It seems that more and more I get to talk about Christian Moerlein and Kings Island in the same breath.  The park made me personally very happy when back in 2013 they kicked off a new dedication to craft beer when they partnered up with the Cincinnati Brewery to renovate the old Oktoberfest Bier Garden into the new Christian Moerlein Beer Garden.

They didn’t stop there though.  In 2015, they really kicked things up a notch, when not only did they add the 2 day Banshee Brew Festival, but they debuted 3 new park only beers that were brewed by a local brewery that they “had a relationship with”.  These three beers were available all season, and only in certain areas of the park.

2016 though… They are in no way letting up.  I talked a little bit last week about the Banshee Brewfest again, the first weekend of the festival is already over, and the second weekend (Yes, they added on 2 more days for this year’s event) takes place this coming weekend.  But they’ve also teamed up with Christian Moerlein again to offer something pretty fantastic – a Kings Island exclusive Pilsner.

Inversion

Meet Kings Island’s baby for 2016 – Inversion.  The brewery says that the beer is light bodied, with a touch of lemon and light hoppy flavors.  The beer is a result of a serious collaboration between VP of Brewing at Moerlein, Eric Baumann, and Kings Islands Executive Chef, Nathan Gushulak.  The duo sat down and put their heads together to craft a beer, not that went with a particular food, but one that went together with a particular experience.

The label might express it pretty well:

Just in time for summer, Kings Island & Christian Moerlein are taking your taste buds on a ride and crafting a new way to enjoy the park.  Our new KI Inversion Pils is a light bodied brew that starts with a citrus aroma, peaks with a crisp clean taste and an unexpected light hop finish.  Wherever you are, enjoy a KI inversion to relive that after-ride feeling.

It’s a beer that pairs with summer time, sunshine, the screams from riders across the park, the warm heat drifting off the pavement, and that smell that only comes from a wooden roller coaster track.

It might sound a little bit hokey, and I can’t tell you how close they have come to hitting the mark in a beer that pairs “with Kings Island”, but in my mind it sounds perfect right now.  I have such strong memories of this park, and I look forward to finding a beer that captures all those memories in a glass.

Why Do They Work So Well Together?

What is it about these two companies that just makes the collaborating seem so…right?  I think it’s something more than the fact that they just so happen to be located around the same Midwestern City of Cincinnati.  Both of them are tied into our past, our present and our future so very tightly that we can often lose sight of how special that really is.

If you’re from Cincinnati, there are few things that will immediately bring you back to your childhood the way that thinking of those summer days at Kings Island will.  I can remember first dates… Meeting lifelong friends… Tackling fears… Funnel Cakes…. Oh so many funnel cakes.  It’s all part of my past.  In this same way Christian Moerlein is a crucial part of Cincinati’s beer past.  They are one of the few heritage brands in the country that really makes sense in how they exist in today’s modern craft world.

And the future.  Both brands are evolving.  Much like the Kings Island of today is remaining on the cutting edge, Christian Moerlein keeps pushing the envelope in their beer to keep themselves right at the front of craft brewing.

Why do they work well together?  Because they are cut from the same cloth I imagine.

So when you go to Kings Island this year, crack open a cold one… And raise your glass to everything that was, is and will be…. Not only with Kings Island and Christian Moerlein… But to all those things that we take for granted… Be Gnarly, Be Nostalgic.