We had tickets to see the Reds play the night we got into town. They were playing the Cardinals. We don't have a strong opinion regarding either team, but we want to try and get to as many big league ball parks as possible. And we figured this was probably the best opportunity we would have to see the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. All I know is between the two teams there was a lot of red in the stadium that night.
Our hotel was also on the Kentucky side in a town called Newport. Prior to walking over the pedestrian bridge that you can use to cross the Ohio into Cincinnati (the locals call it the "People Purple Bridge") we decided to find a place to eat on the Kentucky side. Having done a little pre-trip research we were able to find an establishment in Newport called The Hofbrauhaus.
It is modeled after the famous Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany. The decor is supposedly very similar. They also brew their own beer on premises under license and supervision of Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in Munich.
It definitely had that beer hall vibe going right down to the modern "oom-pah" band playing. We were both hungry and knew we didn't have a long time before needing to get to the ball park. So we kept it simple and opted for burgers rather than the more complex and varied German dishes on the menu. If we make it back there we will at least try the Sauerkraut Balls appetizer. A group of gentlemen seated at the same long table got an order and it looked great!
For beer I went with the Dunkel, a dark lager. It had a slightly roasted taste and a good body. Definitely not a light weight. But I did find it a little too bitter to call it a great beer.
We made our way across the river to Cincinnati and followed the crowd the few blocks to the stadium. I had read that there is a craft beer revival in the city which had a thriving brewing tradition before Prohibition. So I was determined to be sure I sampled local brews at the game.
I'll admit the first one I tried escapes me. It was decent, but again a little too bitter for my taste. The second beer I got though came from Rhinegeist brewing. They have been brewing for a couple of years now having set up shop at the site of one of Cincinnati's larger pre-Prohibition breweries named Christian Moerling Brewing Company. Just to keep it confusing a new craft brewer in Cincinnati has revived the Moerling naming and is brewing under it as well.
Rhinegeist, means "ghost of the Rhine" and refers to the area of Cincinnati where the brewery is located. It is a section called Over the Rhine. In the past it was the home of a large German population and dozens of breweries. Let the comeback continue!
The particular beer I tried at the game is called Truth, which is an IPA. Now drinking a beer in a plastic cup surrounded by thousands of people on a steamy Ohio summer night may not be the best way to gauge the quality of a brew, but I gave it a go. The citrus aroma from the hops was noticeable. The beer was tasty and went down pretty easily. It was no shrinking violet having plenty of body and backbone. Yet I did not find it too bitter or too strong. Even in a plastic cup it was well balanced.
I'm not going to rate either of the beers I tried that night as I'll admit the tasting and sampling was not under ideal conditions. And I did not take extensive notes either!
Still I would not hesitate to drink either again.
The biggest recommendation I can give Rhinegeist is that I was suitably impressed with their IPA at the ball park that the next day when we got to my sister's and we went to the local store, I picked up a six pack of another Rhinegeist offering to sample. This was Cougar, which is a blond ale and definitely much lighter. (I've since seen that while Truth, the IPA, has a 7.2% ABV, the Cougar is only 4.8%) I knew I was getting something not as bold or flavorful, but it was summer in eastern Kentucky and I figured refreshing and light might be the way to go.
Unfortunately Rhinegeist is only available in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas of Ohio and northern Kentucky. Their web site makes it sound like they may push as far north as Columbus, but I didn't see Connecticut mentioned in their expansion plans. But if they're looking for a distributor for the area...
And I suppose this gives us an excuse to visit my sister on a somewhat regular basis.
As for who won the game? Beats us. It was tied, 3-3 after 9 innings and it had been a long day traveling from Connecticut to Cincinnati. So we left the park and crossed the Purple People Bridge back to Newport, Kentucky and our beds for the night.
Okay, I did check the score the next morning. The Cardinals won 4-3 and I believe it took 12 or 13 innings.