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The schedule for the 21st annual celebration of Bock beer has been released. If you're not familiar with Bockfest: it's essentially a big party for a very strong beer.
From the media release:
Beefsteak Club Dinner, Saturday, January 26, 6 p.m.
Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St.
In 1896, the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewery invited some of the most prominent Cincinnatians of the day to an elegant meal with beer pairings at their brewery. The annual get-together eventually became the Beefsteak Club. Today, the historic malt room in the new Christian Moerlein Brewery (1619 Moore Street) will be transformed into a private dinner club decorated with many of the original works of art associated with Bockfest. Artist Jim Effler will unveil the 21st Bockfest original oil painting, and Effler and other hosts will discuss the storied, inside history of twenty-one years of Bockfest. Guests will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the 19th-century lagering cellars under the brewery as well as the new Christian Moerlein production brewery. This is the only official fundraiser for Bockfest.
“Little Kings” Sausage Queen Finals: Saturday, March 2, 7-8:30 p.m., Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St.
In the weeks before Bockfest, six participating venues will have preliminary competition to pick their “Sausage Queen” representative for the finals. Judging will be done on the basis of personality, presence and talent. The Sausage Queen helps lead the Bockfest Parade the following year with a symbolic tray of Bockwurst sausage. The preliminary competition schedule is:
- Saturday, February 2, 9 p.m., Arnold’s Bar and Grill, downtown
- Thursday, February 7, 9 p.m., The Drinkery, Over-the-Rhine
- Saturday, February 9, 9 p.m., Neon’s, Over-the-Rhine
- Saturday, February 16, 9 p.m., Crazy Fox, Newport
- Thursday, February 21, 9 p.m., Washington Platform, downtown
- Saturday, February 23, 9 p.m., Milton’s, Prospect Hill
Bockfest Parade: Friday, March 1, 6 p.m.
The parade starts in front of Arnold’s Bar and Grill at 210 East Eighth Street in downtown Cincinnati and travels up Main Street to Bockfest Hall, ending with the blessing of the bock beer.
Local Bock Beer Celebration and Homebrew Competition: Saturday, March 2, Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St.
Registration opens February 1 for the bock homebrew competition. The Christian Moerlein Brewing company selects one entry from the Traditional Bock category to be used as the recipe for a special 2014 Bock release. Home brewers will be on hand to discuss home brewing, competition and bock beer and can demonstrate the process of home brewing.
Prohibition Resistance: The Beer Barons Bock Tour, March 2 & March 3, Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St.
Organized by the Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, the tours visit three pre-Prohibition brewing sites, including lagering sites and underground tunnels. Some of Cincinnati’s beer barons will be on the tours to discuss the importance of the Over-the-Rhine’s brewing heritage.
Tour tickets are $30 per person and include the 2.5-hour tour and a beer ticket redeemable at Bockfest Hall. Tickets are available via www.bockfest.com.
Bockfest Hall, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 1-3, 1619 Moore St.
Friday, March 1, 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Bockfest Hall is the center of the weekend’s activities, opening Friday, March 1 at 5 p.m. to prepare for the Bockfest Parade arrival. The Hall is the Moerlein Event Hall in the new home of the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, located in the pre-Prohibition Kauffman Brewery. Throughout the weekend the hall will have live music, bock beer and food, along with the brewing competition, historic steins and breweriana exhibits, and authors of brewery and beer-related books. Bockfest Hall also will be the site of the finals of the Sausage Queen competition and the crowning of Bockfest Royalty 2013 on Saturday night. It also is the starting point for the Prohibition Resistance Tours.
Continental Sunday, Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St.
Continental Sunday is family-friendly entertainment that celebrates Sundays in the Over-the-Rhine in the 1800s. The day features authentic German entertainment provided by participating German-American societies, along with German food and beer specials.
Bockfest Free Shuttle Service, Friday, March 1, 7 p.m.-1 a.m., Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m.-1 a.m., Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Free shuttles will be running on a 20 to 30 minute loop during the day and on a 15-20 minute loop during the evenings between Bockfest event venues. Shuttles will not run during the parade on Friday because of street closures. Link to the Parking and Shuttle map: www.bockfest.com.
