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Tenth Annual Cincinnati Beerfest features 500 craft beers, food vendors, and live music, has roots in NKy


NKyTribune staff

The Cincinnati Beerfest – a two-day celebration of craft beer – will celebrate its tenth anniversary when it returns to the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati for a two day event, beginning Friday, Feb. 17.

A crowd of more than 17,000 attended the 2016 Cincy Beerfest (provided photos)

Breweries, beer enthusiasts, and fun seekers will gather for the region’s biggest winter beer festival and one of the Top Five Largest Beer Festivals in the Nation, to sample more than 500 fresh craft beers of all styles and tastes from more than 150 different local and national breweries. Sierra Nevada Brewing, MadTree Brewing Company, Rock Bottom Brewery, The Party Source, and Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell are the presenting sponsors of the Beerfest.

The beer festival will be held in three sessions this year: on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night.

The night sessions will have regular admission at 7:30 p.m. and early admission at 6:30 p.m. The Saturday afternoon session will have regular admission at 1 p.m. and early admission at 12 noon. The evening sessions will end at 11 p.m. and the afternoon session will end at 4:30 p.m.

Attendees can also upgrade to the Connoisseur’s Reception Ticket to enjoy exclusive beers and incredible bites from renown local restaurants. For tickets, visit www.cincybeerfest.com.

This year, the main floor of the Convention Center will feature a number of local restaurants and food trucks. Restaurants serving the main floor include Taft’s Ale House; Brew City Sausage; Rock Bottom Brewery; Keystone Bar and Grill; and 50 West Brewing. Food trucks serving the festival include Packhouse Meats; Umami Bites; Cuban Pete; Texas Joe; Baron Von Schwein; and Kabobski.

The Connoisseur Reception also will feature food from Hotel Covington, Taft’s Ale House, 50 West Brewing, The Gruff, Brew City Sausage, Pizzeria Locale, Wunderbar, Amerasia, Molly Malone’s, Keystone Bar and Grill, and Brew River. Party band The Lava Game will provide live music and other fun attractions will include a Silent Disco and unique commercial vendors.

Whiskermen Grooming Company will host the Cincinnati Beerfest Beard and Mustache Competition on the main stage at 8 p.m. Saturday. Competitors will vie for the honor of having the best beards and mustaches in Cincinnati. In addition, a special BEER’d competition will be held for brewery employees only. While no entry fee is required, competitors must have an entry ticket for Saturday night to participate in the contest and must register at the Whiskermen booth prior to 8 p.m. Awards will given for first, second, and third place in each category.

The festival takes place in Cincinnati, but has its roots in Northern Kentucky.

Matt King, left and Craig Johnson, turned their love for craft beer into the Cincy Beerfest, which drew 17,000 people last year. Their company, Festivals Unlimited, has grown to include14 festivals in three states with more than 100,000 attendees

Ten years ago, two guys with Northern Kentucky ties – Craig Johnson and Matt King – decided to pursue their passion for craft beer by holding their first craft beer party, which brought 700 people to the 6,000-square-foot ballroom at the Radisson Hotel in Covington in 2007.

Johnson, who lives in Covington, had operated a couple of local pubs in Covington before starting Festivals Unlimited with King, who went to Northern Kentucky University. Other at the company with Northern Kentucky connections are Tori Meeker, the company’s event manager who lives in Fort Thomas, and Sara Palko, the company office manager who lives in Independence. Palko formerly worked as the general manager for Cork & Bottle in Crescent Springs.

Since their first beer festival in Covington 10 years ago, Festivals Unlimited has grown to include14 festivals in three states with more than 100,000 attendees at large concert venues or convention centers in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Florida and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania,

Last year, the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh winter beer festivals each had 17,000 attendees, which placed both of them the Top 5 Largest Craft Beer Festivals in the nation.

Proceeds from the Cincinnati festival will go to support the Big Joe Duskin Music Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, which is dedicated to supporting the music programs in public schools across the region. For more information about the Big Joe Duskin Foundation, visit www.BigJoeDuskin.org.

Cincy Beerfest has raised more than $181,000 for the Foundation to date and its donations to the Foundation will surpass $200,000 after this year’s Beerfest.

We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Beerfest in Cincinnati, a great beer city where it all began,” said Johnson. “This year’s festival in Cincinnati will be our largest festival ever, with more than 500 different craft beers from more than 150 different breweries. It’s not only the best party of the Winter, but it’s also a great way to support local and national craft brewers as well as the music programs funded by the Big Joe Duskin Music Foundation.”

Last year, Festivals Unlimited was recognized on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company List in the first year it applied for consideration. . The company now has seven full-time and 12 pat-time employees and generated $4.3 million in revenue in 2016.


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