It’s a long time in the making, the Cincinnati Brewing Heritage Trail.  If you’re “out of the loop” and aren’t really sure what I’m talking about, I encourage you to read a little more about the trail before we dig in to this.

I’ll wait.

Ok, so now that we’re on the same page as to what the trail actually is – we can talk about how you can help, and why you might want to help.

How You Can Help.

The trail is really close to completing the first phase of construction this year.  They’ve already received a ton of support from the city of Cincinnati, the state of Ohio, large and small foundations and a ton of individual donors and volunteers, but need just a little final push to get them over the finish line.  They are turning to beer fans here in Cincinnati for help getting that final push with an Indie GoGo campaign looking to raise $20,000 dollars.

Not only is donating to the cause (there’s some good rewards if you do…) helpful, but just spreading the word to all your fellow beer geek friends helps them with their goal too.

Why Should You Help?

We’ve all spent a lot of time talking about how Cincinnati was a beer city, and still is a beer city, just a little underappreciated as such.  There are always a lot of conversations about how we can reestablish ourselves as one of the premiere beer cities in the US, and how our current breweries are a big part of that puzzle.  There are other pieces too.   Beer tourism requires a lot more than just good beer being made in a city, and I believe that this trail will do a lot to fill some of those holes in our current beer tourism draws, while also providing a unique and educational experience for a lot of us who live in town.

So, the big ‘why’ is to help build something.  Help lift this city into a new level, and build a base upon which breweries can draw people from other cities… other states… other countries in.

The Brewing Heritage trail has the ability to tell not just Cincinnati’s story, but the very story of modern America through the lens of beer, and who wouldn’t want to help be a part of that?

You’re not just throwing money at a project, though… you do get some swag in return – some really good swag too.  They’ve got the typical t-shirts, hoodies, hats and growlers, but there are also some reward levels that include really sweet behind the scenes tours of not just historical brewing spaces, but the modern Sam Adams brewery on Central Parkway too.  As you get up there in donation levels, there’s even some opportunities to get your name emblazoned on a bronze trail marker too.

I think it’s important to look at the bigger picture of what we’re trying to do in this city – it’s not always just about chasing down whatever the latest beer release is.  You can help build something that forms the foundations for a real shift in where we stand in the overall picture of US Craft Beer.

If you want to donate, or even if you want to shoot a link out to all your friends and family – you can head over to the Indie GoGo page and do just that.  There’s also a ton more information about the trail and what they’re looking to accomplish it that you can dig your brain into if you want more.