CINCINNATI -- Prost! There’s no end of options to toast to Cincinnati’s German heritage this weekend at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati as the party will feature more than 100 beers to try.
The party starts Friday afternoon in Downtown and runs along Fifth Street – including all the fun and frivolity at Fountain Square.
Samuel Adams founder and Cincinnati native Jim Koch will tap the ceremonial “first keg” at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Organizers at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce say they expect to serve more than 2,000 barrels of beer this year.
“That’s nearly four million fluid ounces and more than enough to fill a 20 by 40 foot backyard swimming pool,” Chamber Vice President of Programs and Downtown Council Patrick Sheeran said.
The event has also grown from offering 62 beers last year to 108 this year. The Chamber credited much of that growth to strong partnerships from brewers such as Sam Adams, Bell’s, Budweiser, Christian Moerlein, Great Lakes, Hudepohl, Rivertown, Warsteiner, West Sixth and more.
The event will also feature a “Brewer’s Alley” this year that has a focus on craft beer. The tent is on North Broadway and will have 40 craft and specialty beers. The Brewer’s Alley will only be open Saturday and Sunday.
Other tents and bier gartens that fans should look for are the: Blue Point Fest Tent, Christian Moerlein Glockenspiel & Bier Garten, Erdinger Fest Tent, Kentucky Ale Fest Tent, two Sam Adams Bier Gartens, the Weihenstephan Bier Garten and the Yuengling Fest Tent.
Click here to jump to the full list of beers.
Special Beers and Parties
There are more than just the main tents and marzens going on at the festival. Christian Moerlein is bringing back its popular Überdrome tent at Smale Park starting at 4 p.m. Friday.
Samuel Adams is bringing the funk to the party too. A rare tapping of the limited edition Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday.
KMF -- as it is known by beer fans -- is a Belgian ale aged in Hungarian oak casks for more than a year. The brewers ferment the beer with Brettanomyces and other wild yeasts as well as Lactobacillus.
The beer is described as “tart and funky, with notes of dark fruit, cocoa, cherry, vanilla and a delicate smooth sweetness.”
Courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce
The beer is hard to get outside of Sam Adams’ brewery in Boston.
Plus the Christian Moerlein Überdrome at Smale Park will have some fun new options this year. In addition to all the good German games and food, there will be a “Das Boot” happy hour with one-liter commemorative booths for $10 each.
Moerlein will debut its new “Das Uber Lager” at the Überdrome to boot. The Moerlein Lager House took a traditional German recipe and hopped it up with Citra and Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest.
The describe it as having a “malty rich flavor and amber glow are complimented with citrus and apricot aromas.” It weighs in at 5.3 percent ABV and 25 IBUs.
And if you need a break from downtown, there are a couple crafty options to consider.
Rhingeist in Over-the-Rhine is holding its third annual Franztoberfest from noon to midnight Saturday. It’s full of fun including live music, an inflatable joust and plenty of the Oktoberfest-style ale.
Lastly, Fifty West and WCPO Insider are hosting a groovy party out in Mariemont. The third annual Fifty Fest will feature 25 craft brewers, 11 bands and so much more.
Click here to see how you can get VIP access to the event.
All the Beer You Can Handle
Here it is straight from the source, your complete list of Oktoberfest beer, wines and more:
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SAM ADAMS
- Boston Lager
- Octoberfest
- Rebel IPA
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ANGRY ORCHARD
- Crisp
- Stone Dry
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BELL’S
- Octoberfest
- Two Hearted Ale
- Oberon Ale
- Amber Ale
- Best Brown Ale
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BLUE POINT
- Okotberfest
- Toasted Lager
- Blueberry Ale
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BUDWESIER
- Bud Light
- Budweiser
- Michelob Ultra
- Bud Light Lime
- Lime-A-Rita
- Straw-Ber-Rita
- Mang-O-Rita
- Apple-Ahhh-Rita
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CHRISTIAN MOERLEIN
- Helles
- Over the Rhine Ale
- Fifth and Vine Oktoberfest
- Altered Pale Ale
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ERDINGER
- Hefeweizen
- Oktoberfest
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GOOSE ISLAND
- Oktoberfest
- Autumn Ale
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GREAT LAKES
- Oktoberfest
- Burning River Pale Ale
- Commodore Perry IPA
- Dortmunder Gold
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HUDEPOHL
- Octoberfest
- PureLager
- Delight
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KENTUCKY ALE
- Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
- Kentucky Ale
- Kentucky White
- Kentucky IPA
- Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale
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LEINENKUGEL
- Oktoberfest
- Honey Weiss
- Harvest Patch Shandy
- Sunset Wheat
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RIVERTOWN
- Divergent
- Lil’ SIPA
- Roebling Porter
- Soulless
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SHOCK TOP
- Pumpkin
- STELLA ARTOIS
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TRAVELER
- Jack O Pumpkin Shandy
- Illusive Grapefruit Shandy
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WARSTEINER
- Dunkel
- Oktoberfest
- Pilsner
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WEIHENSTEPHANER
- Oktoberfestbier
- Original Premium
- Dunkle Weiss
- Vitus
- Hefe Weissbier
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WEST SIXTH
- Amber Ale
- IPA
- Lemongrass Wheat
- Cocoa
-
YUENGLING
- Lager
- Light
- Oktoberfest
OKTOBERFEST ZINZINNATI SPECIALTY DRINK MENU
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MIKE’S HARDER
- Blood Orange
- Black Cherry
- Lemonade
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TWISTED TEA
- Original
- Half & Half
OKTOBERFEST ZINZINNATI WINE MENU
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BAREFOOT WINE
- Refresh Crisp White
- Refresh Summer Red
- Chardonnay
- Moscato
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
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CHALKBOARD
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pinot Grigio
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ESCHER HAUS
- Riesling
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PINK ZEBRA
- Sparkling
