The Trip to Indy – Day Five Recap: The Start of the Return Voyage – Visiting Cincinnati and Kentucky (Taste of Belgium, Moerlein Lager House, Braxton Brewing, Taft’s Ale House, Urban Artifact)
Woooo-eeee. Another long day in the books… Day 5 and the start of the return to Pennsylvania.
Woke up in the hotel, drove to Cincinnati, stopping about an hour into the two hour drive to walk a one mile little park area called Brum’s Woods, just to give my legs a wake up and keep myself from falling asleep. But once I got into Cincinnati, I fell in love, immediately.
I got to park right near the Cincinnati Red’s stadium – Great American Ball Park. For 5.50$ I got two hours on the meter. I walked along the river front, walked along the one street, and found this Taste of Belgium restaurant. …I couldn’t help but go in.
Next thing I know I’m having Rodenbach, Avobode, and other high quality Belgian beers. And its only 11AM. I finally manage to pull myself away, and walked the Roebling Bridge into Kentucky and back, and then I stop in at the Christian Moerlein Lager House.
Another fine brewery establishment. This was great, got to drink upstairs at the bar (something I never realized I would be so grateful for, since we can’t do this back in Pennsylvania anymore), and talked to a wonderful young sweet bartender who told me all about Cincinnati and we discussed the changing laws. She was saying they were expecting a news conference today about some new restrictions. From my view, I could see Paul Brown Stadium while I drank my pint.
After saying goodbye, I went back to my meter, put another 5.50$ in, and then went to the Underground Railroad Museum. If you are in Cincinnati, this is something you should definitely do. It is extremely powerful, and a very well done museum.
I then got back in my car and drove to Braxton Brewing Company in Kentucky. Now…. I hate to speak ill of a state…. but Kentucky was horrible. The brewery was AMAZING. But getting to it… and then leaving it… was so extremely aggravating. I have no idea why… but it was only 1.5 miles and it took me twenty minutes to get there, and fifteen minutes to leave. Apparently Kentuckians don’t know how to do round-a-bouts correctly. I have no idea what was going on with that.
But, let me just say, the brewery was amazing. And Adam – the bartender – was one of the best bartenders I’ve gotten to spend time with and talk to in a while. I promised him I’d make a shout out to him in this blog post, so there you go. Dude is straight up nice, knowledgeable, and great bartender. If you stop in at Braxton Brewing, make sure you say hi to him, he is a class act. He too mentioned the governor of Ohio, and his own governor, doing an announcement at some point.
After making it back into Ohio, and Cincinnati, thankfully, I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Where I puttered about acting like I know what art is. I don’t. No clue. My ex-wife went to school to be an art teacher, and I have zero understanding of art. I always want to put a sign over urinals in bathrooms at art museums that just say: “THIS IS ART. YOU ARE MAKING ART.” And see if people will take pictures of it and believe it.
After the art museum, I then went to Taft’s Ale House.
This is another one of those beautiful stories of a church being turned into a brewery to preserve the building. Also, if you see the logo its Taft in a bathtub, so if you know the story of that, you’ll understand why I find that so amusing. (I’ll elaborate on that in the full write-up.)
After Taft’s I then went to Urban Artifact. It came as the most highly recommended place for me to visit from all of my friends, and I am so completely glad I did. Wow, every beer was absolutely amazing and fantastic. All sours. All sooo sooo sooooooooooo good. I picked up plenty of beers for Deuene Hoffman, and myself, and a t-shirt for myself, bid them a fond adieu, and then drove to Wilmington Ohio, where I was hoping to hit up a cidery right before they closed up, but unfortunately I got there at 10:05PM and as I walked up they closed the doors. So next time I’m in the area, I’ll try and hit it up again, I’m not a huge cider person, but if its there, its there, might as well. And figured this would be a great ending stop to the day. Oh well, so it goes. The cidery is called TinCap Cidery. In case you are ever in Wilmington Ohio, there is a cidery.
Ok, tomorrow will be Hocking Hills and some more legit hiking again, as well as Jackie O’s in Athens, and then on to Ohiopyl Saturday and the end of my trip sadly. My bank account I think is looking forward to this trip being over the most… …and my liver.
Well, stay healthy out there everyone, cheers!
-B. Kline
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The Trip to Indianapolis:
