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Punch You in the EyePA beer packs a wallop — and so will local brewers at Fifty West Punch Out

Boxing event celebrates double IPA 4-packs
Posted at 10:00 AM, Jun 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-27 10:00:08-04

CINCINNATI -- Fifty West will soon start selling four-packs of its Punch You in the EyePA double IPA, and it's hosting a special event to celebrate.

Punch Out, which will feature five boxing matches between employees of local breweries, guest taps and food trucks, will take place from 4-11 p.m. July 9 at the Production Works. 

It will be the first time Fifty West has packaged its beer other than for a special release.

“This beer means a lot to me — not only do I think the dank and tropical flavors are delicious, but it also reminds me what we do for a living,” said founding partner and brewmaster Blake Horsburgh. “We make great beer. For our customers, friends and family to be able to take it home now, in a four-pack, man, that's the ticket.”

Initially, the beer will be available only at the Production Works.

“In the future, I wouldn’t rule out being in the market, at specialty bottle shops,” said Tommy Hemmer, director of marketing and communications at Fifty West. “We only have so much product we can put out, and we want to keep it in-house and special. It plays up to the brand.”

A live DJ will play entrance songs for the boxers and spin between the fights. Two food trucks, Cuban Pete’s and Quite Frankly, Pizzelii’s pizzeria and the grill at Production Works also will provide food.

“You should see all the major local players with craft beer,” Hemmer said. “We want to appeal to the widest possible audience to get good grub, awesome brews and stellar fights.”

To host the matches, some of the volleyball nets and boundary netting will be removed from the sand volleyball courts, and temporary stands will be constructed. Hemmer said there will be seating for 1,500 people, with room for another 500 or so to stand or walk around.

A boxing ring will be set up on Fifty West's sand volleyball courts. Some of the volleyball nets and boundary netting will be removed from the courts, and temporary stands will be constructed to seat 1,500 people. There will also be room for another 500 or so to stand or walk around.

The event came about partially from a desire to do something different than a standard bottle release.

“This is just a fun way to put on a different festival and bottle release,” Hemmer said. “We haven’t seen it in this city or in the beer community in general.”

Each fight will last three rounds. The boxers have trained for the past month at Punch House in North Avondale, with Danny Calhoun. Punch House will provide amateur boxing gloves and headgear for the boxers, and Calhoun also will serve as head referee.

“Cincinnati’s heritage used to be about boxing and brewing, and we are trying bring back that rich history. This is bigger than just our brewery; it’s about bringing together our city in a fun and exciting way,” said founding partner and director of operations, Bobby Slattery, who will box during the event.

Participants include: Slattery and Mike Jones (assistant chef) from Fifty West; Kiri Crawford (bar manager) and Logan Hueit (director of sales) from Taft’s Ale House; Chris Neumann (brewer) from Fibonacci; Chris Dauer (warehouse) from Rhinegeist; Tony Harrel, co-owner of Mash Cult; Kyle Moore (brewery engineer) from MadTree; Sean Smith (head brewer) from Bad Tom Smith; and Karenna Brockman (tap room manager) from Listermann.

There will also be guest judges for the event.

“People will be really surprised who we get,” said Hemmer. “We’re hoping this goes really, really well, so we’ll be able to make it an annual event.”

Punch Out

4 p.m. July 9

Fifty West Production Works, 7605 Wooster Pike

Tickets: $15 presale, $20 day of. They can be purchased at both Fifty West locations, as well as online at cincyticket.com/punchout.