Dark Charge Winter Block Party at Braxton Brewing Co.  3-11 p.m. Dec. 2; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Dec. 3 From the event’s website: “For the past 8 years on the first Saturday in December, Braxton has held a winter block party to celebrate the collision of bourbon and beer through the release of our Dark Charge barrel-aged imperial stout. We call it the Dark Charge Winter Block Party. Now it’s back, and this year for the first time ever, it’s two days long. Join us at our Covington, Kentucky taproom for an incredible celebration of community, our rich history, and the 2022 Dark Charge release.” VIP tickets and rooftop heated “igloos” are available on top of general admission. Read CityBeat digital content editor Katherine Barrier’s full writeup to learn more. 3-11 p.m. Dec. 2; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Dec. 3. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. 7th St., Covington, darkchargeday.com. Photo: Provided by Braxton Brewing Co.

You can celebrate a beer-bourbon partnership and crossover at Braxton Brewing Co.’s annual Dark Charge winter block party in Covington this weekend.

The block party is being held from 3-11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. This year, meetNKY, the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau and The B-Line, which is a collection of Bourbon Trail distilleries and “bourbon-forward” bars and restaurants in Northern Kentucky, are partnering with the brewery for the eighth-annual party.

“This year’s Dark Charge event is a full-on, two-day collision of beer and bourbon,” said Braxton co-founder and CEO Jake Rouse in a press release.

The organizations collaborated on a limited-edition variant of Braxton’s Dark Charge Imperial Stout: Chocolate Pretzel Bourbon Ball Imperial Stout, only available on-site at the block party.

“Bourbon aficionados and beer enthusiasts alike can enjoy this rich, imperial stout, aged in bourbon barrels from three distillers along The B-Line – Old Pogue Distillery, New Riff Distilling and Boone County Distillery – finished off with hints of cacao nibs and pretzels,” the release says of the new drink.

“There’s no surprise that the crossover between bourbon and craft beer is a quickly emerging trend, so when we approached our annual Bourbon Barrel Aged beer release Dark Charge we knew we wanted to play into this crossover,” Rouse said.

“Nothing speaks to the uniqueness of our region like a fusion of bourbon and beer,” said Jay Erisman, co-founder of New Riff Distilling, in the release. “We’re excited to partner with Braxton on this limited-edition B-Line brew and to tap into the beer enthusiasts who are curious to learn more about bourbon.”

In addition to the new brew, the block party will also have a DJ, plus both local and national musical acts. Food vendors, including Dewey’s Pizza, Taco Fuerte, The Empanada’s Box and more, will also be there.

“This event is a true celebration of all things Northern Kentucky,” meetNKY President and CEO Julie Kirkpatrick said in the release. “It’s been incredible to see how this winter block party has evolved over the years. We can’t wait to welcome music, bourbon and beer fans from across the country for this exciting two-day event in the Commonwealth and show off some of the southern hospitality we’re known for.”

The event is free to attend, but Braxton is offering VIP packages, as well as Igloobar experiences. You can learn more about those here.

Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington. More information: braxtonbrewing.com.

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This article appears in Nov 16-29, 2022.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...