Cincy Beerfest - a Wrap-up

Did you make it out to the Cincy Beerfest? If not, why? The event was great; Duke Energy Convention Center had a lot more room than last year at the Hyatt which meant less walking right in to someone! (Alright, so that did still happen, but last year it was very cramped and this year you had at least some room to move around) If you did make it out, what did you think? Was it as good as you thought it would be? Better?

Let's get down to the real meat of the event though, the beer. I know that you, just like me, tried an excessive amount of beer and there is no way you remember them all, unless you brought a notebook. Well, I didn't bring a notebook either, but I did note some of the beers I had that really stood out, in my mind. This list is in no particular order:

• Rock Bottom's Cincinnati Chili Beer
• Rock Bottom's Tazza Mia Espresso Porter
• Ellzebelle Triple Belgian Stout (Official Beer of Beerfest and created by a local homebrewer)
• Listermann's Cincinnatus Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
• Bell's Batch 10,000
• Left Hand Brewing's The Stranger

You may have noticed from the beers listed, most of the stuff that really stood out in my mind was made locally. This is great news for us Cincinnatians who love to see the local brew scene grow! I hope we see more stuff like this next beerfest!

In all, Beerfest was a very good time. The volunteers I talked to seemed to have a good knowledge of the beers they were serving. (I have been to fests in the past where folks had no clue) There were also several owners and brewers at the event from various breweries. There was plenty of space in the Duke Energy Center, though I think they will need to expand the amount of space next year already. I know the 5th annual will be even better!