“Less than a week after moving to town, I was recruited to march in the Bockfest parade with a lively group of streetcar activists.
Background information about Cincinnati’s Bockfest tradition can be found in this article by Casey Coston:
http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0302bocktoberfest.aspx?utm_campaign=Soapbocks&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Soapdish:%20Bocktoberfest!
Coston writes:
“‘Bock’ (‘goat’ in German) finds its link to beer in an old Renaissance-era tale of a drinking contest between two German beer-brewing monks. In a yee olde world twist on your standard game of quarters, the beer’s potency was said to have caused the loser of this duel to effectuate a face plant on the abbey’s unforgiving stone floor, which he sheepishly blamed on a wayward goat. The victor, gloating, replied that the only goat knocking him down was in the beer, and, thus, the bock beer legend was born.”
“Just like their Belgian cousins working the Trappist magic, the German monks fired up their home breweries and stockpiled the bock as Spring drew closer. During the Lenten fast, the potent bock beers provided heftier sustenance and nutrients than the lighter lagers, thus providing a convenient liquid lunch (not to mention breakfast and dinner) for fasting (and no doubt hard partying) monks. Over-the-Rhine, during its beer barrel heyday, was home to approximately thirty-eight breweries (eighteen of which are still around in some form or another). In a nod to the change of season, a tradition developed among the breweries to release all of their bock beer on the same day, in the process marking the end of the Winter brewing season and the beginning of Spring.”
The Bockfest official site: http://www.bockfest.com/”
From Bockfest 2010, posted by David Cole on 3/06/2010 (21 items)
- The trojan goat makes its way down Eighth Street to Arnold’s.
- The trojan goat in front of Arnold’s.
- The trojan goat in front of Arnold’s.
- The trojan goat in front of Arnold’s.
- The parade brought out a lively cast of characters.
- Looks a little young to be a bishop.
- Getting ready to start the parade.
- Brad Thomas, author of the CincyStreetcar blog, in goat-themed attire.
- Our message was clear and simple.
- The procession taking shape in front of Arnold’s.
- Heading up Main Street toward the Bockfest Hall.
- Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.
- Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.
- Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.
- In front of the Bockfest Hall
- Jim Tarbell putting on some moves in front of the Bockfest Hall.
- Inside the Bockfest Hall, located in the former Kauffman Brewery building in Over-the…
- We made our presence known in the Bockfest Hall.
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