17 Miami Valley brewpubs near bike trails

A group of cyclists at Warped Wing Brewing Co. Photo courtesy Warped Wing.

© 2019 Timothy R. Gaffney

Rails to trails to... ales?

If you're riding or walking on a recreational trail in Ohio's Miami Valley, odds are good you'll pass close to a craft beer brewpub or tap house.

With Bike Miami Valley's 2019 Miami Valley Cycling Summit coming up—Friday, May 10, in Miamisburg—I decided to see how many local brew pubs and tap houses I could find within a mile of one of the region’s recreation trails in the area covered in my book Dayton Beer: A History of Brewing in the Miami Valley.

I found 17 Miami Valley brewpubs near bike trails. I wasn’t too surprised, for a couple of reasons.

First, the Miami Valley boasts a network of than 340 miles of paved, multi-use recreational trails—the nation’s largest, according to Five Rivers Metroparks. A trail runs close to many of our local destinations.

Second, brewers down through the years have tended to locate their breweries near canals, rivers or railroads. They were all important transportation arteries at different times, and brewers need to be close to sources of water or supplies. Many of the Miami Valley’s recreation trails were created by converting abandoned railroad lines—aka the rails to trails movement—and some follow scenic streams.

Wild hops grow along the Little Miami Scenic Trail between Xenia and Yellow Springs. Photo by Timothy R. Gaffney.

Nowhere is this historical connection clearer than along a stretch of the Little Miami Scenic Trail between Xenia and Yellow Springs. Ride slowly or stroll along the trail in late summer and you should spot bunches of cone-shaped hop flowers hanging from woody bines that snake through the shrubs and trees along the path.

The trail follows the path of the old Little Miami Railroad. In the 1800s, many local farmers grew hops to supply the region’s breweries. These now-wild hops may be descendants of some that spilled or were blown from passing freight trains on their way to local breweries from nearby farms.

The Yellow Springs Brewery opens onto the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Photo courtesy Yellow Springs Brewery.

This stretch of trail also sports a brew pub that opens directly onto the path: Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs. A patio off the taproom gives a pleasant view of the trail, and cyclists can pull off for a pint.

About 10 miles down the trail, Devil Wind Brewing faces South Detroit Street, which the trail follows a short distance on its way through town. It's also just 1,600 feet up the trail from Xenia Station, a major hub in the trail network. 

Bicycling is fun. Drinking beer is fun. But do them together in moderation. Don’t make a fool of yourself and a danger to others; in bicycling, getting “tipsy” is more than a figure of speech. And for serious cyclists, too much alcohol can hinder your recovery for your next ride.

Barrel House tap house is close to bike trails in downtown Dayton. Photo courtesy Barrel House.

Here are the breweries and tap houses I found within a mile of a trail marked on the Miami Valley Trails Map. I sorted by trail number, followed by towns from south to north, then by brewery in alphabetical order. I measured them on Google Maps, so distances are approximate. I might have missed a few. Also, I mainly kept within the region that I cover in Dayton Beer. Go here to find more breweries near Miami Valley trails. 

Enjoy your ride and your beer, and as always, stay safe.

Brewpubs and tap houses near Miami Valley trails

1. Ohio-to-Erie Trail (Xenia-east)

Xenia

• Devil Wind Brewing, 130 S. Detroit St.: 1,300 ft. N

2. Creekside Trail (Xenia-west)
Xenia

• Devil Wind, 130 S Detroit St.: 1,600 ft. NE 

3. Little Miami Scenic Trail (Xenia-Springfield)
Xenia

• Devil Wind, 130 S. Detroit St.: on bike lane

Yellow Springs

• Yellow Springs Brewery, 305 N Walnut St.: on trail

Springfield

• Mother Stewart’s Brewing, 109 W. North St.: 2,300 ft. N

3. Simon Kenton Trail (Springfield-north)
Springfield

• Mother Stewart’s, 109 W. North St.: 2,300 ft. N

Bellefontaine

• Brewfontaine, 211 S. Main St.: 4,200 ft. NE

4. Xenia-Jamestown Connector
Xenia

• Devil Wind, 130 S. Detroit St.: 1,300 ft. N

5. Wright Brothers-Huffman Prairie Trail
Fairborn-Beavercreek

• Wandering Griffin, 3725 Presidential Drive: 1 mi. S

8. Mad River Trail
Dayton

• Barrel House, 417 E. Third St.: 2,500 ft. S
• Dayton Beer Co., 41 Madison St.: 2,200 ft. S
• Fifth Street Brewpub, 1600 E. Fifth St.: 1 mi. S
• Lock 27 Brewing, 329 E. First St. rear: 1,100 ft. S
• Mudlick Tap House, 135 E. Second St.: 1,100 ft. S
• Toxic Brew Co., 431 E Fifth St.: 3,700 ft. S
• Warped Wing Brewing, 26 Wyandot St.: 2,300 ft. S

19. Dayton-Kettering Connector
Dayton

• Barrel House, 417 E. Third St.: 700 ft. E.
• Dayton Beer, 41 Madison St.: 1,000 ft. E
• Fifth Street Brewpub, 1,600 E. Fifth St.: 4,900 ft. E
• Lock 27, 329 E. First St. rear: 1,000 ft. E
• Mudlick Tap House, 135 E. Second St.: Half a block W
• Toxic Brew, 431 E. Fifth St.: 1,500 ft. E.
• Warped Wing, 26 Wyandot St.: 700 ft. E

Kettering

• Eudora Brewing, 3022 Wilmington: 3,100 ft. E

25. Great Miami River Trail
Miamisburg

• Lucky Star Brewery and Cantina, 219 S. Second St.:, 1,200 ft. E
• Star City Brewing, 319 S. Second St.: 1,600 ft. E.

Dayton

• Barrel House, 417 E. Third St.: 1,700 ft. S
• Carillon Brewing Co., 1000 Carillon Blvd: 800 ft. S
• Dayton Beer, 41 Madison St.: 2,400 ft. S
• Lock 27, 329 E. First St., rear: 1,600 ft. S
• Mudlick Tap House, 135 E. Second St.: 2,300 ft. S
• Toxic Brew, 431 E. Fifth St.: 4,400 ft. S
• Warped Wing, 26 Wyandot St.: 3,000 ft. S

Troy

• Tabernacle Brewing (Moeller, opening summer 2019,) 214 W. Main St.: 2,100 feet S

40. Buck Creek Trail
Springfield

• Mother Stewart’s, 109 W. North St.: 1,600 ft S (across bridge)

Dayton Beer: A History of Brewing in the Miami Valley is scheduled for release July 22, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.com.