How to Go
What: Cincy Winter Beerfest
When: Feb. 13-14, 6:30 p.m.-11:15 p.m.
Where: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Cincinnati
Cost: $40-$95
More Info: www.cincybeerfest.com
Although the Cincy Winter Beerfest has been around for eight years, this is the first time it will be held at the beginning of Cincinnati Beer Week — a seven-day showcase for the craft beers sold at downtown restaurants, bars and clubs — instead of at the end.
“The original concept was to give visiting beer reps a chance to spend more time in the market,” said Festival Director Craig Johnson. “That worked to some extent. But it’s turned into more of a celebration of local and regional beers, and with so many events, we wanted to think of ways to drive attendance and awareness. Now, all the breweries and local bars and restaurants will be using the Beerfest to draw attention to what they’re doing. It’s just a bit of a twist.”
The Beerfest will be offering close to 375 craft beers from all over the country, with several new selections, as usual. The official beer for Beer Week is Black Tart, a stout that’s brewed with cinnamon and blackberries. Black Tart is a “collaboration beer.” Brewers met at MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati to combine their efforts and Black Tart was the result.
“By Ohio law, they have to go to one place to do it,” Johnson said. “It’s being sold at stores now.” (Indeed, this reporter spotted it at his neighborhood Kroger).
Johnson’s organization, Festivals Unlimited, does eight large beer festivals per year in five cities. According to Johnson, the Cincy Winter Beerfest is the oldest, the most brewer-attended, and the largest, with approximately 15,000 people expected to attend over two nights at the Duke Convention Center. In fact, Johnson said his biggest problem is capacity.
“There’s no other venue around here that can hold 9,000 people at once in the winter,” he said. “With all the new Ohio breweries popping up, it’s turning into a real Rubik’s Cube. A lot of festivals have day sessions, but that would be really taxing for our staff and volunteers, so we’re trying to resist that. Maybe we’ll expand the VIP part into the daytime, or even add a third night. I don’t know. We’re going have to start having those discussions.”
The Beerfest will have the usual features. The “quickee” booths, instituted two years ago, where beer is pre-poured into 8-ounce cups, will continue to alleviate longer lines. Approximately 400 people are expected to attend the Connoisseur Reception area, which offers high-end appetizers, live jazz music, and rare beers. One thing Johnson said they were promoting more is the All American Home Brew Competition.
“The winning homebrew will get brewed at a local brewery,” Johnson said. “We’ll serve it at next year’s festival, but by Ohio law we aren’t able to sample it this year, though we could have if we were in Pennsylvania.”
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