Photo courtesy Joel Geier
Cincinnati’s reputation in the craft beer industry received accolades in a new book, Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey. Written by author and self-proclaimed beer-lover Joel Geier, the book shouts out numerous local breweries (and brews) that make the Queen City a staple spot for a “beercation.”
Flights Across America documents years that Geier spent traveling state to state with his wife, who works as a travel nurse, visiting breweries everywhere they went and recording his experiences at each.
After closing his tab at a couple hundred breweries across the country, Geier had the idea to record his notes in a book. By the time he’d tried close to 1,000 breweries, he put the idea into motion.
As for Cincinnati, Geier highlights Rhinegeist Brewery, Brink Brewing, Listermann Brewing, and more, and had high praise for the brewing scene in Cincinnati, listing it as an honorable mention for best beer city and Brink Brewing as an honorable mention for one of the best breweries in the country.
Geier sits down to discuss his travels to breweries around the country, what makes a good brew, and why Cincinnati is one of the best.
How does brewery culture vary from region to region across the country?
One thing that’s kind of interesting from when I first started visiting breweries to now is that there is still certainly some regionality to it, but a decade ago, there was a larger gap between the big craft beer markets (Portland, San Diego, Denver) versus the states that are not well-known for their craft breweries. Nowadays, you can find really good craft beer in places like West Virginia, Virginia, Mississippi, North Dakota, and it’s still not at the same level of those other places, but I would say that the gap has shrunk. I find it interesting to go to places where they specialize in things, but I think that more places now have a wide variety of breweries doing a wide variety of things.
What makes a good brewery?
Good beer, of course. But in reality, it is much deeper than that. One thing I like to say is that a brewery needs to be “memorable” in one way or another. Producing top-notch beer is the easiest method of this, but having a great taproom experience, a well-designed theme, or wonderful people working there can all factor into drawing customers back. Now, I have my personal preferences when it comes to a taproom experience, but that varies from person to person. Some prefer a huge space with a variety of entertainment options, games, food, while others may like a more intimate, laid-back environment geared toward conversation.
Why would you recommend Cincinnati for a “beercation?”
Cincinnati is a wonderful mix of a city with a strong history of brewing and an array of modern-day success stories. Not many places can boast a brewery that has won Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival multiple times (Brink Brewing), a brewery that grew and ascended more rapidly than just about any other in the country (Rhinegeist Brewing), and a brewery that has become recognized for their focus on producing quality fruit tarts with only real fruit (Urban Artifact). There are also several breweries located in historic buildings, such as Mellotone Beer Project, inside a church built in 1850, or Boston Beer Company, opening a facility in the former Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewery. Overall, there is a long list of breweries that are worthy of a visit, which makes Cincinnati a great spot to plan a trip centered around beer.
Photo courtesy Joel Geier
What about Cincinnati breweries did you enjoy so much?
I have a good friend, David McKinney, who lives in Cincinnati, and getting to go out to several of the Cincinnati-area breweries during my second visit there was a big highlight. One of my all-time favorite breweries is Brink Brewing. I would say it’s certainly in my top 15, if not top 10, that I’ve been to. It’s won the Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival multiple times and I absolutely loved every single one of the beers that I sampled from them.
I love that their two biggest award-winners are styles that are not considered “trendy,” an English mild and milk stout. The English mild, called Hold the Reins, is my favorite example of that style. Rhinegeist is one of the greatest modern success stories in craft beer. Founded in 2013, it had a meteoric rise and became one of the twenty-five largest craft breweries in the entire country. Beers like Cheetah Lager and Truth IPA helped build this brand, and it’s massive taproom inside the former Christian Moerlein Brewing’s packaging hall (with a great rooftop area) is a phenomenal spot to visit.
Looking at this journey from start to finish, what was this whole process like for you?
Living all around the country allowed me to explore the nation’s craft beer scene in a way few others have the chance to do. The [book] is one I am proud of, and one that I believe everyone can enjoy, whether they are a craft beer nerd with tons of travel experience, or a relative newbie exploring the craft beer scene for the first time.
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