If you are from Cincinnati, or if you’ve spent any deal of time around here, you’ve heard it before. People say that we are a “Small, Big City”. Cincinnati lives up to it’s reputation when you can move around it’s many neighborhoods…feeling as much like you’re in a small town where people known your name as you feel Iike you’re in a vibrant city with an active nightlife when you’re out in some of it’s more “Trendy” areas. It’s the best of the both worlds, and something you won’t find in every city you might visit.
I write about what our city has going on with beer… You won’t find me tackling a lot of “national beer topics”. I can’t decide if this is more of a “national topic” or a “local beer topic” – and that’s sort of the entire point of it. This is a post about American Craft Beer Week…it’s a story about The Biggest Small Beer Ever, and it’s so relevant to our growing craft beer scene that even if none of our local breweries was participating, I think I would still have to give it a fair mention.
Before we tackle the Biggest Small Beer Ever, we need to talk about American Craft Beer Week, I think.
American Craft Beer Week
If you want to know all about American Craft Beer Week, you need to look at the Brewer’s Association. The Brewer’s Association is a national non-profit association that was formed on the behalf of craft breweries in the United States. Their role in craft beer today is massive, from lobbying and other things that big beer would use to smack around “little beer” to things that we can really pour into our glasses, like the American Craft Beer Week celebration itself.
The idea to turn what was beer month into a weeklong celebration happened back in 2006. Since that time, the weeks events and participation numbers have grown to a staggering size, with this year’s having events taking place and breweries participating from every one of the fifty states. If, like me, you’re planning on trying as much as you can during the week, take a look at these tips from Alcohol Professor and be super-savvy with your drinking. One week’s activities means that it’s more manageable, more focused and effective. It has now become the largest national effort focusing on American Caft Beer, and this year’s celebration looks to continue the upward trend!
Making Small Beer Big
How do you give small beer…craft beer… A big voice? How can you unite a community that’s very identity is it’s small, unique and independent nature? You make a big, small beer.
More than 100 breweries, in every one of the fifty states have teamed up with a single recipe, made with the same ingredients. The understanding that even with the same recipe…the same plan and the same idea, no beer can be exactly the same is what makes this whole thing brilliant.
It’s with this approach that American Craft Beer week has figured out a way to simultaneously tie us all together and celebrate the fact that we are all different. I freaking love it.
UPDATE: So, the word I originally received from the Brewer’s Association was that both Rhinegeist and Taft’s Ale House would have this beer on tap this week, and now that the week has kicked in to gear full time… I’m still not seeing it anywhere. I haven’t heard back from the ‘geist yet, but Taft’s wasn’t able to free up enough time in the brewing schedule for it. I’ll keep you updated as I hear more about it (if I hear more about it), but until then…if you want a big, dark beer… Taft’s may or may not be tapping a keg that they stashed away of their Old Wooden Tooth Imperial Stout from their anniversary party.
All across town you’ll see places also participating in the American Craft Beer Week Nationwide Toast. This event takes place at 8pm on Thursday May 19th. Small Brewers, Bigger Brewers, Craft Beer Lovers, Craft Beer Drinkers…we’ll all raise a glass together to unite in our love for this thing that continues to grow and evolve – Craft Beer.
You can find a list of participating venues at the craftbeer.com events page.
The recipe for the first BiggestSmallBeer comes from my oldest lifetime friend Paul. Here is the touching article about him and the story.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/05/american-craft-beer-week-paul-ogg-biggest-small-beer-ever
Here is an article about the recipe.
http://virginiacraftbrewers.org/post/BiggestSmallBeerEver-1-recipe-50-states.aspx
I will be pissed if Taft or Rhinegeist fails to make one.
It doesn’t look like you’re going to get it from Tafts, but Rhinegeist tapped it on Tuesday I believe.
The story of this beer and why it’s being done is fantastic. I won’t defend the lack of promotion that this has seen in Cincinnati, but I also can’t get pissed if a brewery couldn’t find last minute tank space to make it happen. I’m sadder that it was promoted that both breweries would be participating when one of them has said they told the BA that they wouldn’t be able to.
Tafts is a brewery full of wonderful people, much like every other brewery here in Cincinnati… They aren’t doing (or not doing) anything as a slight to Paul.
I totally understand. Actually, I don’t think any of the breweries were told the entire story. They didn’t want it to become a charity case or fund raising sort of thing. I think the truth has come out after the fact. And yeah, BA isn’t doing a perfect job either. Some of the other breweries they’ve listed have wrong information also.
I just called Rhinegeist and they told me it would go on tap tomorrow, Friday 5/20, and will be on tap until it runs out.