We talked about this what I want to say was last year, but I fully recognize has been two years. Time flies when you’re locked away from each other, right? 2021 is proving to bring some positivity with it as folks start returning to the world outside their bubbles, which means that it’s finally time for Cincinnati to start celebrating Missing Linck in the way it was intended.

That’s right – today starts the official kick off of the 2021 Missing Linck festival that was dreamed up by the yeast archeologist nerds over at Urban Artifact.

What’s Missing Linck and Why Are We Celebrating?

Back in 2017, the folks down at North Side’s Urban Artifact discovered viable yeast cells (That’s something that they do… walk around looking for cool yeast) down in one of Cincinnati’s historic brewing tunnels. It just so happened that this tunnel they were in (from the Linck brewing company) has one of the only intact brewing structures from that era on it. It also just so happens that this was where the yeast cell was discovered… on the brewing vessel.

This yeast is a link between the past and the present of brewing here in Cincinnati. It’s nerdy, it’s fun, it’s exactly what this city needs to throw a party around!

In 2018 the brewery brewed up a test batch of beer with the yeast that they had propagated up. It worked, it was tasty, and in 2019, after brewing up and canning another fantastic beer dubbed “Missing Linck” the brewery announced that they wanted to have a party to celebrate – the city announced that June 1st would be known as Missing Linck day… and the rest is history.

The Celebration

The idea can’t get easier. Urban Artifact has made the yeast available to anyone who wants to use it. In fact, they invite anyone to use it and celebrate. They want the imaginations of the brewing teams around town to run wild with this idea, make different beers that all use the same yeast strain, and just be beer geeks for a weekend.

As 2021 has kicked into gear this summer – Missing Linck festival comes with it, albeit looking slightly different than I’m sure it will in years to come. Breweries all across town have brewed their own versions, which will be on tap at their respective places from today until next week (I’ll have more info on each of the beers and where you can get them in just a second…)

We need a festival like this – we go right form Octoberfest into Bockfest and then have to wait a LONG time to celebrate together again in the same fashion. This gives us that chance in June… perfectly positioned between the two. It’s a festival that is born of Cincinnati. It’s geeky, it’s local… it’s so perfect.

The Beers

While the main festival celebration kicks off on Saturday, June 5th – there is plenty to do starting today (Friday the fourth) so we need to dig into each of these beers and where you can get them all:

• Urban Artifact – Obviously, they found this yeast, and created this festival – you know they are going to make a beer. This year’s batch of Missing Linck is a “Cincinnati Saison” featuring strawberry and passion fruit. They brewed it up in true “farmhouse fashion” which allows all the spice and peppery esters of the yeast to shine brightly. They’re tapping their version (along with all the other breweries versions, too) on Saturday, 6/5 starting at noon when they open their doors.
• Bircus – Bircus is brewing (and canning) up their version of Missing Linck which will be tapped on Friday, 6/4. They brewed up a Flemish-style Red Sour ale using the yeast, which pulls out a complex funkiness.
• Knox Joseph – Here’s a fun one. Knox Joseph isn’t open yet, and won’t be until the fall at least – but they brewed up a special beer just to celebrate a little bit. The beer is called Missing Drink-A-Linck which is a Belgian Trappist style beer. They’re tapping the beer in their alleyway between 5-6pm on Friday, 6/4 with a limited amount being available at Urban on Saturday.
• Fibonacci – Fibonacci brewed up a beer they call “Open Source” which pitches Missing Linck alongside a lager yeast to produce a California Common style beer which uses fresh blueberries for a refreshing summertime brew perfect for the beer garden. They won’t be tapping their beer until next week – on Friday, 6/11 at 3pm.
• Humble Monk – Humble Monk couldn’t resist getting in on the fun with their neighbors in Northside. They made their version of the beer, called Goldi Lincks – which is a session ale with subtle citrus and spice coming from the yeast. You can find this one on tap Saturday, 6/5 in their taproom.
• West Side – West side is making their ‘Cincinnati Historical Ale’ which is a homegrown version of a Belgian Blonde that lets the peppery spice and funk of this yeast come right through. Make sure you hit up their taproom on Friday, 6/4 to get your first taste of this one (which will also hit cans).
• Wooden Cask – This one is really fun – called Highlanderthal, it’s a take on one of their classic Scottish Ales but uses Missing Linck to kick it into a new realm. The beer will be tapped on Friday, June 4 and sounds like it’s going to be an absolute gem of a beer.

Go. Celebrate. Safely.

We’re all eager to get out an have a beer together. And while 2021’s Missing Linck festival might not be as much of a blow-out raging party as we all want it to be, it’s one of the first chances that a lot of us will get out to start a return to some form of normalcy. Get out and have a beer. Try something new. Grab a seat and talk to a stranger about how crazy this whole thing is… pandemics, historical yeasts that shouldn’t have survived, parties that invite community camaraderie instead of competition. The world is strange, fun and exciting.

If you want to know more about Missing Linck there are tons of resources for you. Like I mentioned in the top of the article, we did a show back in 2019 talking about it. You can read my thoughts on the Urban Artifact beer from 2019, too. For a little more in-depth history and guidance for the festival this year, there’s even a dedicated website for it. Go there too.