Posts tagged “beer”

Via Vite to Open New Rooftop Piazza Today

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Via Vite PiazzaVia Vite will host a grand opening party for their new rooftop bar and dining space overlooking Fountain Square. The new space, referred to as a piazza, features an outdoor bar and unobstructed views of Fountain Square and video board.

The piazza will naturally expand the outdoor dining options Via Vite has been adding in between its main entrance and the Fountain Square Garage headhouse, and follows the same general design concepts used on the existing Via Vite structure.

Managers say that the new space can handle approximately 40 to 50 people, and guests will be able to get both drinks and light food served there. Management also says that the piazza can be reserved for special events.

Via Vite opened in 2007 following the $49 million renovation of Fountain Square and its underground garage.

The restaurant sits directly above the parking garage entrance along Vine Street, and was opened by the son of Nicola Pietoso who continues to run the acclaimed Nicola’s Ristorante Italiano in Over-the-Rhine.

This Month’s URBANexchange to Take Place Tomorrow Evening

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The biergarten doors will swing open this Wednesday evening at 5:30pm at the Morelein Lager House for our third URBANexchange of the year.

The goal of the URBANexchange gatherings is to maintain a monthly event where fellow urbanists can gather to discuss what’s going on in the city, and meet others with similar interests as their own.

The event is a casual way to unwind from the day and an opportunity to meet similar like minded people. There is no formal presentation or formal anything. And as always there is no cover charge for attending.

We encourage people to come out, bring some friends, and make some new ones.

“Its exciting to see newcomers at these URBANexchanges because they frequently come not knowing anyone and make some great connections with some of our more regular attendees,” noted Randy Simes, founder of URBANexchange. “I take every chance I get to come to event and I am very impressed with the way it has been able to bring people together and foster the exchange of different ideas about Cincinnati.”

At this month’s event we’ll be giving away two signed copies of James Jenkins’ Photography for the People coffee table book. The book, which is part of a limited series of 100 copies on first printing, features many stunning and vivid color photographs of downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Mr. Jenkins’ will also attend on Wednesday to discuss his book and other topics.

A percentage of all purchases at URBANexchange go to support the operations of the adjacent Smale Riverfront Park. We hope to see you there!!

Start Off National Bike Month With 2013 Bikes+Brews Ride

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UrbanCincy is proud to bring back the popular Bikes+Brews ride to help kick off National Bike Month in Cincinnati on Saturday, May 4.

In addition to Bikes+Brews, Cincinnati’s celebration of Bike Month will include dozens of events over the course of the month. Some will focus on teaching people how to maintain and care for their bikes, others will introduce people to biking, and others will look to celebrate the form of transportation through fun activities and events that enhance the experience of existing bicyclists.

As is tradition with the Bikes+Brews ride, the ride will start at the OTR Biergarten and then continue on throughout the center city. This year’s ride will include five stops along a nine-mile route traversing Over-the-Rhine, Downtown, Covington, Newport, and Bellevue before returning to Findlay Market.

The route is fairly level, and should be doable for cyclists of all ages and abilities.

After taking off from the OTR Biergarten at 12pm, riders will head south to the Moerlein Lager House and then across the Roebling Suspension Bridge to Keystone Bar & Grill in Covington. Following that, the group will head east to The Elusive Cow Cafe in Bellevue, then double-back and head north across the Ohio River via the Purple People Bridge.

Once back in Ohio we will stop at Rock Bottom Brewery on Fountain Square, then head north to Mayberry Gastropub before concluding the ride back at Findlay Market at Market Wines.

Those interested in joining the group mid-ride are welcome to do so, and will be able to track the group’s progress by following #bikebrews or @UrbanCincy on Twitter.

Those who do not have their own bike can rent one from the Cincinnati Bike Center (near our first stop on the ride) for the day for $25.

The 2013 Bikes+Brews ride is free and open to anyone who would like to participate, and will take off from the OTR Biergarten around 12pm. The ride is expected to conclude back at Market Wines around 5pm.

Rhinegeist Brewing to open in OTR’s Brewery District

Another brewing operation will join Christian Moerlein in Over-the-Rhine’s historic Brewery District. The new brewery, called Rhinegeist Brewing, will renovate and operate out of the second floor of the former Christian Moerlein bottling plant on Elm Street. More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

A building that could never be recreated comes back to life. A diverse group of angel investors provides financing, drawn by the potential return and promise of adventure. And the revitalization of the urban core, where entrepreneurs are already bouncing off each other like pinballs, takes another step forward.

Bob Bonder, president of the Tazza Mia chain of coffee houses, and business partner Bryant Goulding are renovating the second floor of the Christian Moerlein bottling plant, work that will advance the revitalization of a growing Brewery District that made Cincinnati a Midwest Brewing hub at the turn of the 20th century. Bonder and Goulding plan to turn part of the 250,000-square-foot complex on Elm Street just north of Findlay Market into a craft brewery called Rhinegeist Brewing.

PHOTOS: 2013 Bockfest Turned Out the Crowds on Busy Weekend

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Bockfest celebrated another great year of spring-time and beer celebrations over the past weekend. Record crowds reportedly turned out for the festival’s 21st year, and UrbanCincy was there to “cover” it all on your behalf.

For those not familiar with some of the otherwise peculiar traditions of Cincinnati’s lesser-known, seasonal beer festival, let us explain.

The lead goat is named Schnitzel, and the reason goats play such a prominent role in Bockfest activities is because Bock is the German word for goat, and those references to goats are what give bock beers their names.

The reason you see a bunch of monks, or people dressed as monks, walking around is because bock beers have historically been associated with special religious occasions, like  Lent, and Bavarian monks were known for brewing and consuming bock beers as a source of nutrition during times of fasting.

The following 36 photographs were taken by Jake Mecklenborg during the annual Bockfest Parade and at Grammer’s, Neons Unplugged and Bockfest Hall at the Christian Moerlein Brewery. Click on any of the images to view its full size. You can also click through the entire 2013 Bockfest photo gallery by clicking on the first image and scrolling through the collection.

Join author of book on Cincinnati’s incomplete subway at March’s URBANexchange

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Jake MecklenborgHopefully everyone thoroughly enjoyed their February and the introductory weekend to March known as Bockfest around these parts.

We will be back in the biergarten of the Moerlein Lager House tomorrow for our monthly URBANexchange event.

Last month’s giveaway was a big hit, so we’re going to do it again this month. This time we will be giving away two signed copies of Jake Mecklenborg’s book about Cincinnati’s abandoned subway. Jake will even be in attendance to talk about the book and his findings.

If you did not have a chance to participate in the Bockfest activities over the weekend, then this will be a great opportunity for you to try out the Lager House’s selection of bock beers.

As always, the event will take place from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, and we will gather in the northwestern most corner of the biergarten. If you are nervous about picking us out from the crowd, simply inform the employees at the front desk that you are there for URBANexchange, and they will direct you to the correct location.

The event is a casual atmosphere and is free and open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend. Those who decide to attend can come and go anytime during the scheduled event hours, but we do encourage you to come hungry and thirsty to support our kind hosts at the Moerlein Lager House (map) and Smale Riverfront Park.

It should be a great time to talk about city issues with all sorts of big news happening over the past month. The city’s proposed parking modernization and lease plan, Wasson Corridor, city budget, proposed 30-story residential tower, Bartlett Building hotel conversion, MLK Interchange, casino opening, and the efforts to accelerate both the Cincinnati Streetcar and Oasis Line rail projects.

If you are on Facebook, then you can connect with others attending the event by RSVPing for the March URBANexchange. See you there!

URBANexchange returns this Wednesday to Moerlein Lager House

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After a nearly two-month break, the UrbanCincy team is proud to kick-off the 2013 season of URBANexchange events.

Following a successful pilot run last year, URBANexchange will return this Wednesday for a full year of events at the Moerlein Lager House.

“Dozens of people excited about cities and Cincinnati’s urban core showed up at last year’s events, and we’re really excited about the possibilities for a full year’s worth of URBANexchanges in 2013,” said Randy Simes, Owner & Managing Editor of UrbanCincy.

2013 URBANexchange Events

UrbanCincy will be giving away prizes at each of the events in 2013, with a custom tile of Carew Tower (image) from Rookwood Pottery being given away at February’s URBANexchange courtesy of Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated.

The collection of events in 2013 will take place on the first Wednesday of each month to avoid conflict with weekly bike rides that occur in warmer weather, and when there are no home Reds baseball games. The group will always meet in the northwest corner of the Moerlein Lager House’s biergarten – closest to the ‘Moer to Go’ window and outdoor bike racks.

“We are really excited to continue to offer a monthly event where fellow urbanists can get together, share ideas, and expand their social networks,” stated Simes. “The goal with our URBANexchange events is to not create a platform for one-way presentations, but rather create an opportunity for city supporters in the region to get together and meet one another.”

URBANexchange events are always free and open to the public, and take place from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at the Moerlein Lager House (map) within Cincinnati’s Smale Riverfront Park. Those interested in attending are welcome to come and go anytime during the event, and friends are always encouraged.