Cincinnati is having an official Beer Week. For folks who love well-crafted beer, it’ll be the most wonderful time of the year.
Beer weeks have sprung up all over the county in the past decade as a way to focus attention on the craft beer movement that’s changing the way people all over the world think about beer. Last March, on the Sunday of Bockfest weekend, a group of better beer lovers from all over the city met at Nicholson’s downtown to discuss the idea of having a Cincinnati Beer Week. There were owners and employees of bars, restaurants, breweries and beer distributors. There were also home brewers and at least a couple of bloggers you might have heard of. Something that was decided at that first meeting was that Cincinnati Beer Week was going to be a volunteer, grassroots effort. That has carried through to today. Everyone working to make Cincinnati Beer Week happen is an unpaid volunteer. No brewery sponsorships are being accepted so breweries of every size can participate without conflict.
So what is Cincinnati Beer Week? The mission statement says it’s “… a grassroots movement aiming to educate, inspire and celebrate well-crafted beer in a welcoming environment.” For the seven days, the bars, restaurants and stores all over the Greater Cincinnati area that have chosen to become Official Cincinnati Beer Week Venues will hold a events like tastings, beer pairing dinners, brewery nights and other events no one has thought of yet. There will be Cincinnati Beer Week pint glasses, T-Shirts and other merchandise available at the venues. Information about what’s going on will be posted here at the Cincinnati Beer Week web site.
After the seventh night, the week really isn’t over because the annual Cincy Winter Beerfest takes over the Convention Center for two more nights of celebration. It’s not an accident that Cincinnati Beer Week is the week leading up to the already wildly successful Cincy Winter Beerfest, but they are separate events.
“Cincinnati Beer Week is a time to recognize the evolution and significance of flavorful beer in America, along with its impact on our region, nation and world,” says Jay Ashmore, Chair of the Cincinnati Beer Week organizing committee, “It’s time our community recognizes this gift, celebrates and encourages its progress. Cincinnati Beer Week is a week to enjoy community, culture, and fun.”
“Cincinnati Beer Week is not just a good thing, it’s a great thing!” says Lindsey Bonadonna, who organized the first organizing meeting back in March and now serves as vice-chair and treasurer of the organizing committee. “We’re hoping to encourage the new, the adventurous and the casual imbiber to try something new and to explore and be entertained in a responsible manner.”
Mark your calendars now: February 2 – 9, 2012, the Inaugural Cincinnati Beer Week. And keep watching here for more details.
Organizing Committee