The mindless allure of “any old beer festival” is gone. Craft beer has changed, and craft beer drinking has changed. Don’t get me wrong, when we first started planning Beer, Booze and Bonks we understood that there is still a market and way to make a crappy beer festival profitable and maybe even popular. We still see it. But they lack soul. They lack personality. They aren’t really all that fun. We wanted to do something different. We wanted our beer festival to be something that was worthy of a beer city like Cincinnati.
Skip The Details – Get Your Tickets Here!
How The World Has Changed
Craft beer keeps growing and evolving, and it’s a good thing. While we “mature” as drinkers, and as the community that we love matures, too – the events around it have to do the same.
It used to be that a beer festival was a simple thing. You could invite as many breweries as possible, cram them into a room and have them pour whatever beer you could get your hands on. It was exciting as a drinker just to find new breweries… try their beers. You didn’t get a chance to see this many great beers on tap at the sample place.
We’re over that.
You can get a killer tap lineup at the gas station down the street. Craft beer is on tap at every chain restaurant. Beer festivals need to change, too.
Beer, Booze, and Bonks Is Different
It’s been a really incredible journey working with the folks over at the Fowling Warehouse. They got it from the very start of our relationship. Sure… they wanted to throw a great festival – but they knew that it had to mean something. This festival had to be different than what folks had seen before.
Sure… there’s a bit of a gimmick. You can fowl while you hang out and drink (more on that, over on YouTube soon). But the actual core personality of the festival itself is different. This festival is invite only. At any given moment it showcases what I think is the perfect representation of Cincinnati Beer – and beyond that – every beer that is on tap is hand-selected by me. I’m not going to get talked into some beer that I’ve never tried before. It’s never been done here in Cincy like this – and I’m proud to be a part of it, again this year.
The Details
Here’s what you need to know. The event is taking place on 11/19. There are two separate sessions that you can choose from, one from 1-5 pm and one from 7-11 pm. Both of these sessions will get you access to more than 40 curated beers from over 20 of the breweries that I think you NEED to be paying attention to right now.
During the festival you can Fowl for free… the lanes are open and you can give this goofy, fun, sport a try with your friends.
Also, to note. The folks volunteering at the event to pour your beers are from Big Brother’s Big Sisters and will not only be donating their time, but they’ll also be accepting tips as a donation. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the organization, too.
The details are as follows:
Individual Tickets are $39.99 and you get:
- 20 tastes of the beers you should be trying right now.
- 1 Mystery Beer Machine Ticket (learn more about that here)
- Access to open-play Fowling lanes
VIP Table/Lane Packages are $499.90 and include:
- 10 tickets (get your friends together)
- 30-minute early access to snag the best beers before anyone else.
- 20 beer samples
- 1 Mystery Beer Machine Ticket (learn more about that here)
- A private Fowling lane for the whole session.
The Beer List
Things are lining up really, really great! As I finalize all the stuff that we’ll be pouring – I’ll keep it updated here!
- 16 Lots – Surveyor Series #1 – Coconut Lavender Marshmallow Milkshake IPA
- Alexandria Brewing Company – Stolz Pilsner
- Alexandria Brewing Company – Alexandriafest Marzen
- Alexandria Brewing Company – Pineapple Guava IPA
- Astra – Crush, Seltzer
- Astra – Blast, Seltzer
- Braxton – 2019 Molé Dark Charge
- Cartridge Brewing Company – Decoy, Dunkelweizen
- Cincinnati Distilling – Handcrafted Cocktail (Stay Tuned…)
- Cincinnati Distilling – Camp Dennison Bourbon
- Darkenss – Ike Ike Baby, Maple Brown Ale
- DogBerry – Husky, Robust Porter
- Fibonacci Brewing Company – Ida, Berliner w/ Blackberries
- Fibonacci Brewing Company – Linalool, Belgian Witbier
- Fifty West – Deja Moo, Coconut & Vanilla Milk Stout
- Fifty West – Mocha And Motors Imperial Stout
- Fifty West – Experimental West Coast IPA
- Fretboard – Bananas Foster Fugee
- Fretboard – Vlad
- Fretboard – Drummer Boy
- HighGrain – Petite Pas, Sauvin Hopped Saison
- March First – Bourbon Barrel-Aged Black Forest Stout
- Municipal Brew Works – Rhiele Raspberry Blonde
- Municipal Brew Works – True West Coffee Stout
- Municipal Brew Works – IGY6 (I got your six), Citra Hopped Golden Ale
- Narrow Path – Christmas Cookie Ale
- Nine Giant – Fashion Is Danger, Black Rye IPA
- Nine Giant – Thorn Within, Maple Barrel Aged Imperial Brown Ale
- Nine Giant – In Flux, Oak Aged Lager
- Paradise – Gaivs Plinivs Secvondvs – Double IPA
- Rhinegeist – Antelope, Amber Lager
- Rhinegeist – Geist Tea
- Rhinegeist – Infinite Dawn, Sour Blonde Ale
- Sonder – 1948 Fruit Stand
- Swine City – Good Enough For Me, Oatmeal Raisin Amber Ale
- Streetside – Black Is Beautiful, Imperial Stout w/ Macadamia & Coconut Coffee
- Streetside – Danky McDankerson, Double New England IPA
- Streetside – Caramel Jungle Gets Pied, Berry Pie Berliner Weisse w/ Caramel
- Third Eye Brewing Company – Space Toast Continuum
- Third Eye Brewing Company – Dark Aura, PB Stout
- Third Eye Brewing Company – Untapped Potential Kolsch
- West Side – DIPA
- Wooden Cask – Galaxy Cold IPA