Thirsty? Try these local brews on for size

People are starting to notice the Queen City’s obsession with beer. According to Smart Asset, Cincinnati ranks fourth in the country as a destination for beer enthusiasts, and our city's recent shout-out in the New York Times includes a suggestion to check-out the Brewery Heritage Trail.

We wanted to take things one step further and provide you, our dear readers, an unofficial guide to our favorite beers around town.

The Gadget, Urban Artifact(Provided)

Breweries in Cincinnati are notorious for repurposing spaces, especially historical breweries from the turn-of-the-century, when the city was known for beer production. But, Urban Artifact is located in the old St. Patrick Catholic Church in Northside, which symbolizes the blend of two beautiful Cincinnati traditions: Catholic heritage and quality beer.

Urban Artifact is known for its sour beers, and The Gadget is the perfect way to represent the state of Ohio in this category. The Gadget is part of the Midwest Fruit Tart series and is brewed at the height of summer with fresh raspberries and blackberries up front and a clean, tart finish. You can get it this month on draft in the taproom or as a 4-pack to-go. Check out this release calendar for when the rest of the Midwest Fruit Tart series will be available.

Corruption, Wooden Cask

Cincinnati has always claimed Northern Kentucky as part of the city, and Newport's Wooden Cask Brewing Company is a beautiful example of this bond between states. Wooden Cask combines the best of Cincinnati — beer — with the best of Kentucky spirits — bourbon — by aging its beer in bourbon barrels. The results are a selection of richly flavored artisan ales.

Corruption is a dark, sweet, bourbon barrel-aged Scottish stout. The first batch was aged in Buffalo Trace barrels and the current batch is marinating in Boone County barrels. Corruption is boozy and smooth with notes of chocolate.

Team Fiona, Listermann

If you put a picture of everyone’s favorite hippo on it, the people of Cincinnati will buy it. However, Listermann Brewing’s Team Fiona New England Style IPA is more than just a gimmick to buy beer. This IPA is hazy with a fresh pop of citrus that balances the floral hoppiness usually present in an IPA. Not only is the beer delicious, but the partnership between the Cincinnati Zoo and Listermann’s symbolizes a collaboration between two great Queen City institutions.The limited edition Team Fiona birthday beer (Provided)

The brewery just celebrated Fiona's first birthday with a special release that sold out quickly, but it's possible there will be a new riff on the favorite in the near future.

Tea Bags, Streetside

Speaking of collaboration, Streetside Brewery’s motto is “the intersection of community and craft beer,” which influences every aspect of the business. Streetside in Columbia-Tusculum is all about balancing traditional brews with experiments that often invite community input and ingredients from some of the city’s favorite spots like local coffee shops and tea houses.

Tea Bags is a honey green tea blonde ale that is light and crisp with a finish of tannins and a twinge of sweet. The ale is brewed with Dragonwell and Jasmine Green tea from Essencha Tea House in Oakley, emblematic of Streetside's creative partnerships throughout the city.

Hefeweizen, West Side Brewing

The West Side has a reputation for being a bit more conservative and a little more traditional than the East Side of the city. The West Side has retained much of the vintage charm that put Cincinnati on the map way before we had our current brewery boom.

West Side Brewing is all about catering to this conservative market with traditional, staple brews like IPAs and ambers, but the Hefewiezen is a must try. Hefes are a unique German blend of wheat and yeast with a delicious result. West Side’s Hefeweizen is a true classic with subtle banana and clove notes swirling in a shade of hazy gold.(Provided)