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EACC to host walking tour of Over-the-Rhine’s historic Brewery District – 6/5

The European-American Chamber of Commerce (EACC) YP Committee is hosting a walking tour of Over-the-Rhine’s historic Brewery District on Saturday, June 5 from 1pm to 3pm. Organizers with the EACC say that the tour will focus on the European influence on the architecture and diversity of cultures found within the district.

The Brewery District Tour is part of YP Committee’s 3-D/Multi-Dimensional Series that focuses on Discovery, Diversity and Development.

“The tour will highlight Cincinnati’s German heritage as we learn how German immigrants brought their beer brewing skills to Cincinnati,” said Anne Capel, EACC Executive Director. “We’ll learn about Cincinnati’s beer barons like Christian Moerlein and Ludwig Hudephol, the historic breweries they built, and experience first hand the European/American culture that infused the neighborhoods around them.”

In addition to experiencing Christian Moerlein and Ludwig Hudephol, attendees will also tour Clyffside, Lafayette and Jackson Breweries as guided by the Brewery District Foundation. The Brewery District, Over-the-Rhine and Cincinnati to a much larger extent was heavily influenced by German immigrants that brought customs, dialects, religions, occupations and classes with them that are still often found today in the region.

“The Over-the-Rhine neighborhood has recently become a focal point of renewed interest in Cincinnati history and culture,” explained Capel. “The Germans’ entrepreneurship skills built the brewing industry in a part of the neighborhood which we call today the Brewery District. Due to this industry and various others, commercial activity of the area became centered on Findlay Market.”

Registration is open to anyone interested, but the tour is limited to 40 people. Registration is open until Tuesday, June 1st, but those interested are encouraged to register early due to the limited availability. Tickets can be purchased online for $15, and include a free beer during the networking and socializing time at the Findlay Market Biergarten after the tour. Organizers state that tickets will be fully refunded if there is inclement weather.

The tour group will meet at the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten (map), located on the southwest side of the Market House along Elm Street, at 1pm.  Free bicycle parking is available at Findlay Market along with on- and off-street automobile parking.  Metro bus service is also available (plan your trip).

Get a taste of Over-the-Rhine’s historic Brewery District and its treasures by watching this great video.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Over-the-Rhine Biergarten opens for summer, wraps up American Craft Beer Week

Following a week delay in opening due to permitting issues, the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten returned last weekend to its summer-long post at historic Findlay Market. The biergarten provides the perfect opportunity to round out American Craft Beer Week in Cincinnati once the beers start to flow this Saturday and Sunday.

Offerings include cans of Hudy and Burger beer for $2 a piece, as well as three Christian Moerlein selections on tap. Drafts will run you $4 for a 16 oz. pour, or $5 for the larger 22 oz. size and you can have your choice of OTR Ale, Lager House and the newly released Northern Liberties India Pale Ale.

Over 600 guests got to enjoy samples of Moerlein’s first venture into hoppier beers with the Northern Liberties IPA keg tapping event at Rookwood Pottery when it was officially released on Friday, May 6th. A traditional British style, the IPA got its descriptive name as a result of the increased level of hops and alcohol, both natural preservatives, needed to allow the beer to keep for the long sea voyages from the UK to the colonies in India.

The beer style has evolved over the years and American IPAs tend to push the envelope of hop additions much more so than their British counterparts. The Northern Liberties may be the best Moerlein brew to date, and despite the increase in hops, it still retains the distinctive, malty Moerlein taste and mouthfeel. American IPAs can range from 40-70 International Bitterness Units and 5.5-7.5% Alcohol By Volume, and Moerlein’s IPA comes in at 55 IBUs and 6.3% ABV.

In an effort to make the biergarten more accessible to all Findlay Market patrons, a cooler has been added to the operation that will allow shoppers to keep any perishable groceries cool while they enjoy a cold beer in the summer sun. The taps will be flowing from 11am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 12pm to 4pm on Sundays, every single weekend from now through Labor Day, and all proceeds benefit both the OTR Brewery District and the OTR Foundation.

Whether you plan on heading to Findlay Market already, or you decide to use this as your excuse, venture down to the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten this weekend to toast the closing of American Craft Beer Week, and come back all summer long to enjoy the sights and sounds of one of Cincinnati’s greatest assets, all while drinking for a good cause. Cheers!

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Business News Transportation

First cities, now transit being glamorized in commercial media

Cities have long suffered from a perception problem, a problem that still exists in many cities today.  The perception has been of overcrowded, polluted, crime-ridden places with poor schools thus affirming the beliefs of those who fled the cities decades ago in search of greener pastures.  But as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, are those perceptions finally changing for the better?

Many urbanists believe the change began in the 1990’s with hit television shows like Seinfeld, Sex and the City, and Friends that glamorized city living.  Today, even the casual television observer can not avoid the pro-city imagery portrayed in virtually every single product type commercial.  The effect is even more profound in television shows and movies where young people, families and elderly alike are often portrayed in city atmospheres.

In this 2009 commercial for Nissan Cube, the ad is trying to appeal to young professionals and does so with a catchy, urban spot.  The young people in this commercial not only are out partying in the city, but they pick up their grocery needs and head to a house party all with an urban focus.

But living and partying in the city is not necessarily the challenge American cities are facing today.  Instead cities are looking to incorporate transit options like streetcars, commuter rail, and high-speed rail to better connect the people living with urban areas with one another.  Until now, this has been topic left untouched by mainstream commercial media outside of the movie industry.

AT&T is currently running a television commercial that features a love story in reverse that was all made possible by an impromptu train ticket purchase on the man’s smart phone.

This is important because the brief love story is made up of all relatable acts – going to the movies, getting married, having a child and that child presumably achieving success – all dependent on the train ride where love first blossomed.

As trains become more prevalent across the United States, this imagery is certain to become more common.  If you have yet to notice this trend in commercial media, just look around.  Cars, telephones, food/drink, fashion, and even credit cards are all banking on the trend back towards the city, and by the looks of it, it appears that the pendulum may soon be swinging the same way for rail transit as well.

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Business Development News

Renderings for Moerlein Lager House released in latest CRP construction update

Cincinnati Riverfront Park Project Manager Dave Prather has released the latest construction update on the massive 45-acre public park project. In the video Prather discusses recent progress including the archaeological dig, event lawn, connectivity with The Banks development, bicycle commuter station and a realigned Mehring Way. The video also updates the status of the much anticipated Moerlein Lager House for which several new renderings are displayed.

The first phase of the Sasaki Associates-designed Cincinnati Riverfront Park will also include the Walnut Street Fountain & Steps, the Black Brigade Monument, the labyrinth, tree groves, the Women’s Garden, Main Street Garden, and the first section of the bike trail that will eventually connect with the Ohio River Trail. Construction of the park is currently on-budget and on-time for a Spring 2011 completion.

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Business News Politics

Neighborhood Enhancement Program showing signs of staying power, Perkins Lounge to be shuttered

Cincinnati’s nationally-acclaimed Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) is having a lasting impact in Evanston where the program started two years. Today Cincinnati officials announced that Perkins Lounge, long known for a history of drug activity and for being an eyesore in the heart of Evanston, will be shut down as ordered by Judge Nadine Allen utilizing State of Ohio Nuisance Abatement Laws to investigate numerous complaints of illegal activity.

On September 2, 2008, Cincinnati’s NEP began a 90-day focus on Evanston that focused on quality of life issues including crime, blight and building code violations. Since that time the program has won awards from Neighborhoods USA as the 2008 National Program of the Year, the Ohio Conference of Community Development’s President Award, and the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati award for Most Outstanding Collaborative Effort among others.

Image of Perkins Lounge from Google Maps' Street View

Program officials say that one of the targets is to create a sustainable impact that lasts beyond the initial 90-day blitz. Perkins Lounge will officially be shut down this evening at 6pm thanks to a collaborative effort between the Cincinnati Police Department, the Attorney General’s office and the Evanston community. The closure brings with it much more than the elimination of a long-time neighborhood problem, but also an indication that the much touted NEP has staying power.

“This ongoing partnership with the State of Ohio’s Attorney General’s office and these successful results are a prime example of the sustainability of the NEP,” City Manager Milton Dohoney said in a press release. “This model for neighborhood revitalization continues to be an effective tool to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods and businesses.”

Community leaders are encouraged by the Perkins Lounge (map) news and believe it is an important step in the process of reclaiming their neighborhood.

“The Evanston community is thrilled that this shameless criminal element has finally been removed from the Evanston Business District, and greatly admires the tireless efforts of the Cincinnati Police,” stated John Lewis, Safety Chair of the Evanston Community Council and Chair of the Evanston Citizens on Patrol. “Evanston continues to focus our efforts to redevelop and revitalize our business district to be a once again thriving neighborhood.”

Most recently the NEP rolled into Mt. Washington, and over the course of its existence, the program has visited Price Hill, Avondale, Westwood, College Hill and Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview Heights (CUF) in addition to both Mt. Washington and Evanston. In each case the program has reduced blight on average by 15% and recorded thousands of building inspections.