Our March Starts At Northern Row: West End Stadium Pub Partner

If you’ve been around The Pride for a while, you know that our history with pre-match bars has been somewhat nomadic. Some places we’ve outgrown (can you imagine trying to fit the entirety of our pregame festivities into the old Brass Tap on Calhoun). Other places we’ve found a lack of aligning vision over what it means to truly be a gathering place for people ready to march and sing in support of their home club (while everyone loves the money soccer supporters spend, not everyone is prepared for the excitement and emotion that comes with it).

When FC Cincinnati announced plans to build their new stadium, a small group of the Pride’s leadership team began the process of scouting for a new location from which we could bring the passion of Clifton and Nippert to whatever new stadium would be built. This took us around the neighborhoods of Oakley, Newport and Over the Rhine. Many drinks were consumed, some really good friendships were cemented, but nowhere we went seemed to fit exactly what we had in mind. There’s a famous quote from former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart (talking about pornography, admittedly, but well…) that goes something akin to “I may not know the definition of [it], but I know it when I see it.” Much like Potter the Porn Fiend, we didn’t know exactly what we were looking for as a “supporters bar,” but we all agreed we’d know it when we saw it.

That isn’t to suggest we didn’t have some idea of a checklist when visiting places. We all agreed that there were some ground rules to the search for a new home of The Pride.

We wanted a space that, first a foremost, was opening and welcome to all of our members.

We wanted a place that offered a positive experience for everyone, from the person looking to catch a bite and relax pregame to the person in need of cold beverages in large quantities as quickly as possible.

We wanted a place that offered a reliability of experience, as opposed to someplace that changes vibe based on time of day or expected clientele.

We wanted someplace with local ownership; people familiar with the community, familiar with FC Cincinnati, and excited to be a spot where supporters meet – for more than just the tabs and tips that go along with it.

As we narrowed our search to the Over the Rhine / West End area, we visited places that checked some of those boxes, but no place that stood out as checking all of them. And while we recognized that the area is constantly changing and evolving, with (at least prior to the Pandemic) new businesses starting on almost an hourly basis, we all recognized that the sooner we could open a dialogue and begin to plan for 2021, the better it would be for our group, our members, and for soccer in Cincinnati.

Then, in late 2018, we were introduced to David and Nancy, half of the ownership group at Northern Row Brewing and Distilling. It had started as a happenstance encounter, with Everyone’s Favorite Communist™ Kevin Wallace making a cold call to the establishment just based on seeing a sign while on a walking tour in OTR. As it turned out, they weren’t even open for business, having just started their brewing operation. Despite that, David and Nancy were excited to have us down to talk beer, soccer, and the future of Cincinnati in Over the Rhine. Over those first drinks, and the many that followed, a wonderful relationship was formed that we hope will shape the future of the Pride and the future of soccer fandom in Cincinnati.

A word, first, about the actual space of Northern Row – it’s an incredible mix of cool and historic that never crosses the line to being “fancy.” Everything about the place is steeped in history. The building itself is part of Cincinnati brewing tradition, functioning as the lagering house for Christian Moerlein Brewing in the pre-prohibition era. The boat that hangs on the ceiling was the training boat of the US Olympic that team went to Nazi Germany and helped to decimate Hitler’s claim of a “master race.” The exposed steel in the taproom bears the stamp of Andrew Carnegie’s US Steel. The lights above the bar were rescued from the historic Cincinnati Gardens prior to its demolition. The wood from the tables is local reclaimed farm wood. There are tables to sit and chat in groups, bar chairs to sit for quiet drink, and conversation areas with couches if you’re looking to relax.

Over the months that followed, we stayed in contact with the folks at Northern Row. Although they were already brewing beer and distributing around the area, persistent issues with opening the front door kept popping up. Without getting deep into the weeds (or boring everyone on the silliness of some portions of the building and inspection code), it took some effort to resolve the issues inherent to turning a historic space into a functioning 21st century business. Despite that, and although not open officially for business, David and Nancy would invite us out to have a drink and catch up (spoiler alert: It was never just one drink). In addition to brewing talk and venting about local government, we also talked soccer. As multi-year season ticket holders to FC Cincinnati (their STH scarves were already hanging up behind the bar on our first visit), they were just as eager as we were to talk about the goings on with FC Cincinnati. Simply put: at no point did we have to sell them on the virtues of being a soccer destination; they were planning on being one from before their first beer was poured.

Not only does Northern Row care about soccer in Cincinnati, they care about the Cincinnati community as a whole. With no questions asked, they agreed to sponsor our golf outing and provide free beer for golfers to help us raise money for Honor Flight Tri-State (re-schedule date pending, as they’re still eager for us to get out and play when life returns to normal). When the COVID-19 outbreak cancelled their long-awaited opening date (March 17th), they immediately pivoted to begin producing hand sanitizer in large quantities, donating box after box to our hospitals and first responders in the area. While other businesses in the service industry unfortunately had to lay off employees, Northern Row brought their staff back to pour sanitizer instead of suds.

As you can hopefully see, this is a location that checks all of our boxes. Their beer is delicious (if they’ve got it on tap, try their “Preacher” peach ale on your first visit, trust me). If liquor or wine is your thing, they have you covered with an array of spirits (many they produce themselves) to make a cocktail and wine to pour by the glass. The food is excellent, simple fare that will be perfect for anyone who needs a quick bite prior to marching on game day. Their space is open and welcoming, including a side patio to enjoy a warm summer afternoon awaiting kickoff. Their location, one block north of Rhinegeist, is easily accessible by the Streetcar and will be the absolute perfect place to congregate and march from on Matchday. Their ownership / leadership team have deep roots in our community and are proud supporters of FC Cincinnati. Checkmark after checkmark.

This is all to say that we are proud to announce Northern Row Brewing & Distiling as the new home of The Pride SG for 2021 and beyond. We encourage everyone to go check them out, have a few pints, and get comfortable in our new digs. Their official motto is “Outcasts Welcome,” and we can’t think of a more fitting moniker for the home of a group that was founded by a couple of friends with an audacious dream of helping to make professional soccer in Cincinnati a success.

Cheers, and we’ll hope to see you there when crowds resume at home matches in 2021.