Sunday March 5, 2017
Rejuvenate yourself with the Bock Brunch and Bloody Mary bar, then celebrate our German heritage with historic tours, German music & dancing, and the Bockfeast Dinner at Bockfest Hall (located at the Christian Moerlein Brewery at 1621 Moore Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45202) as well as all the participating venues! Purchase a Bockfest ticket package to make sure you experience all the great things Bockfest has to offer!
Make a stop at a dozen and a half participating bars and restaurants all weekend long, many with drink and food specials for Bockfest goers. Admission is always FREE all weekend long! Check out the venues and schedules HERE.
Bockfest Hall
11AM till 7PM at the Christian Moerlein Brewery 1619 Moore Street
FREE Admission all weekend long!
Continental Sunday
Continental Sunday is family-friendly entertainment that celebrates Sundays in Over-the-Rhine in the 1800s. The day features a variety of authentic German entertainment provided by participating German-American societies, German food, and beer specials. Sunday also brings the return of the steins, breweriana, authors, exhibitions, and tours.
This year we honor Bernhard (Ben) Geers, for his contribution to preserving German heritage in Cincinnati! MORE ABOUT BEN GEERS
Ben was born on November 21, 1928 in a small town of Brickwedde, Germany. He lived there until the age of 11 and then moved with his family to East Germany in Schliesen, where he grew up on a farm growing sugar cane and raising Belgium horses. Later in life he ended up in Ankum, West Germany until he had the opportunity to move to America in the year of 1955. It was Ben’s uncle, Hans Danker, who offered the opportunity for a job in the city of Cincinnati, USA. Ben learned the trade of masonry while living in Ankum, and his skills sure did shine in many of the residential homes he constructed throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. Soon Ben started his own business and his dream was fulfilled. Ben took English classes at a small school in Clifton and also attended classes at the Ohio Mechanical Institute. He also joined a Catholic German organization known as The Kolping Society. Ben lived in America for three years before meeting his beautiful wife Magdalena at a German social. They had their wedding in Germany, then returned to the Greater Cincinnati area residing in the city of Cheviot. Ben and Magda ended up raising five children. Ben also had a passion for music. It was his love for music which inspired him to play the drums. In fact, many who know Ben refer to him as the “Grandfather of German music” in the Cincinnati area. His band is named The Polka Dot’s and are still in demand today. Ben has always contributed in many ways to perpetuate our German culture. He spent countless hours volunteering his services to the Kolping Society, Old St Mary’s Church and the development of the Germania Society. Ben and Magda were one of three couples that purchased the land for the Germania Society to formulate yet another well-known German organization. Ben is still highly active in all of these organizations. One fact about ben is in 1980, he was ordained as a SchutzenKonig for shooting down a wooden eagle at the Kolping Schutzenfest. Ben was just awarded last year his 65 year pin for being a Kolping patron. |
Historic Tours
Lots of great tours all Bockfest long, including brand new tours along the forthcoming Brewing Heritage Trail!
MALZ TOUR
Join us for this all new 90 minute walking tour that celebrates how beer was made and consumed in pre-Prohibition Over-the-Rhine. Your tour starts at Bockfest Hall, and visits multiple sites within the neighborhood including a visit with costumed reenactors at the Lafayette Brewery, before descending deep in the lagering cellars of the Kauffman Brewery. Along the way, you’ll learn how the long ago beer drinkers, beer makers, and beer barons made this neighborhood. Upon your return to Bockfest Hall, you will be treated to a complimentary beer (21+ please) and all the fantastic fun of Bockfest. Offered Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, get your tickets HERE. VOLKS TOUR
Join us for this all new 90 minute walking tour that celebrates the people of Over-the-Rhine and how they lived, worked, and played. Your tour starts at Bockfest Hall, and visits multiple sites within the neighborhood including a visit with costumed reenactors, before descending deep in the lagering cellars of the Schmidt Brothers/Crown Brewery. Along the way, you’ll learn how the long ago beer drinkers, beer makers, and beer barons lived. Upon your return to Bockfest Hall, you will be treated to a complimentary beer (21+ please) and all the fantastic fun of Bockfest. Offered Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, get your tickets HERE. DR. MORGAN'S HANGOVER RELIEF TOUR
Join the man that Cincinnati Magazine declared “The God of Bockfest” and the author of “Over-the-Rhine: When Beer Was King” for a personal, behind-the-scenes journey. This Bockfest-only walking tour through OTR combines the neighborhood’s pre-Prohibition past with stories about the more recent reclamation of Cincinnati’s brewing heritage and the birth and evolution of the city’s most bohemian beer festival. Your tour includes a trip through Over-the-Rhine, into Washington Platform’s lagering cellars, the Gerke lagering cellars (four stories below ground), and then a complimentary bock beer (21+ please) with Mike Morgan. The unlicensed and irresponsible medical advice for how to walk off some of the previous night’s revelry and begin drinking your way back into the Bockfest spirit is worth the price of admission alone. Over-the-Rhine history that you can’t get anywhere else, two lagering cellars, one beer, and questionable wisdom all begin at Washington Platform, corner of Court and Elm. Offered Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, get your tickets HERE. Tickets available HERE.
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Music
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Main Stage
Music by The Polka Dots, Verein Musikanten, and Germania Jadghorn Gruppe. Dancing by Enzian Tanzgruppe and Donauschwaben Dancers. |
Brewery Stage sponsored by Eli's BBQ
TBA |
Bock Brunch & Bloody Mary Bar
Back by popular demand, the Bock Bloody Mary bar with Grandma Debbie's homemade Bloody Mary Mix and a host of great garnishes. Bloody Marys are available on their own or as part of the Bockfest Brunch, featuring a hearty meal of goetta and cheese strata, herb roasted chicken, bockwurst and sauerkraut, german potato salad, salad, sides, and caramel cinnamon bread pudding. Bockfeast meals are limited so get your tickets now and don't be left out!
Beer
Bock beer is a rich, complex, malty, low-hop style of lager. There are many varieties of bock that can be very different. Bock typically has a higher nutritional content and alcohol content than other beers. It is traditionally brewed for celebrations and holidays. Because of the higher nutritional content, bock was used by German monks during Lenten fast – a liquid substitute for food. We celebrate Bockfest on the first full weekend of March because of this historic association with Lent.
Offered all weekend long are:
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Food
There are lots of great food options at Bockfest Hall, plus you can get a full Bockfeast meal (suitable for sharing) at a special price as well!
bockfeast brunch and dinner
A hearty meal of herb roasted chicken, bockwurst and sauerkraut, german potato salad, salad, sides, and caramel cinnamon bread pudding. The brunch option includes goetta and cheese strata and you can take a trip to the Bock Bloody Mary bar. Brunch is available 11:30A-1:30P and Dinner available 3P-5P. Pre-purchase of tickets is recommended, get your tickets HERE. arnold's bar & grill
is the oldest saloon in the City of Cincinnati , founded in 1861 and in continuous operation ever since – straight through Prohibition. Specializing in above-par American comfort food, their booth brings a delicious taste to Bockfest Hall. washington platform
A restored restaurant, built in 1860, originally established as The Johan Armleder Wine and Lager Beer Saloon. Their booth showcases the inventive and often playful takes on crab, lobster, paste, meats they are known for. taste of belgium
is a restaurant group of Belgian-inspired eateries. They take traditional Belgian recipes and twist them; they take American classics and Belgianize them. Their booth will serve the famous waffle n'chicken among other specialties. SERVATII
Wilhelm Gottenbusch, a German immigrant, came to the United States after traveling around the world and in 1963 opened his first bakery in Hyde Park. Servatii has enjoyed creating special memories for the Cincinnati area for the last 50 years and is looking forward to creating many more over the years to come. Their booth will feature their authentic pretzels and beer cheese. ELI's BBQ
Serving up their famous BBQ all weekend, you can come in and hear the record player run a needle through an old favorite song while you eat and visit with good friends and meet a few new ones. Visit the Findlay Market location at 133 West Elder Street |
Make a stop at a dozen and a half participating bars and restaurants all weekend long, many with drink and food specials for Bockfest goers. Admission is always FREE all weekend long! Check out the schedule below and go HERE for additional venues and schedules.
Official Venue |
Hours |
Specials |
11A-12A |
Brunch begins at 11A - Listermann's Friar Bacon Smoked Maple Coffee Bock Bottle Release (Limited Edition of 500 Bottles) at 1P. Live music at 11A |
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11A-5P |
All Weekend Special: Pretzels featuring spent grains from local breweries |
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12P-7P |
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12P-2A |
Smokin' Dudes BBQ grilling on the patio. Live music with Dat Band 7P-10P, DJ 10P-2A |
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11A-3A |
Value |
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2P-8P |
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10A-12A |
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12P-12A |
Half-price drafts 3P-4P |
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4P-10P |
$3.50 cans, $3.50 calls |
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4P-2A |
Value |
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11A-5P |
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12P-12A |
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11A-2:30A |
6P Discounted bock beers for service industry night |
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12P-12A |
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11A-2A |
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11A-11P |
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11A-9:30P |
All Weekend Special: Bottle of Bock Beer with Goat Soup $6.50 |
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8A-3P |
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11A-11P |
All Weekend Special: Bock Beer & Special Bockfest Menu. New Orleans Jazz brunch 11A-3P with live music from Second Line Jazz Trio. "Dr. Morgans Hangover Relief" walking tour 12P & 2P, tour patrons get 10% discount on food purchases before & after tour |
tHANKS TO THE AWESOME PEOPLE WHO MAKE BOCKFEST POSSIBLE
PRESENTING SPONSORS
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BOCK SPONSORS
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AMAZING BOCKFEST HALL VENDORS
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