Cincy Winter Beerfest A Smashing Success

The Cincy Winter Beerfest was a smashing success, with more than 3100 raving craft beer fans filling the downtown Hyatt-Regency over several floors.  Beer vendors from all over the country were on hand to fill these guests with more than 160 different types of foaming, delicious, liquid love!  Rivertown Brewing, Cincinnati’s newest brewery was a huge hit with five delicious beers on hand including an oatmeal stout, a traditional bock and a dunkel.  Mt. Carmel Brewing successfully showed off beers from their stable, while Barrelhouse Brewing demonstrated they are alive and well in Cincinnati.  Future Cincinnati Riverfront Park brewers Christian Moerlein were also present and representing their selections, as was the Boston Beer Company, who maintains almost a third of their brewing capacity at the former Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewery.

The event was not just staffed by employees of the breweries, but also with more than 140 volunteers from the Cincinnati area, including 60 experienced and knowledgeable craft beer fans from Cincinnati’s active homebrewing community.  The Cincinnati Malt Infusers (CMI) and Bloatarian Brewing League (BBL) teamed up to help make this a night to remember!

The Modulators played through the night, not only sustaining, but building the fervor of the crowd, where many of the beer filled party goers danced till last call.  The Tasting Theater was also a huge success, where dozens of people poured in to hear Mitch Dougherty from Cincinnati’s Rock Bottom Brewing kick things off at 6:00pm with a discussion on craft beer brewing.

The Party Source then took the stage, discussing Quaff Brothers beer, beer combinations, and cigars on the main floor in the ballroom.

This was followed up with a live homebrew demonstration from local Cincinnati homebrewers Bob Masters and Tim McPartlin of the CMI, as well as Scott LaFollette (also from Circle 3) and Jennifer Herman of the BBL.  I, Chris Nascimento, (also of Circle 3) of the CMI, personally had the privilege to join them on stage for a period of time as we discussed the brewing process, then followed it up with a question and answer session. Unfortunately, this was cut a bit short by the only mishap of the evening: a fire alarm pulled within the hotel (which thankfully was a false alarm).

In the atrium, the CMI and BBL had a display of homebrewing equipment and club information, masterfully assembled and staffed by the Dave and Josie Dixon of the CMI.  This husband and wife brewing tandem explained homebrewing throughout the evening to dozens of interested parties who want to learn to make their own delicious, handcrafted beers.

The final event of the evening, put on by Circle 3 in the Tasting Theater, was also a huge success; and we demonstrated once again an undeniable truth: that simply NOTHING goes better together than quality craft beer and dessert. Executive Chef Jackson Rouse, Scott LaFollette and myself had the privilege of turning on dozens of people to delicious beer and food pairings as people lined the venue!

Cincy Winter Beerfest organizers and founders, Craig Johnson and Matt King did a great job of once again showing why craft beer continues to be a thriving, growing entity with increasing sales even as the large macrobrewers sales have leveled off.  It is not advertising hype that sells beer, it is the beer that sells the beer! The truth is craft beer sells, crap beer doesn’t. Macrobrewers masquerading as craft beer by changing the branding, appearance or making small modifications to already flawed formulas WILL NOT fool the consumer as they become more experienced in their choices. Trying to blur the lines between craft beer and their own uninspired products, macrobreweries are trying to hold craft beer events that have virtually no true craft beers. Large macrobreweries could easily create artful beer creations, but the fact is they are solely focused on the margins and market shares with their EXISTING lines. They are going to learn a hard truth as time progresses; marketing and ad campaigns will never be a successful substitute for simply allowing the beer to speak for itself.

The Cincy Winter Beerfest was a success because of just that; Craig Johnson and Matt King let the beer speak for itself. And it spoke in volumes on this night…in attendance, in diversity, and in how it represented itself.  If there was ever any doubt about the status of good beer in Cincinnati, let me assure you, all doubts have been erased.  Craft beer has truly arrived in the Queen City; 2010 will be known as the year Cincinnati rediscovered its great brewing roots, and embraced the future.

VIP's Line Up Before Cincy Beerfest

Richard Dreyer (CMI), Paul Chasco(CMI), John Zeller (BBL), Jennifer Hermann (BBL), and Tim McPartlin(CMI)