 
It's time for Bockfest! Cincinnati is home to the world's oldest Bock festival, and the city's deep connection with its beer heritage is well evident in this event. For those who are not aware, the Queen City was once home to 38 breweries, one for every neighborhood and then some, producing so much that it was the fourth largest manufacturer of lager in America. Cincinnatian's also drank every city in the United States under the table, consuming two-and-a-half times more beer more than any other: forty gallons of golden hues per resident in a given year were consumed, mostly concentrated in the deeply German-ethnic neighborhood Over-the-Rhine. Back before Prohibition, the breweries held a tradition to release all of their bock beer on the same day, to celebrate the end of winter and the welcoming of spring -- and to be used as a nutrient during Lent. Cincinnati was and still is deeply Catholic community. Bock beer is a robust, dark and rich lager, and provided much nourishment to those who sought it out in the beer gardens, resorts and bars that lined the streets. But the term bock, which means goat in German, derives from a tale back during the Renaissance. Supposedly, a drinking contest was held between two German beer-brewing monks, and one became so tipsy that he fell face-first into the stone floor of the abbey. Blaming a wayward goat, his competitor stated that the only goat knocking him down was his beer. Every year, Cincinnatian's celebrate this and more with Bockfest, a festival that lasts all weekend long and includes events such as the Prohibition Resistance Tour, historic church and biergarten tours and beer tappings, and featuring great authentic music and performers. And of course, the choosing of the Sausage Queen is one not to be forgotten. Contestants must love bock beer, have a sense of humor and love meat -- most notably, bockwurst. Those who become finalists must stride down a catwalk sporting a string of bockwurst and if they are lucky enough to be chosen, they can bear the crown of the Sausage Queen for a year. The event mostly takes place in Over-the-Rhine, named for the Miami and Erie Canal that separated the central city from the neighborhood; residents crossing the canal stated that it reminded them of crossing the Rhine River in Germany, and the designation has been with Cincinnati ever since. Unfortunately, Prohibition, enacted in 1919, doomed many of the breweries. Raids, shoot-outs and a massive loss of business forced many to quit in disgust. It wasn't until 1933 that it was repealed, but by then, the damage was done. But the glory days of beer production may be returning, aided in part by events such as Bockfest. | ||
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