Whit Hesser, Blake Horsburgh and Bobby Slattery finally have an official name for their new Cincinnati brewery: Fifty West Brewing Co. The friends also launched the official Fifty West website, but there's not much there right now other than the company logo, email address and the words "coming soon..." The website also features a background photo that doesn't exactly scream Cincinnati (check it out by clicking here), but Hesser says it captures the spirit of the brewery. 

"There were several reasons that we selected the Fifty West name; the most obvious being the fact that our brewery is located on Route 50," Hesser said in an email. "Our brewery is located in a building that has a vast and varied transient history; from the settlers heading west through the Ohio River valley, to the days of Prohibition when our building was a favorite of George Remus and the bootleggers running whiskey from Cincinnati to Chicago, to where we are today -- amidst a renaissance of the craft beer movement. To us, it’s not about the destination, but instead making sure we are enjoying the journey, appreciating the moment, and brewing beers that are enjoyed by anyone who is willing to let us become a part of their journey."

Hesser said he and Horsburgh put together a list of at least 100 names but could never come to a consensus until Slattery joined the team and took a liking to Fifty West.

"It isn’t widely known but Route 50 actually extends from Coast to Coast – it spans more than 3,000 miles starting in Maryland and stretching all the way to California," Hesser said. "The picture on the website is taken on Route 50 out in Nevada. We thought this picture did a good job of exemplifying the ideology of an open road…which coincides pretty well for three young guys about to embark on a brand new journey of our own."

Hesser and Horsburgh will attend the upcoming Beer and Sweat event -- the largest kegged homebrew competition in the country -- in Fort Mitchell, Ky. Fifty West is one of the sponsors and they will hand out flyers and will be happy to chat with folks about their effort.

Hesser and Horsburgh also run the blog Brewing With Friends, where they update the brewery progress. You can check that out by clicking here. For more background on their effort, click here.