It’s a new year, and one of the only things that will get us through this bizarre winter is beer. Luckily, Rivertown and MadTree have bigger spaces in which to drink, and Cincy Winter Beerfest is right around the corner.
On Feb. 11, MadTree will officially open their new brewery in Oakley, MadTree 2.0, to coincide with their annual Winter Bonanza and the brewery’s fourth anniversary. This event will feature rare MadTree brews, guest breweries, food trucks and live music from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. But before Cincinnati celebrates MadTree’s new path, kiss MadTree 1.0’s taproom goodbye on Feb. 4 — its last day of operation on Kennedy Avenue.
On Feb. 17 and 18, Cincinnati will celebrate the 10th-annual Cincy Winter Beerfest at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Beer drinkers will have three sessions to choose from, including a new Saturday afternoon session, and ticket prices range from $45 to a $95 connoisseurs reception, with access to super premium draft and large format beers, appetizers and a private restroom. Over the years the fest has grown from just 700 attendees to 16,000.
In collaboration with Beerfest, Rhinegeist has released Rood, a red Belgian-style wheat ale. They also just introduced Hans, a Vienna-style lager, to complement Franz, their Oktoberfest/Märzen-style brew. Both are available in cans and on draft in the taproom, and at various bars around the city.
New Beers
• Nanobrewery Mash Cult will unveil a Belgian-style ale called Rummin with the Devil on Feb. 4 at Party Town in Florence, Ky. They aged the beer in local distiller Second Sight’s rum barrels and bottled it in October. The beer is strong — 13.75 percent — and because of the limited amount, you can only purchase two bottles per person.
• Braxton has a new beer, Tropic Flare. It’s a double IPA with “notes of citrus, peach and passion fruit” and a high 100 IBU. It’s available on draft at the taproom (bottles are sold out).
Events
• On Jan. 20, Rivertown opened their Brewery & Barrel House expansion in Monroe. The taproom and restaurant offers Rivertown beers and guest brews on tap, cocktails, wine, soda and a full menu, including dishes like jackfruit tacos and smoked wings.
• Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Darkness Brewing will host a two-hour Paint and Pint night on Jan. 31. For $25, the brewery will supply the paint, canvases and beer. Whatever you create you get to take home.
• On Feb. 4, the day before Super Bowl Sunday, the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom will host Super Firkin Saturday, featuring cask-conditioned beers from Moerlein and other local brewers, including MadTree, Listermann, Blank Slate and more. Moerlein will also introduce Pacer, a citra pale ale. Free admission; $10 sample tickets.
• Streetside Brewery did not exist last year for the big game, so they’re going all out this year. On Feb. 5, they will host a salsa/guacamole competition in which the winner will receive a $25 gift card to the brewery. Besides the snacks, Streestside will also tap a special keg of their Café Con Leche beer.
• Also on Super Bowl Sunday, hit up Fifty West for an all-day party. Pay $35 for two beers and an all-you-can-eat buffet.
• The Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference will take place Feb. 7-9 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Registration fees run $100-$250 and include access to more than 20 seminars, breakfast and lunch, a trade show and evening receptions. Visit ohiocraftbeer.org for more.
• To coincide with the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference, Taft’s Ale House will host Ohio Rare on Feb. 8, during which nine Buckeye brewers will pour nine rare beers from their stash. These include Yellow Springs Brewery’s Maxxout Stout, Fat Head’s Sorcerer and Taft’s Old Wooden Tooth.
• On Feb. 9, Listermann taps Roots Ginger Beer, a collaboration with Blank Slate and ArtsWave. It will be available on draft at their taproom. In other Listermann news, last week they released their first cans: Brass Monkey IPA and Brass Monkey Junkie, the same IPA but with the addition of mangoes. The four-packs are available at the taproom.
This article appears in Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2017.