Tap Room Trolley

From Cincinnati.com -- http://local.cincinnati.com/calendar/event.asp?ProdID=153126 

Guided bus tour to six tap rooms at local breweries. Gather and board buses at lager house. Chartered buses will stop at Moerlein Lager House, Rockbottom Brewery, Rivertown Brewing, Listermanns/Triple Digit Brewing, Mount Carmel Brewing, and 50 West Brewing. Each brewery will be serving the Beer Week Brewers Collaboration Beer - the Embree Dark Porter. Each brewery will be serving the Beer Week Brewers Collaboration Beer – the Embree Dark Porter! 

BUY TICKETS HERE  

$25 Includes your seat on a chartered bus that will makes stops at Moerlein Lager House, Rock Bottom Brewery, Rivertown Brewing, Listermanns/Triple Digit Brewing, Mt. Carmel Brewing, and Fifty West Brewing. In addition, beers from Blank Slate Brewing and Great Crescent Brewing at some of these stops. You also receive a souvenir T Shirt and pub glass. Proceeds support Cincinnati Beer Week which will take place February 7th – 14th, 2013.  

Ages 21+

Are we being overwhelmed with Craft Beer?

I've been thinking a lot lately about all of the different breweries starting up in and around Cincinnati as well as the breweries coming into the Ohio market. Is this a good or a bad thing?

It feels that every time we turn around, there is another choice for craft beer consumers. While I can't complain, my Untappd account is growing very steadily, I wonder if there will be a market cap? Will all of these breweries hurt in the long run?

I've read where the breweries/brewers in Cincinnati don't see each other as competition, but I have to disagree. Unless you are just doing this for fun, you have to view the others in your market as competition for market share. In the long run, this is your business and livelyhood, do you want to make money and sustain your business, or do you want the opposite? While it's nice to see our local brewers getting along (collaborating, being friendly on social media, etc.), will they all be able to last? The beer market (craft brewers especially) is seeing a growth explosion that we haven't seen since pre-prohibition and I'm worried that this flood of beers could be hurting in the future.

Only time will tell.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR 5B 2013: BELIEVERS IN BETTER BEER, BITES AND BLOGGING CONFERENCE

Info from hoperatives.com

Attention bloggers! Registration is now open for the 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference to be held Saturday, February 16, 2013 at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

For more information and to begin the application process, go to http://www.hoperatives.com/?page_id=9709 and follow the instructions there.

If you are interested in submitting a panel proposal for 5B 2013, the deadline to submit is January 1, 2013.

Go to http://www.hoperatives.com/?page_id=11831 to submit your proposals. Cheers and here’s to better beer! (And bites and blogging!)

Big Band & Bigger Beer Event at the Ault Park Pavilion

Friday, September 7, 2012 – 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM

The 17-piece “Jump ‘n’ Jive Show Band" takes the stage at 7 PM “Jump, Jive & Ale” your way around the crowd, “swingin’ & swiggin’” as you sample an amazing selection of “bigger” beers lovingly crafted by independent brewers from around the country.

Participate in the beer tasting by purchasing tickets in advance for $20 each via PayPal through the Ault Park Advisory Council website.

Food, soda and water will also be available for purchase from some of the City’s finest vendors. Proceeds from this wonderful event will go to Ault Park Advisory Council to fund the care and maintenance of Ault Park, as well as to the Cincinnati Music Foundation to purchase musical instruments for underprivileged children.

The 2012 Big Band & Bigger Beer event is presented by Dutch’s Bar & Bottle Shop, along with sponsors Cavalier Distributing, the Cincinnati Parks, Aranzamendez Design, Premier Park Events, and the Ault Park Advisory Council

Please join us for a great evening, and support your parks! Visit our Facebook page for more information.

5B: Blogging Conference

I had the opportunity this past weekend to take part in the 5B Blogging Conference, put on by Tom and Carla from Hoperatives in conjunction with the Cincinnati Winter Beer Festival. We were able to get a discounted price on both nights of admission as well as take part in the conference.

They had about 45 local and regional bloggers participate in a full day of sessions on Beer, Food and General blogging. I stayed with the beer track, but heard some great things about the other sessions.

Elle, from Zephyr Adventures, and Tamre, from Girls Pint Out, gave us the run down on the upcoming 2012 Beer Bloggers Conference in Indianapolis this summer.

The next session we talked with Joshua Bernstein, author of the book Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution; and Gordon Strong, author of the book Brewing Better Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers.

The afternoon track started with Greg Hardman, from Christian Moerlein. Greg gave us the history of the Christian Moerlein brewing company and where they are going in the future (future post about this and the Lager House when it opens in a few weeks).

In another session we met with the collaborative brewers of the Cincinnati Beer Week Barleywine. The guys from Rivertown, Mt. Carmel and Rock Bottom gave us the run down for their whole brewing collaboration: Problems, beer type and brew process.

All in all, everyone (bloggers and session presenters) were very excited to be apart of the event. The presenters were really open and receptive to our questions. I was able to network with some really great beer blogging folks and am excited to meet up with them again in the future.

Cincinnati Beer Week 2012 Barleywine Ale

Since this is the first Beer Week in Cincinnati, I thought I should get in on the fun. This weekend I'll be participating in the Hoperatives 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference leading up to the final night of the Cincinnati Beer Fest.

We stopped into Dilly on Saturday afternoon for some lunch and I decided to try out the beer week collaboration brew. A pretty cool concept beer that was brewed by local brewers: Mt. Carmel, Christian Moerlein, Listermann, Rivertown, Rock Bottom and Red Ear.

I was served a 10oz snifter. The beer poured a very nice ruby-red color with not much head at all. There were so many different aroma's I'm not sure I could pick them all out, berries, citrus fruit, brown sugar and florals all came to mind.

I thought this was much more of an IPA than a barleywine, maybe it was because it is such a young beer. Loved the marriage of bitter hops and sweet fruits. I think this beer could be even better after some aging. Not overly heavy on the alcohol even though is in 9.5%, it is very well hidden and I could easily session this beer, even though it would get me in trouble!

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy and my parents
Where: Dilly Deli
Price: $$$$
Score: 5 / 5 

Cincinnati Bloggers Conference

Don't forget to register for the 5B: Blogging Conference in conjunction with Cincinnati Beer Fest, February 11, 2012. Check out this link at Hoperatives for more info!

The 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference is just over a month away. To be held Saturday, February 11, 2012, 5B is a one-day blogging conference featuring sessions on beer blogging, food blogging and blogging in general and is hosted by Hoperatives in conjunction with Cincy Winter Beerfest.

Happy Drinking!

Queen City Underground Tour

Kauffman Lager Tunnels - Under Vine Street.

Last week I was invited to take the Queen City Underground Tour, from American Legacy Tours . This tour is full of Cincinnati beer history, and a definate must see for anyone interested in Cincinnati and or beer history. There was plenty of other information and history given on the tour, but I'll stick to the beer parts.

From 1870-1920, our Queen City was known as the Paris of the West. Full of entertainment, commerce, and of course beer. The Germans who came to Cincinnati settled north of the canal, now Central Parkway, and the neighborhood was dubbed Over-the-Rhine. 48,000 people packed into OTR (2.5 mile area) with 75% of the population German. Of course they wanted to bring a little bit of home with them to America, so they built saloons and breweries. There were 136 saloons from the Ohio River to McMicken which allowed for the citizens of Cincinnati to drink 2.5 times the national average -- close to 40 gallons a person (Man, Woman and Child!).

Pipes which carried cold water through them to keep the tunnels cool.

The greatest part of beer history in Cincinnati is that there are miles and miles of underground Lager tunnels underneath the city. The Germans brought there Lager beer with them from home, which has a sweeter taste and had a wider spread appeal and changed the landscape of beer in America forever.

As you may, or may not know, Lager needs to ferment at a much cooler temperature, and under the city the tunnels are a cool 55 degrees. If the temperature were to rise, they would pack ice and run cool water through the pipes to keep it cool.

Ramps to send kegs up or down to tunnels

Ramps and hydro lifts made it easier to bring the beer up and down from these tunnels. The downfall of the Cincinnati breweries started as nation moved towards prohibition. New laws made the business of beer that much tougher: Sin tax on beer and another laws made it illegal to brew and bottle in the same facility. These underground tunnels allowed the brewers to move there barrels underground and out of site of the law. Prohibition all but killed the beer business in Cincinnati and started the downfall of Over-the-Rhine. Not only were the brewers affected, but the barrel makers, the boats that shipped the bee. Most of those folks lived and worked in the neighborhood. Once the jobs disappeared, those folks had to move to be closer to the work.

Luckily for us, OTR is in the middle of a revitalization, with new people, rehabbed buildings and even breweries moving back to our brewing capital. Sam Adams home is OTR, Christian Moerlein plans to open a brewing facility soon and I can't wait to see what comes next for one of the great beer cities in the USA.

Happy Drinking!

Cincinnati Craft Beer Interview: Frank Coyne Home Brewer

In this second interviews involving Cincinnati craft beer folks, I got a hold of Frank Coyne. Frank is a new home brewer (7months!) and has been a pretty good resource of information for me when I started brewing myself.

Name: Frank Coyne
Neighborhood: Anderson Twp
Number of home brews you've made/attempted: 4
How long have you been brewing: 7 months
Favorite beer to brew: Too soon to tell
Favorite craft beer: Too soon to tell, there are so many I haven’t tried yet. :-)
Untappd Handle/Name: Frank Coyne/fcoy2

What got you interested in home brewing?

Always seemed like fun, but ultimately it was because my wife was having a hard time coming up with a Christmas gift, so I suggested a gift certificate to the local home brew shop, Paradise Brewing

What was the first beer you tried to brew? Was it a pre-packaged kit? Or did you experiment?

First was a kit of Flat tire Ale, a clone of Fat Tire out of Colorado

How did it taste?

Very good, pleasantly surprised for my first batch

What are the resources you use for beer/brewing?

Paradise Brewing – the guys are very helpful there, and they have all the supplies and information you need. They also do live demonstrations on Saturday mornings of the brewing process, which are very helpful as well. Listermann Brewing Supplies – wider variety of supplies and kits Books
 - The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (3rd Edition) by Charlie Papazian
 - Homebrewing for Dummies Podcasts
 - Beersmith Home Brewing
 - Basic Brewing Radio

Have you experimented with any new flavors/hops/malts etc.?

Not yet. My plan was to do the first 3-4 batches through kits, then move on to clone recipes and modifications of recipes

Any funny brewing stories?

My one real mistake came during a brown ale recipe brewing. I had all the supplies laid out on the dining room table, and was doing the brewing in the garage. I had just added the malt extract and was getting ready to add the hops when I heard on of our digs start getting sick in the house. I ran in to get him off the carpet and outside (only made it to the kitchen before, well, you know). After cleaning up the mess and resuming brewing, didn’t realize until the next ingredient addition that I had forgotten to ad the hops. I tried to put them in and extend the brewing time a little to try to get some of the flavor in. The beer came out “OK” but not as good as my other batches. I actually found myself wondering later if it was worth some dog puke on the carpet to get the beer right if it ever happened again.

I’m still trying to find other “high hop” beers to mix this batch with when I drink it, but I refuse to throw it out. It’s not that bad.

Do you think you will continue to brew?

Yep, there is a great satisfaction from making your own.

Any tips for first time home brewers?

Be VERY patient, especially with fermenting. This is not a hobby for the impatient.

Here's is Frank's setup.

Obviously the burner is pretty standard fare. For a workspace, I used a metal and pressboard shelving unit, and used countertop laminate on the top shelf to give it some moisture protection. I attached two steel slotted angles to the back side, then a piece of pegboard and a shelf to the board. Pegboard hooks give me storage for utensils, and the small top shelf is ideal for cleaning materials. The workbench gives me plenty of room for storage underneath, working space up top, and is high enough to use when siphoning beer from one container to another.

I also added velcro around the workbench, to help keep light out when fermenting. It also helps to keep heat in (provided by a small lightbulb) during winter batches, when the basement gets too cool to maintain the proper temperature. I did my first batch in the winter, and had to try several different things before I found the best way to regulate heat

Thank you Frank and good luck with your brewing.

Happy Drinking!

Official Christmas Ale Release at Zip's Cafe

Date: November 1, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm -
Zip's Cafe
1036 Delta Ave
Cincinnati , OH 45208
Phone 513-871-9876
Venue Website
http://www.zipscafe.com/index.html
it's not too early to talk about our favorite holiday brew is it?!

it may be warm out, but Santa will be packing up his sleigh with presents and making his annual appearance at Zip's!!! He and his favorite elf will be tapping the first keg of CHRISTMAS ALE at 6:00 sharp!

We'll be pouring other favorite brews to: Blackout Stout, Burning River & Dortmunder. Something for everyone!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Big Band & Bigger Beer Tasting

We just bought our tickets for this event. I don't know what beers are going to be available, but I know that Dutch's has a huge selection. So if they are providing, I'm sure there will be some great beers to choose from.

Big Band & Bigger Beer
Ault Park, Sept. 1, 2011

Back again and better than ever! The amazing & talented 17-piece Jump n' Jive Show Band takes the stage at 7 p.m. Beer tasting (21 and over) is $20 per person in advance ($25 at the event if available) and includes 20 tastings from a selection of 75 different beers from 25 brewers.
Tickets can be purchased at http://www.aultparkac.org.
Additional food and drinks available for purchase, listening to the awesome music in the beautiful Ault Park -- free! Proceeds from this event benefit the care and maintenance of Ault Park as well as the Cincinnati Music Foundation.
WHAT: LIVE MUSIC & BEER TASTING

• 17 piece Jump n' Jive Show Band (music and fun is free!)
• Beer Tasting - Tickets are limited and include 20 tastings from a selection of 75 different beers from 25 brewers. Tickets are available for purchase at www.aultparkpac.org and are $20 in advance or $25 at the door if still available.

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011,  6:30 to 10 p.m. (rain or shine!)
WHERE: Ault Park Pavilion
Special thanks to Dutch's Bar & Bottle Shop, Cavalier Distributing, Premium Beverage Supply, Avalanche Ice, and Aranzamendez Design for sponsoring this event. To purchase tickets, look at a full list of all APAC sponsored events and a list of "100 Things to Do in Ault Park," go to www.aultparkac.org.

Happy drinking! And I hope to see you there.

Cincinnati Craft Beer Interview: Lindsey Bonadonna the CraftBeerMaven

In my first of a series of interviews involving Cincinnati craft beer folks, I was able to score an interview with Eastern Region Vintage Ale Market Manager for Goose Island, Lindsey Bonadonna, aka the CraftBeerMaven. You may recognize her from one of the many craft beer events she puts on in our region especially in Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. Check out her facebook fan page to see where she'll be next!

Name: Lindsey Bonadonna
Neighborhood: East Side Cincinnati (Amelia)
Job Title: Eastern Region Vintage Ale Market Manager
Years in Beer Industry: 4
Untappd Handle/Name: CraftBeerMaven
Beer Blog/Website: craftbeermaven.tumblr.com (going live soon!)
Facebook Group: Goose Island Fans in Ohio/Goose Island Fans in Kentucky
Twitter: @craftbeermaven

What got you interested in craft beer?

I totally fell into it! I managed a bar in Findlay, Ohio (Nino's) & was incredibly intrigued by the Goose Island Kilgubbin Ale label (honestly, I thought the Goose was cute) & cracked it open one night - I was blown away that beer could taste like that! My second craft beer was Sierra Celebration Ale, Sierra Bigfoot & Houblon Choufe.

I was offered a position with the local Anheuser-Busch distributor as their Import, Craft & Specialty Rep & I really credit them with assisting me in discovering my passion for craft beer - they sent me to ALOT of classes, breweries, etc & needless to say, I was hooked!

How did you land with Goose?

I was with my wholesaler for a total of 2 years & after my 1st year we started distributing Goose Island - I was THRILLED!  I built a relationship with the Eastern Regional Director & even though I LOVED working on the wholesale side, I told him "hey, if anything ever opens up, let me know". And eventually, it did. I started off as a Brewery Rep for Ohio/Kentucky & have recently been promoted to a Regional Vintage Ale Market Manager covering Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana.

What are you favorite parts of the beer industry?

The passion, comraderie, innovation, creativity & excitement & of course, the beer : )

What are the resources you use for beer/brewing?

Everyone around me! I am blessed to have any incredible group of beer people in my life that I am always harassing for knowledge & insights. I am also studying to prepare in taking the 2nd level Cicerone exam in the Winter.

I've recently started homebrewing & am absolutely loving that entire process. I wish I had the time to do it more!  I've also been trying to spend more time at Rivertown Brewery to learn the more of the production side of the business.

Favorite craft beer?

That is like asking a parent who their favorite kid is! It truly depends on the occasion. Lately, i've been ALL about Belgian Sours & exploring all I can in that style. My current faves are Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeeske Kriek, Goose Island Juliet & anything Cantillon. 

Any funny beer stories?

Too many to count! I think one of my favorites is when I had someone rudely question if I even liked beer because I'm a female & "looked like a wine drinker". Needless to say, that was met with quite a bit of laughter!

Any tips for new craft beer drinkers?

Try everything you can get your hands on!  There are so many styles, tastes & flavors available right now that there is truly a beer for everyone.  If you don't like one, try another!

Favorite Brewery (other than Goose!)?

There are SO many…I'll do my top 6 that are currently on my obsession list (in no particular order):

• Founders
• Goose Island (duh! I wouldn't work for them if I didn't love them)
• Rivertown Brewery
• Pretty Things
• The Bruery
• Rockmill Brewery

Anything else to add?

We are in the middle of such an EXCITING time in craft beer, educate yourself, explore, share & TRY NEW THINGS! Continue to discover new beers, beer & food pairings, beer & cheese pairings & even try cooking with beer if you haven't before. What makes us unique as individuals does not make us better than the next person, just different. – Take this approach with beer and do not limit yourself to one category & keep an open mind. To me, it is not a matter of who does what "better", but that what they do is done well.

A big thank you to Lindsey for taking time out of her busy schedule for this interview.

Happy Drinking!

GLBC Takeover at the Lackman

Great Lakes Brewing Company Tap Takeover at The Lackman in Cincinnati


Date: August 25, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm -

The Lackman
1237 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Venue Website
http://www.lackmanbar.com/

We're taking over some taps at The Lackman. Some of our favorite items will be on tap, like Burning River. But we'll also be showing off our pub exclusive beers!

The beer is not yet brewed, so we're not sure what will even be there yet, but trust that it will all be excellent...maybe even a firkin.

But stay tuned, we'll update this event as it gets closer!!

Hope you join us for a pint!

Moerlein Tapping at The Lackman

Via: @thelackman

Join us at The Lackman July 19, at 6:00PM, as we tap Moerlein Limited Edition English Summer Ale.

You've discovered a Limited Edition Moerlein English Summer Ale. Brewed with all English Pale malt to give this golden ale a biscuit-like maltiness. A combination of Centennial, Fuggle and East Kent Goldings hops gives the beer slight citrus and floral aroma and flavor. The finish is crisp and dry, quenching the thirst on a hot summer day.

Taste of the World Wine and Beer Festival

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Taste of the World Wine and Beer Festival - Sat., November 8 at Newport Aquarium.

The committee, led by chair Roseann Hayes, is busy planning and preparing a night of “fish and sips” for LLS supporters and local “foodies” to enjoy once again this year. Roseann is a lymphoma survivor who has made this event her personal attack on the blood cancers that affect her life and the lives of over 894,000 Americans.

Click here to read more.

For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the Society’s Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Morton's Taste of Tradition - Cincinnati

Got an email promoting a beer tasting event for a good cause. $5 will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Morton's The Steakhouse - Cincinnati
Friday, October 24, 2008
$45 per guest

Featuring Chimay Premiere, Chimay Grand Reserve, Chimay Cinq Cents and Morton's Signature Hors d'oevres

"Enjoy tasting three of Belgium's finest brews."

Link: Morton's:: Chimay...A taste of tradition

--
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life- threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world.

Fall beers are here...

Which means Oktoberfest is right around the corner! Join us for the world's largest chicken dance, brats and beers as "Zinzinnati" celebrates our German heritage.

For more info visit: http://www.oktoberfestzinzinnati.com/okt.aspx

Moerlein reviving Cincinnati beer

Link: Queen City used to be the center of the German beer-making legacy in the U.S.

Cincinnati Bockfest 2008

Bockfest gets under way tonight after work (Friday, March 7, 2008).

"Cincinnati is the home to the world's oldest Bock festival, but many Cincinnatians are unaware of this tradition. If you are one of the unfortunate who have never attended a Bockfest (or who have but can't really remember that weekend) here's a quick primer. In the 1800s, Cincinnati was one of America's most prolific brewing cities. Cincinnatians drank more beer per capita than any city in the country, and Over-the-Rhine was at one point home to more than 50 breweries. A tradition developed among the breweries to release all of their bock beer on the same day. Bock beer is a rich, complex, robust lager that marks the end of the Winter brewing season and the beginning of Spring."

Links:
Bockfest Home
CinWeekly Bockfest Page
Enquirer Article

Happy Drinking!

Chrisitan Moerlein - Over-the-Rhine Ale

Cincinnati based brewer Christian Moerlein's Over-the-Rhine Ale. Named after the downtown neighborhood where all of the old breweries used to be. The Moerlein offices are still located there. They were the top brewer in Cincinnati's beer heyday's along with: Hudepohl Brewery, Red Top Brewing Company, the Bavarian Brewing Company, and Burger Brewing Company.

I bought this beer over the weekend as part of my world of beers tour at Allyn's Cafe. I wasn't overly impressed with the Ale. It does have a nice copper color, but I didn't care for the citrus flavor, it almost overwhelmed me. I prefer my cooper ales to be a lot smoother and not nearly as bitter. My friend Bill said he liked it and if he were out at the store, would consider buying a 6 pack. I'm glad I tried it at the bar where I only had to drink 1, because I just wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends. In contrast to the Mt. Carmel Copper Ale (another Cincinnati beer), it just doesn't stand up.

Who: Billy, Emily, Cathy
Where: Allyn's Cafe
Price: $
Score: 1 / 5