Every trip we partake on is usually comprised of two things: Animals and Alcohol. These trips to the zoo help to balance our crazy increase in carb consumption with a lengthy, rigorous walk. Also, who doesn’t love zoos? Some cities offer more historic venues, or centers of education such as museums, which we substitute when there are no zoos to be had. However, Cincinnati (of all places) happens to be home to a brewery scene that is steeped in rich history and tradition. Crazy right?
The Brewing Heritage Trail of Cincinnati, OH (http://brewingheritagetrail.org/tours) has several guided walking tours of significant breweries from beer barons long passed. As of this publication, there are 6 different walking tours and several options for private tours. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable, and the underground beer cellars they have access to are extremely interesting. This tour is certainly worth your time (even if it cuts into your beer drinking). Be sure to check groupon out first, because we were able to snag a significant discount when we went.
Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. (Cincinnati, OH)
The Brewing Heritage Trail tour begins and ends at the historic Christian Moerlein Brewing Company; a 161 year old brewery. The tap room has a very unique feel, and no photo will quite do the place justice.
Considering we were in such a historic brewery (by US standards) we had to partake in the Original Lager – a brew developed in the 1860’s by Germans who immigrated to America. It was a traditional Vienna Lager, so don’t grab it expecting a whole lot from it. The Mexican Lime Lager on the other hand wasn’t very traditional. The lime bite to the light lager made this one of the more refreshing beers you could have; especially after the walking tour.
Last up, and our favorite of the Brewery was the FC Cincinnati Blood Orange IPA. This white wheat IPA was blasted with Cascade and Citra, and blood orange puree. This beer honors the recently founded FC Cincinnati Soccer club. Not that we’re soccer fans… at all.
If you’re looking for a bite after the walking tour, queue up the Giant Pretzels, and the sausage board. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good sausage and Christian Moerlein did not disappoint. For the most part, this traditional brewery holds onto its roots, but also delivers some less-than-traditional brews for those of us seeking beer outside of the Reinheitsgebot. Christian Moerlein earns a solid 3 out of 5 Thuringian Rostbratwursts.
Rhinegeist Brewery (Cincinnati, OH)
One of the most famous breweries of Ohio, Rhinegeist Brewery is your must visit of Cincinnati. Named after the Over-the-Rhine district in Cincinnati, this full-tilt brewery offers nothing less than an impressive array of styles. Oh, did we mention they’re the only brewery we’ve ever been to with a freaking Brachiosaurus in it? Currently on loan from the Cincinnati Museum Center, Rhinegeists Brachiosaurus is an impressive sight but hurry because it’s only a temporary placement. Oh, and yes this brewery is large enough to house dinosaur.
The tap selection was stellar to say the least, but this packed house was so chaotic and busy that we opted for two pints instead of our traditional flight approach. Unfortunately, this limits our tasting but we had selected two of the most popular: Press Tart Berliner Weisse and Roar DIPA.
Press Tart was brewed in collaboration with 16-Bit Bar+Arcade (Walnut St. Cincinnati). This deep purple hue beer was enriched with blueberries and marionberries (blackberry) and was just tart enough to be a sour, and not be overly pungent. Roar DIPA is “Fed the top-of-the-food-chain hops of Amarillo, Mosaic and Citra, this Imperial IPA is King of the Jungle.” And honestly we’re not going to disagree. The average abv of 8% was a tad disappointing but the mango and grapefruit flavor was certainly mighty.
The taproom is a massive, Brachiosaurus sized warehouse with a scenic overview of the city from the roof and scenic overview of the brewhouse from the taproom. I can really only describe this place as a hipster paradise; massive cornhole competitions, shared picnic tables, 20-something taps and two of the best beers from the trip. Like I said up top, Rhinegeist Brewery is your must visit, 5 out of 5 brewery of Cincinnati.
