Braxton Brewing Company

Braxton Brewing Company opened its doors on March 27, 2015, at 27 W. 7th Street in downtown Covington, the flagship of a Northern Kentucky craft-beer operation founded by brothers Evan and Jake Rouse with their father, Greg. The name and the brewery's entire identity trace back to a family garage on Braxton Drive in Union, Kentucky, where Evan taught himself to homebrew; as the brewery likes to put it, "if you want to tell someone about Braxton Brewing Company, you start with the garage." Before opening, the Rouses ran one of the most successful brewery Kickstarter campaigns to date, giving the local community an early stake in the taproom. The Covington space leans into that origin story with a garage-inspired design, a rooftop deck, and rotating house taps.

The reason Braxton belongs in a non-alcoholic guide is Garage Beer NA, a 0.0% ABV zero-alcohol lager the brewery began producing in 2022 as an alcohol-free counterpart to its 4% flagship Garage Beer. Rather than stock an outside NA brand, Braxton brews the beer itself, aiming to replicate the crisp, light, sessionable character of the original light lager. CityBeat covered the launch, quoting Braxton's description of a beer "brewed with a crisp, light and refreshing taste to keep the engine turning," and confirmed it was available at all three taprooms — Covington, the Pendleton location in Cincinnati, and Fort Mitchell. It pours on draft and shows up in cans, so a designated driver or non-drinker can order the house beer alongside friends drinking the full-strength version.

The Covington taproom is open Monday 3–10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.–midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., a few blocks from the Roebling Suspension Bridge and an easy walk or short drive from Cincinnati's riverfront. It's a lively, full-service brewery pouring wine and cocktails as well as beer, so this is not an alcohol-free environment — the appeal is a well-made, house-brewed zero-proof option in a room built around beer. Because NA draft and can stock rotates, it's worth calling ahead (859-261-5600) to confirm Garage NA is pouring before you make the trip.