DENNIS O'HAGAN'S
GREAT BREWERY TOUR
PLAYING NEAR YOU

April 15, 2025

 

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their Spring (still waiting for it to arrive here in Cincinnati... this winter doesn't seem to want to end!).  As previously noted, the Brewery Tour has been moving at a slower pace this year, as Brad and I both spend more time with our other projects.  Brad has been playing/writing/recording with his band Freak Mythology, mostly playing around Ohio so far.  I have been working with my Bob Dylan related project Shelter From the Storm, which will be playing some festivals and theater/music hall venues starting later this summer (we had planned to be out there gigging this Spring, but ala Spinal Tap we're currently on our 3rd drummer due to various health, family, etc. issues).  For info on show dates, etc. please follow our brand new Shelter From the Storm Facebook page for the latest!

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Brad and I will be heading east soon for two weeks of shows, starting with us kicking off Memorial Day weekend at Dogfish Head in Delaware on May 23, continuing down through Virginia and wrapping up June 1 at Billsburg Brewery on the banks fo the James River at Jamestown.  Then Brad has a bunch of commitments due to being in a friend's wedding, so Nate will join me for a run of shows in June in North Carolina.  Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and back to Virginia and North Carolina to wrap up the Summer.  We're still pondering what the rest of the year will look like, and I wouldn't be surprised if the some New England dates pop up, and a possible Nov/Dec run through the southwest and California.  Stay tuned.... hope to see you out there soon!

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January 22, 2025

 

Happy New Year! We'll be kicking off our 2025 tour a week from today in Jacksonville, FL.  You might notice that this year we're only playing two weekends in Florida, vs our usual 4 or 5 weeks, and this is something that we'll be doing all year.... doing shorter dashes of 2 weeks or so of shows, rather our epic 4-6 weeks on the road at time.  Don't worry, we still love playing breweries and discovering new ones, but after 7+ years of touring heavily we have decided to make time for our other projects.  You can expect to see Brad out there playing with his band Freak Mythology a lot more this year, and Dennis will be playing music halls and festivals with his Shelter From the Storm project.  The Brewery Tour will still be chugglin' along all year, it will just be more of a two weeks on, two weeks off sort of schedule.  See ya next weekend in Florida!

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November 15, 2024

 

As has become our tradition, we will be taking a bit of a breather late Fall/early Winter. We'll play a few shows around home, maybe some solo shows or shows with friends sitting in, but other than that the brewery tour will be on a short annual hiatus. Brad will be spending more with working with Freak Mythology, and Dennis is currently working on an exciting new project that he's been thinking about doing for several years, so keep an eye out for details on that within the next month or so.

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The Great Brewery Tour will get rolling again in full force in 2025, kicking off with our annual run of shows in Florida, which usually takes up pretty much the entire month of February.  Stay tuned, and we'll see ya soon!

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October 2, 2024

 

Well the September run of shows was a crazy time! A tropical system lingered off the coast of North Carolina for days, causing a 1000 year rainfall that flooded much of the coastal region. For the first week we were on the Outer Banks and experienced ocean flooding from Corolla, thru Duck, and all the way down to Hatteras and Ocracoke.  Four houses fell into the ocean in Rodanthe while we were there, and we got stuck on Ocracoke Island due to NC-12 getting completely washed out by rough seas at high tide.  1718 Brewing, who we love, was kind enough to put us up at a great little rustic place on the island, so saying we were "stranded" is a bit of a stretch... The next morning as we drove back to the ferry the sand dunes were completely gone, the surf was literally, up to the road, and waves were hitting our car!  

 

The next weekend we played down in Wilmington, which just days before was under several feet of water.  We stayed on Bald Head Island, and again our departure was a bit delayed by a tornado warning and power outtage from the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.  Our drive back to Ohio was also extended by several hours due to the catastrophe that western NC was experiencing.  We initially had planned to go right through Asheville, but it was literally under water and all of the surrounding roads and highways had collapsed.  We Asheville and surrounding area, and hope they recover as quickly as possible.

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September 15, 2024

 

The summer tour has been a blast, as usual!  We played all over the east coast, all over the Wisconsin and the midwest, and now we're wrapping things up back on the east coast.  Last weekend we played the Jersey shore for the first time, as well as the amazing Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware, which was a treat!  This week we're back in one of our favorite areas, having just played in Norfolk and Williamsburg, VA... and now in the midst of two weeks of shows at beach breweries going down the North Carolina coast.  Not too shabby a way to wrap up the summer!

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We'll have a somewhat relaxed schedule in the Fall, playing a handful of shows in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia is October, the panhandle in November, and our annual run of shows in New Orleans for Thanksgiving!  See ya out there!

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July 8, 2024

 

Spring tour is now in the history books, and what as tour it was!  We capped it off in classic fashion, spending much of May in Maryland, Delaware, and all over Virginia, and virtually all of June playing beach breweries all up and down the North Carolina coast.  It was a fantastic mix of new breweries and old, and beach and farm breweries.  We revisited some old favorites like Billsburg Brewery (Williamsburg, VA), 1718 Brewing (Ocracoke Island, NC), and discovered so many great new ones... like Seven Sounds (Elizabeth City, NC), Big Ugly (Chesapeake, VA), Whalehead (Corolla, NC)... and the list goes on!  

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We do have some Spring tour shirts left, as well as a small amount from Winter tour... and being for once we actually have a few in each size (often we only have one or two sizes left) we're offering for a limited time only a special offer:  Two shirts (one Spring/one Winter) for $30, free shipping (in the US)!   That's a $50 value for only $30!  Order them here, or send payment via Venmo (if it asks for digits use 2413) and put your size and address in the notes.  Easy peasy! 

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Summer tour kicks off July 11 in East Troy, Wisconsin!  July we'll be all over Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana, August playing around Ohio, and September wrapping up the Summer back on the East Coast!  Onward! 

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June 5, 2024

 

Spring tour is well under way... we just completed a couple of fantastic weeks playing all over Virginia, and will spend much of June playing the beach breweries of North Carolina!  We'll be in the Outer Banks for 2 whole weeks, kicking off with a show in Elizabeth City, then we return to Ocracoke Island, and finally a couple of shows up in Corolla.... and LOTS of beach time and deep sea fishing in between!  Then we head back to the Midwest for shows in Ohio and a few weeks in Wisconsin in July!

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The Spring shirts (as well as the Winter "molecule" shirts) have been selling like crazy!  We restocked in all sized (S, M, L, XL, XXL) so if want one grab 'em while they last!  

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April 24, 2024

 

We just returned from a really fun run of shows all over Georgia (Athens, Macon, Augusta, Atlanta) and Hilton Head! We got a little beach time in, and met a lot of fun folks at this batch of breweries, which was a split between breweries we'd played before, and new ones (for us). We'll be spending the next few weekends around home (Cincinnati area), where we'll be playing a few shows in Northern Kentucky as well as the Dayton region, and then Brad's band Freak Mythology headlines a big rooftop show Friday, May 17 at the Madison Theatre Live in Covington (tickets available at the Madison box office and Ticketmaster).

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May will be a hectic month.  First, a quick run of shows in coastal Maryland and Delaware the weekend of Mother's Day, then an extended weekend of shows up the Shenandoah Valley over Memorial Day weekend. We'll wrap up the month playing the Tidewater region (Norfolk, VA Beach, Williamsburg, etc.), and then the month of June will have us playing beach breweries all over the coast of North Carolina!  

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April 10, 2024

 

Alabama (Birmingham and Huntsville) was a blast!  Spring tour rolls on this weekend, kicking off two weekends of shows all over Georgia, as well as Bluffton, SC (Hilton Head area). Can't wait for a little beach time!

The brand new Spring Tour shirts are in, and due to enormous demand the bus is back! Our wildly popular microbus design is back out of retirement due to popular demand, and this Spring it's back on our best selling colored shirt (heather burgundy) but with a twist.... this time the design is in black, which is a nice change from the past versions in the microbus series.... so the classic is back, yet still with a fresh look!  We also still have some stock of the very popular "beer molocule" design from Winter Tour.... currently 25% off!  Get 'em while they last!

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April 3, 2024

 

We launch the Spring Tour this weekend in Alabama!  As luck would have it, the Final Four is also this weekend, and Alabama is one of the competing teams, so should be an interesting weekend (especially if you know our history with Crimson Tide sports teams....)!  The other big news is that due to overwhelming demand, we're bringing back our wildly successful "microbus" t-shirt design for the Spring. It's slightly tweaked, but as soon as we announced we were retiring it we got a flood of requests to keep it going.... so the Spring Tour shirt will be an all-new installment to the series!  The shipment is due to arrive any day, so keep your eye out for photos and info to purchase yours! 

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March 11, 2024

 

Florida in February was a blast... we spent the entire month playing breweries all over Florida... many new, some favorites that we love to return to every year.  The weather was great (especially compared to home), lots of sun, lots of beach time, tons of seafood and, of course, great beers! 

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Most of March has us playing around Ohio, as well as Indianapolis... then we head south again to play Alabama for the first time in several years, as well as swings through Georgia and Kentucky.  The rest of Spring Tour we'll be playing the East Coast... Maryland, Delaware, and all over Virginia and North Carolina!  

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There will be a few shows here and there where we'll be shaking things up a bit, where Dennis will be playing with special guests as Brad plays some special shows and festival appearances with his band Freak Mythology (have you checked out their new album yet?  You should, it's amazing!)

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January 24, 2024

 

Well, we've rested up, worked up some new music, and have most of 2024 booked... and just in time, because we've already had enough of this midwest winter stuff!  Luckily we kick off the Winter Tour Feb 2 in Jacksonville, will spend all of February playing all over Florida, and then we'll wrap up the winter back in Ohio for a few gigs and a run of special shows St. Paddy's Day weekend.

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The new Winter Tour shirts are now in stock.  They feature a brand new design for those of us who love beer at the molecular level, and you can grab them online now, or of course grab 'em at the shows!  If you do buy online, we still haven't picked our new payment vendor (forgot all about it, honestly), so in the mean time you can pay either via PayPal (which also takes credit cards), or pay via Venmo @dennisohagan and put your order info and mailing address in the notes section.  

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Then it's on to Spring Tour, which will be fantastic... starting off in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, then all over Virginia and North Carolina, including a run of beach shows, including another visit to the fantastic Ocracoke Island!  The official Spring Tour itinerary will be announced in early March, so STAY TUNED! 

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December 26, 2023

 

We wish all our friends, fans, and followers a wonderful holiday season, and best wishes for 2024! 

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As you know, we take some time off from the road this time of year to get a little rest, work up a bunch of new music, and work hard at scheduling another fantastic tour for 2024!  If you have any breweries you'd like us to play, please drop us a line ASAP, and we'll try our best to get them on the schedule (also doesn't hurt if you tell them about us).  

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In January we'll be playing a handful of shows around Ohio.... beyond that we'll be kicking off the 2024 tour with our annual month-long Florida in February run, and we'll hope to see ya out there! 

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November 18, 2023

 

We'll be rolling into Memphis shortly, kicking off our last major roadtrip of the year.  We play Memphis tonight, then head down to Louisiana for a run of shows over the next week in Baton Rouge, Hammond, and New Orleans (and we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in New Orleans again, which is always incredible!). 

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After that, as has become our tradition, we'll spend December and January sticking close to home, healing after a crazy year of heavy touring and playing a few select shows in the OH/IN/KY region.  Then we kick off the 2024 tour with our annual Florida in February month-long run of beach brewery shows.

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BREWERS: we are currently booking all of 2024, so if you're interested in booking a date on our schedule contact us ASAP. The earlier you book, the more flexible we can be in getting you an ideal date. In addition to our usual stops all over the U.S., in 2024 we also plan to extend the tour into Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Nova Scotia) and possibly Central America (Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica)... or if anyone has suggestions on breweries you think we should play, feel free to drop us a line on the form at the bottom of the website! 

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October 25, 2023

 

Wow, the New York/New England tour was spectacular this year! We kicked things off in Buffalo and played several fantastic breweries across upstate and the Finger Lakes (Liquid State Brewing in Romulus was a lot of fun... we were joined onstage by Elvis...), just as the leaves were really starting to pop.  We returned to play another fun night at Hero's Brewing in Rochester, and while there were blown away by House of Guitars, the world's largest music store. Of course we also dug into New Yawka food, most notably some fantastic meatball heroes.  Our return to the cozy Foothills Hops Farm Brewery had us playing to big family party, as well as a whole crew who returned wearing the shirts from our last visit ;-)

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  New England was amazing, and spectacular.  We couldn't have timed the trip any better... the fall foliage was psychedelic in colors, yet the weather mild and wonderful.  We visited some old friends by returning to Mill River Brewing in St. Albans and Kingdom Brewery way up in Newport, and made new friends at the wonderful GoodWater Brewery in Burlington, and Stowe Cider in (wait for it...) Stowe.  The final weekend of the tour was like a dream, playing Stowe on Friday, the magical Boothbay Craft Brewery, Taphouse, and RV in Boothbay, Maine (way up on the coast) on Saturday, and then what seemed like a fall festival at the Brew Barn on the gorgeous Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, Massachusetts on Sunday.  Of course, along the way we also got our fill of fresh lobster in Maine, amazing chowders, and fantastic steaks and smoked turkey, brisket, and ribs.  All this crammed into just 3 weeks.... is there any mystery why we'd need a little break once we got home?  We can't wait to get back to New England... in 2024 we'll be doing it in August, so we can take more advantage of the beaches.

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This winter, as has become our tradition, we will be relaxing our schedule.  We will be playing Memphis, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans the week of Thanksgiving, but other than that we're playing a few shows closer to home and taking some time to relax, and work on a few other projects (Brad's band, Freak Mythology, will be releasing their 2nd album and launching it at an album-release party at Madison Theater in Cincinnati on Nov 10.  Tickets are available now thru Ticketmaster!).  

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We'll be kicking off 2024 with out annual Florida in February tour, spending the whole month down there, and then we'll be spending the year playing some familiar routes, and switching some things up and and playing some parts of the country we haven't been to in a while... and you may want to make sure your passports are in order, there may be some international shows happening later in the year.... just sayin'.... Montreal... Nova Scotia....

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NOTE: As previously mentioned, the Summer/Fall shirt is the final edition of our wildly popular "microbus" t-shirt designs. As such, we made a ton of 'em, and you guys gobbled 'em up! We only have a small number left, in S and M... all other sizes are sold out... so this is your last chance, you can order them here while they last! 

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September 27, 2023

 

What a September it was! We started out with a 4-day run of shows Labor Day weekend in Virginia, and that was a load of fun.  2 Witches Brewery in Danville was the secret surprise of the run... huge beer garden with a great stage and lighting, the crowd was awesome, and of course the beers were fantastic.  We discovered a hidden gem of a small brewery in the tiny town of Burgaw, NC, that being the aptly named Burgaw Brewing. It was ungodly hot that night, but the beer garden was rockin', the beer was flowin', and the food was damned good as well!  Another stand-out of the tour was 1718 Brewery on Ocracoke Island, which is about 20 miles off the coast of North Carolina. We had to put the bus and all the gear on a 3 hour ferry trip to the island, and we got there just in time to deal with some extraordinary surf, a shark, and of course the brewery itself was amazing, and we're already discussing dates for June!  We enjoyed almost a week of leisure time on the beaches of the Outer Banks, where we also spread the first batch of dear Django's ashes at one of his favorite surf spots.  Georgia was fun as well, with a return to the new South Main Brewing just outside Athens, and then our first stop at NoFo in Cumming, GA... both a load of fun! 

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We're home for about a week, and will play two shows in the Cincinnati area this weekend.... a return to West Side Brewing on Friday, and our first visit to Woodburn Brewing Co on Saturday.  West Side is one of our favorite breweries, especially if you like darker beers and interesting experimentals (but not too goofy), and we're excited to try Woodburn out for the first time.  

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October will be a real treat that we've been looking forward to all year, as we spend the peak of the Fall foliage season in gorgeous upstate New York (the Fingerlakes, mostly) and then all over New England... playing numerous shows in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Hampshire and Massachusettes.  Music, beer, lobsters, chowder, fresh maple syrup on the pancakes..... let's get rolling!  

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On the business side... if you have been wanting one of our wildly popular microbus design t-shirts, now is the time!  We are definitely retiring the design after this tour (we already have next year's design), and we sold more than half of this last batch on the East Coast, so once they are gone in New England, they are gone for good.  Let us know if you'd like to order one, and we'll ship 'em off right away.  We also have a few remainders in a couple of sizes from the past two color schemes (orange, army green), so let us know what size you need and if have any they're yours!  As we have mentioned before, since people no longer buy CDs, etc. t-shirts have become crucial to a touring band's survival.  Selling just one t-shirt is equal to the revenue of nearly 10,000 song streams (read: streams don't pay), so we greatly appreciate all the t-shirt sales (plus they're super cool shirts!)!  

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August 20, 2023

 

After some much needed rest we're gearing up to hit the road again soon... kicking off the East Coast tour(s) Labor Day weekend in Virginia.  Normally our Virginia shows are mostly in the coastal area, but this time we're excited to starting in Roanoke, and playing through the mountains and Shenandoah Valley.  Then we're playing all over North Carolina... and finally getting some beach time with a pair of shows in Wilmington, then the Outer Banks (including a show on Ocracoke Island, which we're really excited about!).  We'll wrap up the first leg with a pair of shows in Georgia... it's always great to get back to Athens, then one more show up in beautiful northern Georgia.  We get to see Peter Gabriel on Sept 25... then we're back on the road for a month of shows in New York and New England during the spectacular fall foliage of October... with a good handful of shows this time in Vermont and Maine (as well as NH, MA, etc.).  

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You might have noticed above that our new t-shirts are in.  This is the final installment of our incredibly popular microbus series.... so get 'em while you can!  While many of the previous editions have sold out, we do have some remaining stock of the Spring '23 shirts (you may recall they sold out, then we restocked), and possibly a few of the 2nd West Coast '22 edition.... so keep an eye out on the Facebook page for special discounts on those! 

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July 1, 2023

 

The Great Brewery Tour 5th Anniversary/600th Breweries Played Party! This August marks the tour's Fifth Anniversary, as well as our having played our 600th brewery... so that seems like a pretty good reason for a party!  Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 5th.... as we'll be throwing a shindig at the new Cincinnati location of Hi-Wire Brewing, which we initially fell in love with during our travels to Asheville, NC.  It'll be a special gig for all sorts of reasons, and we have special things planned.... and we're excited to announce that this will another of our super-rare shows playing as a full band (trio) with drums added into the mix!  Stay tuned for more details, coming soon.....  

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In other news, after returning from playing New York and New England the entire month of October, we will be taking a couple of weeks off, then spending the week of Thanksgiving playing Louisiana (including 2 shows in New Orleans), and possibly a few other Gulf Coast locations.  Onward!

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