There aren’t many food items, save for maybe Skyline Chili that are as Cincinnati as Goetta is. In short… goetta is a meat and grain sausage, of German inspiration that is popular here in Cincy. This Queen City staple has so many diehard fans here in town that it even has it’s own festival, called Goettafest.
That’s sort of where we’re going with all of this. From Goettafest to a pub crawl to Christian Moerlein’s new Goetta beer… hang in there for a minute.
Goettafest, Goetta Pub Crawl
Before we dig into the beer, let’a just talk for a second about how it all came about.
Like I mentioned, each Summer along the Newport riverfront they celebrate Goettafest, presented by Glier’s – who produces hands down the best Goetta in town. The festival, which runs over two weekends July 25th-28th and August 1st-4th is something to behold. It’s a festival born to celebrate not just Goetta itself, but to stories, recipes, and fans that have come about around goetta. It’s like a family reunion as much as it is a festival. It’s been happening since 2001 and has only grown to mythical proportions in that time.
To only make things crazier, the city of Cincinnati is dedicating a Wednesday before the festival to a new event that they have dubbed the Glier’s Goetta Pub Crawl. It runs from 6-10pm, and sounds exactly like something a beer loving, goetta eating nutjob like me would be into. It hits 6 different stops along the Banks, with drink specials and Goetta treats that will be created by the chef at each location. After checking in at the Glier’s Mobile kitchen to get your wristband you’ll get a punch on your menu at each stop, ad upon finishing you get a free t-shirt and entered in to win a cooler stocked full of Goetta goodies. With all proceeds from the crawl going to the Dragonfly Foundation – it’s hard for me to think of a good reason not to go!
And then… there’s that beer I mentioned.
Christian Moerlein’s Goetta Lager
Always willing to take the reins in representing the German heritage of Cincinnati in the best way that they can, Christian Moerlein is brewing up a Goetta inspired lager for this year’s event. It’s made with smoked malt, sea salt, black peppercorn and oats from Glier’s to give it that authentic taste that you already love.
The beer will be on draft all around the Goetta Pub crawl and Goettafest, but… rumor has it that we’re going to see this hitting packaging too with some 12oz six packs of cans making their way around town to your favorite bottle shops and bars. The official description for the beer reads as follows:
Goetta, pronounced “Get-Uh”, is a Cincinnati German-American breakfast sausage indigenous to the region. A sizzling skillet of Goetta always awakens fond memories of family traditions. This Cincinnati favorite is now paired with Christian Moerlein to celebrate all things Goetta and brings the essence of what makes Goetta so delicious. This smooth golden lager features a touch of smoked malt, sea salt, black peppercorn and oats provided by Glier’s greater Cincinnati’s and the worlds largest Goetta producer. See you at Glier’s Goettafest.
At 4.8%, this beer sounds like it will do a great job at satisfying that Goetta itch while still being light and drinkable for the hot days that we’ve got ahead of us here in Cincinnati. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know what you think of it once you get your chance to try this beer!
