We will be in Cincinnati next weekend, and just saw the Cincy beerfest will be going on. Has anyone gone in the past? Is this worth checking out since we will be staying in the downtown area? Thanks!
It's pretty cool, but definitely not the greatest. If you're already staying downtown, I'd do it. Tons of shelf beers, but also a nice smattering of gems, especially from the local brewers. If you're gonna do it, get the VIP tickets: you get access to about two dozen beers not available to the rest of the festival-goers (usually mostly one-offs and barrel-aged beers). It is in a very nice setting right on Fountain Square (THE city center) as well as on an adjacent street (5th) which is shut down for the event. (edit)Here's the beer list: http://www.cincybeerfest.com/beer-list/
Yea this is good info, i have gone for the last 5 years because its a pretty good time, and you can cherry pick the list for limited/specialty and barrel aged kegs to make the tickets worth it. I would advise to have a drinking plan, get there early, drink the stuff you really want first, as it gets pretty crowded later on (this is same for most beerfests). Overall id say its worth checking out - tons of good beer and plenty of local stuff also
If you can go on Friday, I would recommend it. It should give you the option to try a lot of local Cincy beers, especially some of the rarer stuff. I have gone to every Beerfest they put on. The Winter is usually a little better, but this one is a good time. I will be missing this one for the first time as I'll be out of town.
