Lots of pre-Bockfest stuff going on Thursday & Friday and then next Tuesday...
http://www.bockfest.com/ Poster Signing Happy Hour
Thursday, February 11, 2010 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM
Mr Pitiful's, 1323 Main Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
The original oil painting used to produce the 2010 Bockfest print will be unveiled at the Bockfest Print Release party, and prints will be made available to the public. Artist Jim Effler will be present to sign copies between 6:00PM and 8:00PM. The Bockfest Print Release party will also provide a pre-Bockfest opportunity to sample Moerlein's Emancipator Doppelbock. Free hors d'oeuvres will be provided by Mr. Pitiful's. Admission is free.
Bockfest Blow
Friday, February 12, 2010 from 6:30PM to 9:00PM
River City Works, 532 East 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Every year since 2006, the Art Academy's River City Works glass campus creates a goat-inspired, hand-blown stein to honor Bockfest. The stein is created at the Bockfest Blow, under the direction of glass artist Warren Trefz. Free hors d'oeuvres provided by Arnold's Bar & Grill, while they last. Admission is free.
"Little Kings" Sausage Queen Preliminary Round
Friday, February 12, 2010 from 9:00PM to 11:00PM
The Comet, 4579 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
The Bockfest Parade includes the "Sausage Queen" -- Bockfest royalty who carries a ceremonial tray of bockwurst sausage. The Queen is crowned during Bockfest after a series of four, pre-Bockfest preliminary pageant rounds. Sausage Queen 2009 will carry the tray of bockwurst in this year's parade, accompanied by a court of contestants. On Saturday, March 7, 2010, at 8PM, at Bockfest Hall, Sausage Queen 2010 will be selected in a gender-neutral competition.
A panel of "expert" judges (i.e. easily bribed) will determine the best applicant based on the following criteria:
1. Personality: Good traits will include a love of bock beer, a sense of humor, and a taste for meat. The personality round will involve a series of questions posed to the contestants by the judges.
2. Presence: The contestant must look good carrying a sausage and have diva tendencies. The presence round will involve a very short catwalk turn while sporting a string of bockwurst.
3. Talent: Whatever "talent" you think a Sausage Queen should possess is good enough for us.
Admission is free.
VIP Brewery Tour and Five-Course Wild Game Dinner
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 from 5:30PM to 9:00PM
Arnold's Bar and Grill, 210 East 8th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Join us as we celebrate Cincinnati's rich brewing heritage with a special VIP brewery tour and 5-course wild game dinner.
We'll start the tour at Arnold's, where buses will take us to the former Kauffman Brewery, where we'll hear about Cincinnati's beer barons and explore the massive subterranean lagering cellars under the building. A brief walk will take us to the former Crown Brewery (also known as the Schmidt Brothers Brewery). Here we'll learn how Prohibition closed most of the Cincinnati breweries and dealt a devastating blow to Over-the-Rhine. This tour will include a visit to the recently rediscovered and reopened lagering cellars and tunnel underneath McMicken Avenue, which have been sealed off for 50 years and never before opened to the public.
We'll hop back on the bus to return to Arnold's where owner Ronda Androski and her staff will present a five-course wild game dinner, including appetizers. During each course of wild game, each paired with a different beer, there will be a guest speaker talking about beer and Over-the-Rhine. Guest speakers will be Bret Androski (Arnold's history buff), Jim Tarbell (the man that knows more about Cincinnati than anyone), Greg Hardman (Owner of Christian Moerlein), Mike Morgan (Director of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation) and Steve Hampton (President of the Brewery District CURC).
Dinner info: 5 course wild game menu including beer pairings
Appetizers: Assorted Crustini's of Camel Sausage and Wild Mushroom Ragout
Soup: Spicy Pearl Barley Soup with Roasted Rabbit
Salad: Wild Field Greens with Smoked Duck Breast and candied ginger with Pistachio dressing
Entrée: Lamb Osso Bucco Served on a Bed of White Beans and Grits
Dessert: White Chocolate Wild Berry Bread Pudding with Bock infused Caramel Sauce
The event is from 5:30PM until 9:00PM on Tuesday February 16, 2010, and will start and end at Arnold's Bar and Grill (located at 210 East Eighth Street, Cincinnati).
Tickets are $95, and $80 of every ticket sold is tax-deductible and goes to support the OTR Foundation and the Brewery District. Your ticket includes appetizers, dinner, beer, and VIP tour.
Go to
www.bockfest.com to purchase tickets.
