As part of a mutual growth transition, Braxton Brewing Co. has announced it has acquired Hi-Wire Brewing’s taproom location at Factory52 in Cincinnati.
Braxton Brewing Company will rebrand Hi-Wire Brewing’s Cincinnati location and reopen as Braxton Factory 52. Braxton will also take over the greenspace and full-service bar in front of the brewery, which will be called The Porch by Braxton Brewing Co. The brewery plans to continue offering family-friendly programming and events in the green space, including movie nights and pop-up activations.
As part of the transition, current Hi-Wire employees from the Factory 52 location will be retained by Braxton Brewing, and several Hi-Wire beers will remain on tap after Braxton Brewing activates the space. Fans looking for their favorite Hi-Wire brews in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky can continue to use the brewery’s beer finder tool on its website to locate a distributor near them.
“After Hurricane Helene destroyed our headquarters, flagship taproom, and distribution warehouse in Asheville, we had to look at our business and figure out the best path forward without knowing how we would recover from the flood,” said Adam Charnack, co-founder and CEO of Hi-Wire Brewing. “We had to think about how to ensure the health of the business, and that meant making some hard choices. We share a lot of the same core values with our friends at Braxton, and while this was a difficult decision that we did not take lightly, this new partnership has really been a silver lining.”
Hi-Wire Brewing’s River Arts District Beer Garden and Distribution Center in Asheville, North Carolina, was significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene in September. The brewery recently celebrated its reopening with a packed house May 24.
“Adam and I started the conversation roughly six months ago about what a transition of this space for our breweries might look like,” said Jake Rouse, co-founder and CEO of Braxton Brewing. “Our team has loved watching the evolution of Factory 52 and has been considering what it might be like to have a presence in one of the coolest multi-use spaces in Cincinnati. After discussing further with the team at Hi-Wire, we felt that we could build upon the incredible foundation they established at the Norwood location and carry on that legacy through this new agreement. This transition is not transactional — it’s really the start of a new friendship.”
The breweries already have plans to collaborate on a special commemorative, co-branded beer to celebrate the new chapter for both businesses. The beer will be announced and rolled out in select Braxton Brewing and Hi-Wire taprooms later this summer.
“We’re excited to welcome Jake and his team for a visit to our production facility in Asheville,” said Charnack. “It’s an exciting opportunity to combine our creative energies and craft something truly unique together. We’re eager to see where this takes us and what both of our individual businesses build together moving forward.”
Braxton Brewing closed the Factory52 location and One-Eyed Jacks bar at the green space Monday for minor renovations. Current Hi-Wire employees will train at various Braxton Brewing locations until the brewery and The Porch by Braxton Brewing Co. reopen sometime this month.
“We’ve gained a lifetime of knowledge with our Union opening around the importance of creating functional gathering spaces where families and friends can celebrate life’s milestones while building community,” said Rouse. “This location at Factory52 is perfectly positioned for that. We’re incredibly excited about this next chapter and can’t wait to welcome fans of both Braxton and Hi-Wire to our new space this summer.”
To find more Braxton Brewing Co. locations across the region and learn more about the brewery, visit ,a href=”https://braxtonbrewing.com/”>braxtonbrewing.com. To learn more about Hi-Wire and to locate distributors across the region, visit hiwirebrewing.com.
Braxton Brewing Company