Saloon Tours is known for its tours of Cincinnati's saloons, but throughout the month of August, the "Brothels, Bootleggers & Booze Tour" will include a post-tour tasting. Each week, different craft breweries and distilleries will be featured.
The tours, which are led by Michael Morgan, president of
Queen City History and founder of heritage tourism in Cincinnati, start at 11 a.m. every Saturday in August at
Arnold's Bar & Grill; the tastings immediately follow the tour.
“My goal is to really bring a fresh perspective to Cincinnati,” says Morgan. “The city has a rich history, and it’s very old for an American city. Cincinnatians haven’t done a very good job of retaining that history or celebrating it, or even knowing it. I want to turn people onto that rich history and make it enjoyable for them.”
This is the first time “Brothels, Bootleggers & Booze” has included a tasting. “Part of the inspiration behind it was that Arnold’s just got in a new 23-tap handle system, so they’re going to have the best selection of local beers of anyone in Cincinnati,” says Morgan.
The featured breweries and distilleries for August included
Christian Moerlein (Aug. 3) and
Listermann Brewing (Aug. 10).
Middle West Spirits, which makes handcrafted OYO brand vodkas, bourbons and ryes out of Columbus, will be at the Aug. 17 tasting, and
Rhinegeist is on tap for Aug. 24 and
Blank Slate Brewing will be featured Aug. 31.
Arnold’s was built in 1838 as a brothel, and is Cincinnati’s oldest continuously operating saloon—it became a saloon in 1861. Tour guests get the inside scoop and colorful history of the saloon, and take a walking tour of Cincinnati’s dozens of breweries, distilleries and almost 2,000 saloons that made the city notorious for drunkenness and mayhem. The tours start and end at Arnold’s.
The tour and tasting combos are $30, and tours without the tasting are $25. Tickets are available on the
Saloon Tours' website.
By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter
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