Posted March 2, 201213 yr There are threads for specific years of Bockfest - maybe it'd be easier to put them all into one thread? Anyway, the parade starts today in front of Arnold's around 6pm. http://overtherhine.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/20th-annual-bockfest/ All the info you need is here: http://bockfest.com And if you're on flickr, check out the Bockfest group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bockfestcincinnati
March 2, 201213 yr spring training sparts and now bock beer season. goodbye mild but crappy weather winter - love it!
March 2, 201213 yr FYI- Bockfest Hall is cash only That is perfect. Let's hope the weather is decent this evening. It sounds like it could get interesting.
March 2, 201213 yr Cincinnati is pretty much in the bullseye of the "high risk" area for a tornado outbreak. The worst of the weather should be occurring between 2-3 PM through dinnertime. People planning to attend the Bockfest parade should keep a close eye on the situation.
March 2, 201213 yr Let's raise a glass to no tornadoes too! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
March 2, 201213 yr I posted a video of and the lyrics to the Bockfest song in this post. It's a fun little jingle: http://overtherhine.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/20th-annual-bockfest/
March 2, 201213 yr 2012: tornadoes 2011: torrential downpour 2010: mild and sunny 2009: Level 3 Snow Emergency 2008: pretty nice
March 2, 201213 yr FYI- Bockfest Hall is cash only They have an ATM right inside the door to the right.
March 2, 201213 yr Typical Bockfest weather. This is southern Indiana: http://lockerz.com/s/188929033
March 2, 201213 yr I went for coffee in Crescent Springs, Ky. at a McDonald's and they were in lockdown mode and going to the restroom for shelter. I ended up leaving but it was pretty much a parking lot into Cincinnati due to one car stalled on the bridge. The VMS had travel times to SR 562 at Norwood, and were about 59 minutes each. Might as well throw up the ∞ symbol. Looks like the front has passed us. Word has it that the parade is still officially on!
March 3, 201213 yr Some photos from the parade and Bockfest Hall: http://overtherhine.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/the-2012-bockfest-parade-in-photos/
January 10, 201312 yr After missing out on Bockfest last year for living out of town I am pretty excited to participate again! Bockfest takes place March 1-3 this year! The fundraiser this year is the Beefsteak Club Dinner. It is $45 for a full meal (roasted pig and goat, potatoes, greens, etc.) and a signed 2013 Bockfest Poster. The event will be held at the new Christian Moerlein Brewery (former Kauffman Brewery / Husman Potato Chip factory) on January 26 at 6pm. More info here: http://bockfest.com/.
February 15, 201312 yr MAYBERRY GASTRO PUB GOES GERMAN FOR BOCKFEST OTR Bar and Eatery Celebrates Bockfest with German Food, German Music, and a Selection of Bock Beers This March 1st through 3rd, Over-the-Rhine will host the 21st Annual Bockfest—an event designed to promote the neighborhood’s rich brewing tradition, as well as its connection to German-style bock beer. Mayberry Gastro Pub will join in the festivities by turning German for the weekend. The local Gastro Pub will honor OTR’s vibrant history with a German menu, a selection of bock beers on tap, and music from Blechbläser Zinzinnati—OTR’s Authentic German Brass Band. The Menu On Friday March 1st from 11 AM to 10 PM and Saturday March 2nd from noon to 10 PM, Mayberry Gastro Pub will feature a special menu with a variety of German cuisine. Guests will enjoy favorites like “Bock Beer Battered Cod with Corned Beef, House Pickles, Rye Slaw and Thousand Island Dressing,” or “House German Pumpernickel with Bock Beer Cheese Soup.” “We wanted to make sure we highlighted Over-the-Rhine’s rich, German heritage in our menu,” said Chef Joshua Campbell of Mayberry. “You’ll find plenty of classic German flavors to enjoy with a nice bock beer.” Mayberry Gastro Pub will also serve its regular brunch menu Friday and Saturday from 11 PM to 3:45 AM, and Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM. Both the Bockfest menu and the brunch menu can be found online at www.mayberrycincy.com/menu. Keg Tappings In addition to having a selection of bock beers on tap throughout the event, Mayberry Gastro Pub will feature a tapping of Bell’s Consecrator on Friday at 5 PM, and a tapping of Ayinger Celebrator on Saturday at 1 PM. Blechbläser Zinzinnati On Sunday March 3rd at 1 PM, guests of Mayberry Gastro Pub are in for a special treat. OTR’s Blechbläser Zinzinnati will be on site playing German brass music as it was heard around the turn of the 20th century. Featuring players from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra such as Carson McTeer, Doug Lindsay, and Chris Kiradjieff; the band covers a variety of musical styles such as Bavarian folk music, German drinking songs, and transcriptions of the music of Meyerbeer and Brahms. The music played by Blechbläser Zinzinnati was obtained from original manuscripts discovered in the library of Henry Wohlgemuth—German native and former Principal Trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. The music is scored for four brass instruments, and was most likely performed by other members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A Brief History of OTR and Bockfest In the 1800s, Cincinnati was one of America’s most prolific brewing cities, and Over-the-Rhine was the epicenter of beer production and consumption. Many of Cincinnati’s German immigrants brought with them a particular taste for bock beer – a style that became very popular in pre-Prohibition era Cincinnati. This complex and hardy beer is historically linked to spring due to the German monks who drank it as a substitute for food during Lenten fasts. In 1992, the Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company created Bockfest as a way to celebrate and honor Cincinnati’s rich brewing history. Each spring, attendees from all over flock to Over-the-Rhine to see the parade, enjoy bock beer at local bars, and support the various merchants that make Over-the-Rhine such a great community. Through the hard work and dedication of local bar owners, Over-the-Rhine residents, and non-profit organizations like Merchants on Main Street, the festival has continued for over twenty years. ### If you’d like more information about this event, please call Rex Vining at 513.288.3886 or e-mail Rex at [email protected].
January 14, 201411 yr Time to start getting ready for Bockfest! Bockfest is held March 7-9 this year. Parade on Friday the 7th. Sausage Queen Competition will be held on Saturday. The fundraiser for Bockfest is the Beefsteak Club Dinner and it will be held at Arnold's this year on January 30. You can volunteer for Bockfest by hosting tours or pouring beer (and a couple of other tasks). All proceeds from Bockfest go directly to the Over-the-Rhine Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (BDCURC)! You can also pick up the Christian Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock at the Taproom and the Lager House ($7 growler fills on Fridays).
January 14, 201411 yr Time to start getting ready for Bockfest! Bockfest is held March 7-9 this year. Parade on Friday the 7th. Sausage Queen Competition will be held on Saturday. The fundraiser for Bockfest is the Beefsteak Club Dinner and it will be held at Arnold's this year on January 30. You can volunteer for Bockfest by hosting tours or pouring beer (and a couple of other tasks). All proceeds from Bockfest go directly to the Over-the-Rhine Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (BDCURC)! You can also pick up the Christian Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock at the Taproom and the Lager House ($7 growler fills on Fridays). Bockfest is amazing
January 14, 201411 yr Wouldn't it be better if Bockfest was held the weekend before Mardis Gras instead of the week after? Two reasons for making it earlier: some people fast during lent, and there are no holidays in February. The cons of moving it: weather, possibility of snow etc.
January 14, 201411 yr It needs to held over four days so we can get an Untappd badge (as requested by ryanlammi) :-D "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 14, 201411 yr It should be during Lent every year since monks traditionally drank bock beer because it helped them get through the fasting period.
January 14, 201411 yr There you go bringin' Jesus up again! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 9, 201411 yr Last night was an absolute mad house in OTR. I would expect more of the same tonight. It was a good time, though.
March 9, 201411 yr Last night was an absolute mad house in OTR. I would expect more of the same tonight. It was a good time, though. Too many people, in many of the bars. Also, I don't like the way they reconfigured Bockfest Hall and now the Moerlein Taproom is the VIP area. They should have had a German band playing outside instead of a cover band. The outside of Grammer's is not open, meaning the bar itself is inhospitable. Also it appears that most or all of the memorabilia has been removed from the bar, hopefully for safekeeping.
March 9, 201411 yr Many of these venues just aren't big enough for an event like this that draws a wider audience. Lots of amateur drinkers this time
March 13, 201411 yr With Grammer's, the Moerlein tap room, and the various bars on Main Street (and some on Vine), I feel like this would be a good event to have on Liberty. Close down that street along with main (to say 12th) and go with it. (Probably a bit much to close down Vine.)
March 13, 201411 yr ^The event continues to grow every year. *2009 Bockfest was held in the space The Drinkery is now in. *2010 was the first year it was moved into the current space adjacent to the Christian Moerlein Brewery. *2013 some limited outdoor space was set up for bathrooms to accommodate the large crowd inside the hall. *2014 a full stage outside was set up complete with the closure of Moore Street and additional food and beer sales outside.
March 13, 201411 yr 2009 was the year Bockfest was snowed out. I remember it well because I biked home in the snow, then sat in a 2-hour traffic jam near University Hospital while running an errand and never made it back down the hill. About 10 inches of snow fell between 3pm and midnight. Sorry to poo-poo but I feel like the festival lost some of its charm this year. That's what happens when stuff gets too big. The former layout of Bockfest Hall was comically unvarnished, now with the Morelein taproom as a VIP area it introduced an element of commercialism that's the antithesis of what the fest was in the past. Also the layout of the tents made no sense and the entertainment was just plain bad. There was also a women working one of the booths who had her cell phone providing the tunes over the PA on Friday night. Every time she got a text message, an idiotic sound effect shot out of the speakers. Then she picked up her phone to read them, every single time, meaning we got to hear static from the jack. Oh, and she had a mix of horrible music playing, centered around Sarah McGlaughlin(sp?).
March 13, 201411 yr ^I think the festival has kept the same vibe every year I've been there (since 2011). It's never going back to the days where Bockfest Hall is held in bars around the city. Nor should it. The only difference between last year and this year was that I could drink while I waited in line to get into Bockfest Hall on Friday. And the line to get in was shorter because some people were content with standing outside (the weather was perfect). Sunday was very laid back but still had a pretty good crowd. Can't say anything for Saturday since I wasn't there that day.
March 14, 201411 yr ^I think the festival has kept the same vibe every year I've been there (since 2011). It's never going back to the days where Bockfest Hall is held in bars around the city. Nor should it. The only difference between last year and this year was that I could drink while I waited in line to get into Bockfest Hall on Friday. And the line to get in was shorter because some people were content with standing outside (the weather was perfect). Sunday was very laid back but still had a pretty good crowd. Can't say anything for Saturday since I wasn't there that day. Sunday is always my favorite day at Bockfest, but Friday is always a lot of fun
March 2, 201510 yr Bockfest Parade Route has changed this year https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=zNcdSu0nVSl8.kcdLFdnBup7A
March 2, 201510 yr At 4 days out the weather this year still seems to be a complete mystery, with the latest forecast showing 54 degrees on Tuesday, but with enough rain and snow melt to potentially trigger flooding, followed by 3-5 inches of snow on Wednesday, and a low of -4 on Thursday. Friday is forecast to be clear and cold, with a low of 13.
March 2, 201510 yr I think I checked last night, and the predicted low Thursday night was 7 F. Now it's -4?! C'mon!
March 4, 201510 yr Looks like we're getting the sort of serious snowfall on Wednesday that hit the Bockfest Parade back in 2008 or 2009. Usually the weather has completely turned by this time of year!
March 4, 201510 yr Really? I always think of shitty weather when I think of Bockfest. It's still March and we're still (barely) in Ohio.
March 4, 201510 yr Really? I always think of shitty weather when I think of Bockfest. It's still March and we're still (barely) in Ohio. The weather was great in 2010 and 2012-14. 2011 was the year when it rained heavily during the parade.
March 6, 201510 yr 2013's cutest couple: There's no picture on this post but there's a banner add for Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken 8 piece + 8 piece shrimp box right underneath the post, so that's somewhat amusing.
March 6, 201510 yr 2013's cutest couple: There's no picture on this post but there's a banner add for Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken 8 piece + 8 piece shrimp box right underneath the post, so that's somewhat amusing. It's a picture of Randy Simes and John Yung in tuxedos.
March 8, 201510 yr So...the prices went up this year. $6 is ridiculous for a 12 oz beer. Glad I thought ahead and brought my own cans from home. Oops did I just say that out loud?
March 9, 201510 yr It's not my fault this website has become so uptight over the past two or three years.
March 9, 201510 yr It's a thread about a strange festival celebrating beer and such. Stating that beer at a large event is more expensive than if you bought it somewhere yourself is like those tiring complaints about how much food and drink cost at a football game. Or an amusement park. Or anything that draws major crowds and everyone already knows things are going to be overpriced. We all know things are overpriced. The point isn't to walk away with the most ounces/dollar, it's to have fun with friends and watch a ridiculous parade and get hammered surrounded by people in goat pants watching a fat guy on a throne also getting hammered.
March 9, 201510 yr ^ Beer didn't used to be overpriced at Bockfest, and now it is. I was in Bockfest hall for all of 5 minutes and went elsewhere to drink because of it. It's a festival that is slowly abandoning its roots as it becomes more popular, and seems to be on a trajectory to morphing into something more like Taste of Blue Ash.
March 9, 201510 yr Such is the nature with festivals. When they become popular they generally lose their roots and become more touristy. I didn't spend much time at Bockfest Hall this year but instead watched the parade from the Macaron Bar and then spent most of my time at Rhinegeist which is a more fun atmosphere in general to me. I'm curious though, how much did beer used to be? Has it actually risen that much when adjusted for inflation? Because $6 for a beer at a festival is pretty typical.
March 9, 201510 yr Such is the nature with festivals. When they become popular they generally lose their roots and become more touristy. I didn't spend much time at Bockfest Hall this year but instead watched the parade from the Macaron Bar and then spent most of my time at Rhinegeist which is a more fun atmosphere in general to me. I'm curious though, how much did beer used to be? Has it actually risen that much when adjusted for inflation? Because $6 for a beer at a festival is pretty typical. I remember the first year I went, about 4 or 5 years ago, that beers were $3-5 depending on the beer. The Hudy Bock was cheapest, along with Hudy Amber. Then some others were higher, up to $5. So $6 isn't terrible.... especially considering that 4-5 years ago, attendance was maybe 1/3 of what it is today.
March 9, 201510 yr I completely disagree that it's becoming too big and losing its roots. Just because it's big and crowded doesn't mean it's not authentic anymore. And I think the price on point. Also, it's a fundraiser! You don't want them to break even on a fundraiser. I would even say that this year's festival is the weirdest one I've been to. More groups did better floats, they didn't allow politicians in the parade, and there were way more costumes this year. Of course, I wasn't there in the 90's or 00's when it was put in a crappy storefront at the last second and you had to be in the know to have even heard of it. But there are plenty of other things that happen around the city that are like that. I would guess this year was about the same size as last year. The organization of it was better this year. I liked the way all of the other breweries' beers were in the second tent (which was much nicer and programmed better). The sound is really tough in that space but was much better in the hall this year.
March 9, 201510 yr I went to check out Bockfest Hall yesterday afternoon, and I thought it felt like a scaled down Oktoberfest or something. German music was playing, old and middle aged men were dressed up in lederhosen and doing some German-ish dancing, and the crowd definitely skewed older. In years past, my only involvement with Bockfest has been watching the parade, which I really enjoyed because it seemed to celebrate the eccentric and quirky aspects of Cincinnati while simultaneously being an excuse to drink. What I saw yesterday did not feel quirky or eccentric in the least, and it felt like your average Cincinnati festival with a bunch of older white suburbians drinking beer and bopping their heads to some tuba music. I left in 10 minutes. I wish Bockfest would embrace the essence of the parade for the entirety of the festival and have diverse music, art, and food, which would hopefully draw a more diverse clientele as well.
March 9, 201510 yr I was definitely surprised by the number of people walking around Bockfest that looked like they stumbled right out of Oktoberfest or Taste of Cincinnati. Including one obnoxious bro who was crossing Liberty shouting, "I used to buy weed around here! Man, ten years ago... (Looks around at others crossing the street) C'mon, admit it, you bought weed around here ten years ago." Yeesh. I'm glad OTR doesn't get that crowd on a regular basis.
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