out in Anderson welcoming, warm and a place that so many of us have fallen in love with. Familiarity comes head to head with a new, fresh place, and out pops a space that I think you’re going to fall in love with.

The Brewery

Paradise is already hard at work getting things in motion. They have to get the brewery (which has been shut down for over a year) back up and running. They’ve gotta start test batching some of those recipes that you know and love to get them dialed in for an entirely new system, and then they’ve gotta start cranking it out.

Couple that process up with the cleaning, painting and renovating of a taproom that definitely already had a personality – and it’s going to take a little while to make it happen. They’re hoping to have it done around mid-2021 – but, as we all know these things go – there’s a big “ish” that gets tacked onto any dates that get thrown out right now.

It’s not going to be a fast process, and it’s not going to be an easy one. Paradise isn’t a big operation, mind you. They don’t have a ton of employees that can shift around and just open a new spot. They’re leaning heavily on friends from in the community, as well as their current team to make sure that things get up and running.

Rest assured, though, when they do get things up and running – you’re going to hear a lot more about it here on this website. They’ll eventually have cans for sale in the taproom, which I suppose means that I will have more options to fill my fridge here at home with their beer… so maybe just because they’re expanding east, away from me, Jeff Graff isn’t a complete turd. Maybe there are quite a few things about this that all of us should be excited about. More hours, more beer, more chances to hang out and see not only what these folks do, but who they are… and you top that all off with them bringing brewing back to a town that has been desperate to have a brewery open again? It’s a recipe for really, really great things.

I hope you understand by now that I’m kidding, of course, about Jeff being a turd. I couldn’t be happier for the entire Paradise family. I love that they’re growing, I LOVE that they’re bringing a brewery back to Williamsburg – this? It’s good news, you guys…

Truthfully, I’m just being a turd. I’d drive as far east, or as far west as my tires could hit dry pavement to hang out with these folks. This makes me happy. This should make all of you happy, too.

Make sure that you follow Paradise on their social media channels, make sure that you keep an eye on them right here on the website, and as always. Be Gnarly, and DRINK LOCAL BEER!!!

9 thoughts on “Paradise Brewing Buys Old Firehouse – And Welcomes In A New Era”

  1. Mario Pastura

    I was talking to someone yesterday about this!! I even joked about calling it Paradise East!!! Awesomeness

  2. I’ve been home brewing forever and I’ve always bought my stuff from the Graffs. Even when they ran a home brew store from upstairs. They are great people and make great beer.

  3. Mary Ann Lefker

    Welcome! Welcome!Welcome! We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Paradise to our Village. We look forward to showing Paradise Brewing why Williamsburg is the place to be!
    Mary Ann Lefker, Mayor

  4. Nancy Willhoite

    So excited for the Graff Family. They are the most genuine, hardest working family around. Meet them once, and you’re welcomed in. This couldn’t happen to nicer, more deserving folks. Please support their efforts!

  5. Super happy for these folks. We’re already looking around the Mason area for a place to call Paradise North! Just think Gnome… you could eventually have a Paradise West…. hmmmmm. jus’ sayin’…..

  6. You don’t have to look far around Williamsburg to find someone that wants to talk about about Paradise brewery coming to Burg. Most of us are ready for it now.

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