Long Live Lager, And Long Live Lagerfest!
Agree or disagree, you’re not going to sway how I feel about lager beer. When lager was developed in the 1400s it one of the single biggest developments that beer has ever seen. That development was only magnified when malt kilning got a technological bump with the introduction of pale malt… the world of beer was turned on it’s head and quite possibly the perfect beer style resulted from the advancements. Lager changed beer, and when it finally made its way over here to America and Cincinnati specifically, it changed this city, too.
Lagerfest is a celebration of those beers, and how they steered Cincinnati to where we are today – and I’m thrilled to see that it’s back.
While I should probably write a post at some point about the history of lager, that’s not the post for today. We have to talk about Lagerfest!
What Is Lagerfest?
For the second year in a row, Northern Row is throwing an event that celebrates lager’s role not just in building Cincinnati, but to the foundation of beer drinking even in today’s modern world of IPAs and Milkshake sours.
The brewery is putting together an event that brings together tours of the city’s historic lagering tunnels, their own tap list of excellent lager beer, and a great collection of lagers from their friends around the city, too.
The event kicks off this coming Saturday (July 8th) from noon until 6 pm. You’re welcome to keep hanging out later than that, though, and keep sipping on great lager beer. Speaking of great lager beer, there will be plenty of that, too!
What To Drink…
Not only will Northern Row be pouring a bunch of their own great lagers. They’ll have stuff from a lot of your favorite lager producers on tap, as well. You’ll be able to find their collaboration with Nine Giant, a dry-hopped lager called ‘Busker’ in cans and on draft. There will be lagers of every style imaginable from the folks at:
- Rhinegeist
- 16 Lots
- West Side
- Narrow Path
- Christian Moerlein
- HighGrain
- Esoteric
- Sonder
Ticket Details
There are two different tickets available, a general admission ticket and a tour ticket. Both of them include a tasting glass, 8 five-ounce taster tickets, two half-pint tickets, and LK’s bratwurst made with Northern Row’s Amber Lager. The tour ticket adds a guided tour of the nearby historic lagering tunnels.
The tickets are $30 and $55 respectively, and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Why You Should Care
Even if you aren’t someone who currently classifies yourself as a lager nut in the same way that I do, there are a lot of really special reasons to love the family of styles. From a historical perspective, lager beer built this city, and it becomes very clear when you start taking some of these tours that the Brewing Heritage Trail and American Legacy Tours put on. Just under our feet is a beautiful representation of what this city looked like when beer was king of OTR.
As our beer scene keeps growing, and as craft beer keeps changing, the more we understand where we came from and what made us special, the more we can build, showcase and appreciate what will make us special in the future.
Lagerfest is much bigger than just a beer festival. It’s honoring the past while we celebrate the joy of drinking beer with friends, today.