The lack of a taproom is making it tough for Cincinnati to get their proper taste of what Ludlow’s Bircus is all about – especially considering how much of who Bircus really is lies in their taproom, and the experience that it will bring. That’s not stopping the brewery from kicking things into gear this summer and starting to brew their beer, along with tapping it all over town.
Actually… as I’m writing this, I realize how perfect that really is… let’s start with explaining the idea of Bircus again, just in case you don’t know about them.
Bircus? What’s Bircus?
Bircus is a much bigger idea that just a craft brewery in Northern Kentucky. The idea (from the brewery’s website) reads:
BIRCUS (BEERCUS), a Flemish pronunciation as if spelled with a tricked out Ï, is the collaborative brainstorm and clever invention of Circusplaneet, a youth circus in Ghent, Belgium. Circusplaneet was founded by Frank Dejanckheere, Gadele Dauwe and Emily Ghekiere: “They dreamed of a better world. A place where kids, youngsters and adults could celebrate their quirky creative zest of life. And all of this in an atmosphere of trust, solidarity and fun.”
At the 2010 Network of International Circus Educators Conference in Berlin, Circus Mojo’s Creator, Paul Miller, met Circusplaneet’s Coördinator, Matthias Vermael. An innovator, free thinker and showman, Vermael introduced Miller to BIRCUS, an idea sparked from the desire to eschew government funding in pursuit of circus autonomy. Fancy that! These kindred spirits bonded over a couple BIRCUS beers and planned to bring this big-top idea stateside. Miller licensed the concept and set forth to expand the Ludlow Theatre into a brewery connected to local history, community outreach, unique entertainment and stellar beer.
In simple terms… it’s a circus, funded by a brewery. It’s also the reason that it makes sense for them to kick their brewing game into gear to help push the last bits of funding through to get their Ludlow taproom up and running.
The Event
In a completely separate story – Kung Food Chu’s Amerasia is gearing up to celebrate their 9th anniversary this weekend (10/14/2017). They’ve got some great stuff lined up to make sure the event is one that you won’t want to miss.
They’ve got live music from Wabi Sabi Ambient Jazz Experiment featuring special guest Yemi Oyediran from 6-7:15. The group incorporates the Zen-like concept of being in the moment by performing without sheet music or pre-conceived melodies – just pure improvisation. From 7:30-8:45 the Catacomb Saints will be performing “live rap and soul, Boom Bap to Trap”, and then from 9-10:30 the Watusi Tribe will perform their classic hip-hop with Covington Roots.
There’s of course going to be food, games… and beer.
Atilla The Plum
If you’ve been looking for a good opportunity to get your chance to try some Bircus beer… they brewed this one up special for Amerasia’s event. The beer is a black tea and plum Belgian Tripel, and will be tapped at 5:30.
As of right now, Amerasia also has the brewrey’s Alta Via Altbier on tap, if just one Bircus beer isn’t enough to please you.
Another point to note is that they are still raising capital, which means you’ve got a chance to invest in what they are doing and become an owner of a Cincinnati brewery. The legal mumbo-jumbo isn’t my “thing”, but from what I understand is previously you had to meet a lot of different criteria to be able to invest in some of our local projects, where as now there is a new law that enables anyone to invest up to a certain amount, which means regardless of who you are you’ve got a chance to buy a share of Bircus for $2000.
Something to keep in mind… for sure!
If you’re itching for more information about Bircus, and what they are not only doing right now, but what they are planning on doing in the near future, you might want to keep your eyes and ears peeled. I’ve got some fun stuff with them coming up down the pipeline, including an episode of Cincy Brewcast later this month that should help you get to know them and what they’re doing!