Sneak Peek: West Sixth Brewing expands into Northern Kentucky, opening new taproom
Lexington-based West Sixth Brewing didn’t plan for its new Northern Kentucky taproom to be located on Covington’s West Sixth Street.
They just found the right building — one that has character, just like its three other Kentucky taprooms.
“We didn’t have any grand plans of being here particularly, but it just seems to fit. All of our other locations are historic buildings or historic properties,” said Kelly Hieronymus, creative and marketing director for West Sixth.
The Cincinnati-area taproom will have its grand opening Saturday in a historic building that was originally built as a firehouse and later served as the popular bar and restaurant Covington Haus. To honor that establishment, the brewer is naming its Northern Kentucky expansion, West Sixth Covington Haus.
“We’ve always wanted to have a brick-and-mortar place in Northern Kentucky,” Hieronymus said, noting that West Sixth previously had an open-air shipping container in Newport. “(The new location is) for long-term fans of West Sixth to come grab a beer before they go to a game or they’re hanging out in Cincinnati and also to just re-embed ourselves in the community. So it’s really an extension of what we’re already doing in Lexington, Louisville and Frankfort. We’re not trying to reinvent anything or create any flashing new concepts.”
Inside, the historic building has open seating areas like the brewer’s other locations. Arched windows are encased surrounded by exterior stonework. “We didn’t want to cover up anything that the building had to offer,” Hieronymus said.
When it opens, West Sixth Covington Haus will have 19 craft beers on tap with the ability to add three more. Covington House Lager ($6.95 for a half-liter stein) will be an exclusive beer for the location, and there will be a rotation of German beers. There is a plan to have food on-site, but not initially.
“Food is secondary for us,” Hieronymus said. “We want to open the doors here, understand our customers and let them tell us what they’re looking for. But there are absolutely plans to have a kitchen here, hopefully sometime later this year.”
At the same time as the new taproom, West Sixth is also expanding its distribution reach in the area. The company, which started 12 years ago, has formed a new partnership with Chas Seligman Distributing Co. to help increase the availability of West Sixth beers across the region.
Part of that increase begins at noon Saturday when West Sixth Covington Haus opens. The first 100 guests get a free ceramic stein and there will be to-go merchandise specials.
West Sixth Covington Haus
Where: 100 West Sixth St., Covington
Hours: 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Tue.-Thur.; noon-midnight Fri.-Sat.; noon-10 p.m. Sun.
Online: westsixth.com/covhaus
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
