East Bank of the Flats' Portside Distillery and Brewery is Closed

Portside, which earned the distinction as Ohio's first modern distillery, has closed. The small-batch producer of beer and spirits had been in production since 2011, but only recently (2015) opened up its East Bank of the Flats-based production facility and tasting room to the public.

Earlier this year, the distillery changed its tasting room hours to weekends only, deciding instead to focus on increasing production. Those efforts, apparently, were not enough to stave off the closure.

“It’s a big bummer to all of us,” notes Erica Riley, Director of Marketing & Events, adding that the company will release an official statement this Friday.

Attempts to reach owner Matt Zappernick have been unsuccessful.