As always, it’s a great time to be a beer drinker in Cincinnati: Two long-awaited breweries opened this month, adding to the city’s already thriving brewery scene. And select seasonals are back in rotation at local taprooms, including MadTree’s Shade, a Gose-style brew made with blackberries and sea salt, and Joon, which is aged in gin bourbon barrels. Rhinegeist also brought back some rarities this month: Alice, a Belgian-style blonde, and Streaker, a rye IPA.
New Beers
• Rhinegeist has been in the cider game for more than a year now with their dry-hopped and semi-dry ciders, but they just recently jumped into the rosé market, too. Bubbles is their take on a rosé cider — bubbly, deep pink and a perfect blend of tart and sweet, made with peach and cranberry juice. Find Bubbles on tap at the brewery and at select bars, including Northside Yacht Club.
• Braxton’s highly drinkable summer lineup includes Haven Hefeweizen, available infused with raspberry in the taproom, and Summertrip passion fruit Berliner weisse, a fruity and refreshing beer available in 32-ounce Crowler cans.
• Moerlein released Thousand Weiss, a 10-percent hefeweizen brewed with blackberries, and Third Wave IPA, “an aggressively hopped India Pale Ale bursting with floral aromas and citrus flavor.” The IPA is part of a Third Wave series, which also includes FC Cincinnati Blood Orange IPA, Habanero Lime Third Wave and Double Dry Hopped Citra Third Wave.
Beer Events
• Every week this summer, Party Source pairs up with a brewery for a night of burgers and beer. On June 30, they’ll feature an ice cream beer social. Saugatuck Neapolitan Milk Stout, Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus Peanut Butter Porter, Ommegang Rosetta Cherry Fruit Beer and Flying Dog Tropical Stout will be served alongside a smoked-bacon and cheese burger. Tickets are $15.
• Blank Slate will be open from 2-8 p.m. Sunday, July 3 — a rarity — for a fundraising event. The Indie-pendence Day party includes a cookout. Food and drink proceeds will go to brewery employee Allyson West, who is producing a short film in Cincy.
• On July 9, boxing match Punch Out will pit fighters from Fifty West and other local breweries — Taft’s, Mash Cult, Rhinegeist, MadTree, Listermann, Fibonacci, Bad Tom — against each other in an actual boxing ring. The event takes place at Fifty West’s Pro Works facility and coincides with the release of their Punch You in the EyePA.
• The first Bad Tom Bad Ass Beer Fest takes place July 15-16 at French Park. Beers from Blank Slate, West Sixth, Jackie O’s, Against the Grain, Cellar Dweller, Urban Artifact, Bad Tom and more will be on hand, along with food from Vonderhaar’s Catering. There is a $2 cover charge for each patron entering and beer tickets are $2 for 5 oz. and $5 for 12 oz.; special beer ticket and VIP packages available. Hazard, Ky.'s Country music duo Halfway To Hazard will be the headliner on both Friday and Saturday, and Urban Artifact will be sponsoring the musical program undercard of eight local bands including The Cliftones, Lemon Sky, Go Go Buffalo, Zebras in Public, Strange Mechanics & more. Proceeds will benefit the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. badassbeerfest2016.com.
• Nature and beer converge on July 15 when the Cincinnati Nature Center hosts Hoots and Hops, an evening of self-guided hikes, light bites, encounters with birds of prey and beer tastings from Braxton, Fifty West, Old Firehouse and Rhinegeist. Get tickets and more info at cincynature.org.
• In 1866, German immigrants founded Schützenfest Cincinnati, a German beer and sporting fest. For the 150th anniversary of the “Markesman’s Festival,” the Kolping Society hosts a public shooting contest and event July 15-17, with Bavarian goulash, live music and Moerlein’s Schützenfest Kölsch beer. Visit kolpingcincinnati.com.
Brewery Openings
• Bellevue’s Darkness Brewing opened to the public in June. Currently, they only serve other regional beers on draft, but a grand opening is planned for mid-July, when they’ll start serving their own brews, such as a milk stout and a Kentucky common ale.
• It’s been more than a year since Pleasant Ridge’s Nine Giant Brewing announced they were opening a micro pub. The brewery finally opened its doors on June 25, pouring both their own and guests brews and offering upscale cuisine in their Snackery. ©
