The Casual Pint in Hamilton has been open since the summer of 2019, and owner Ann Marie Cilley says a few beers have become nearly permanent due to their popularity with the locals.
“We have a few options that have been big winners,” she said.
Those include Wiedemann’s Bohemian Pilsner and everything both Municipal Brew Works and CiderBoys offer.
Some beer options at The Casual Pint move slower because they have niche appeal, but the owners — Cilley and her husband, Dan Hancock — like to have things changing to allow the bar to be a place of discovery.
“In those instances, we just order a little less to help manage inventory while still providing a really fun and fruitful experience,” Cilley said.
The Casual Pint owners tell a great story about why they chose to open their craft beer and food restaurant in Hamilton, and it dates back to the late 1940s.
“The story goes (with corroboration from my mom) … my dad served in the Navy from 1947 to 1951, and one of the first things he wanted to do after discharge was visit a shipmate in Hamilton while also looking into a possible engineering degree at UC,” Cilley said. “He and his best friend set out on a road trip from New York (the Bronx) to Hamilton in the spring of ’52, stopping in mid-Pennsylvania on the way for a night that included some libations,” she said. “When they restarted their journey the next day, they stopped at a rest stop on I-76 — the kind that didn’t require you to leave the toll road — for chocolate ice cream to, as my mom says, ‘cool their pipes’ (they were a little hungover),” she said.
“When they passed thru the toll booth after the stop, they were instructed to pull aside where state troopers were camped. Turns out, someone swapped their toll ticket from the front seat of their car when they stopped for ice cream, and replaced it with one that had blood on it. My dad thought he had spilled some ice cream on it, but it was blood from a Marine officer who had been stabbed nearby. So here are two Navy guys, not in the best shape, handing in a bloody toll ticket and probably a bit belligerent. They were detained for several hours and let go only because another suspect — the actual criminal — was found while they were in custody. A very early version of ‘My Cousin Vinny!’,” Cilley said.
They did make it to Hamilton, and he fell in love with it, she said.
“He did not end up going to UC as my grandmother needed back home in NY, but he was thrilled when I got a job with P&G out of engineering school and had the chance to move to Cincinnati. We visited Hamilton several times during his visits from New York as well as a couple of times after he moved out here before his passing in 2012,” Cilley said.
“I think he would be thrilled that I opened this business in a town that he held close to his heart,” she said.
The Casual Pint has what she describes as a “modest” but really tasty menu, with foods that pair well with the adult beverages on tap. They will put seasonal options on the food menu, too.
“In March and April we will offer Lent-friendly options,” Cilley said.
As a customer research/insights and new business specialist for P&G, she has been able to bring her experience to the restaurant.
“Nothing makes me happier than interacting with our customers and seeing them smile because they’re having fun and experiencing value that me and Dan and our staff work so hard to create and deliver,” she said.