About

Join the Brewing Heritage Trail on this limited edition seasonal tour (Sept.-Nov.) and learn about gruesome and macabre events from Cincinnati’s past. Grave robbing, a serial killing saloonist, and other murderous and deadly mayhem is explored on this new tour, which also includes a visit to an abandoned city street, overtaken by nature, as well as a flashlight tour of the Imperial Theater and the 19th century Jackson Brewhouse. Both have not been open to the public in many years and their exploration is only available through this tour!

Additional Information

This is an outdoor walking tour of less than one mile, starting and concluding at the Northern Row Brewery & Distillery, for a pint of beer. Some content may not be appropriate for young children, so please keep this in mind when booking.

About

Professional baseball began in Cincinnati and this unique experience takes guests to every location where the Reds played during the 19th and 20th century, tracing the connection between historic brewing and our national pastime along the way, and includes a stop at Great American Ball Park, the home of the Reds since 2003.

Beginning at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, located adjacent to Great American Ball Park and the site of Riverfront Stadium, the Reds’ home from 1970-2002, the tour begins with an informative trip to the warning track that surrounds the field at Great American Ball Park and includes a stop in the Reds’ home dugout. From there, we head out via bus to Union Grounds, where the undefeated 1869 Red Stockings played baseball! Crosley Field is certainly on the list, as is the original Crosley Radio Factory, where Powel Crosley built his broadcast empire before purchasing the Reds.

Findlay Market’s Opening Day Parade is a Cincinnati tradition dating back more than a century and we’ll take you along the original parade route, sharing stories from the event’s past, as we head into the Brewery District to check out some of the brewing structures tied to Reds history.

Additional Information

Tickets include a souvenir map, showing the ballpark sites visited, a beer or soft drink at the Moerlein Lager House (located directly across the street from Great American Ball Park) when we return, and a complimentary admission ticket to the Reds Hall of Fame, the largest team Hall of Fame in baseball (good for one visit, valid through 12/30/26), Tours run rain or shine and the group does disembark from the bus several times in order to take a closer look at some locations, but guests are welcome to remain onboard. Don’t miss out on this new, one of a kind tour, only offered by the Brewing Heritage Trail!

We recommend buying your tickets in advance for this tour. If it has not met the required minimum of tour guests within 72 hours (3 days) of the start time it will be closed in order to inform our tour guides, taproom partner, and transportation company. Cancellations and rescheduling of this tour are also not permitted inside the 72 hour window.

Built on Beer Tour

Brewers & Barons Trail Tour

About

Discover the people and places that made brewing a cornerstone of the Queen City’s history with a guided tour of our unique historical trail. Beginning at the Brewing Heritage Trail “Hop On” sign at Findlay Market, we walk along the eastern portion of the Brewery District, sharing stories of the workers, brewmasters, and beer barons from the 19th and early 20th century. Experience the places they worked, learn the dangers they faced, and the empires they built by producing America’s best brews.

Tours include a visit into the subterranean lagering cellars and tunnels of the historic (non-operating) Schmidt Brothers / Crown Brewery, as well as outdoor visitation to historic Lafayette, Hudepohl and Kauffman Brewery structures. Those joining us in the underground cellar will need to be able to traverse a series of stairs leading in and out, but all guests have the option to remain topside.

More Information

At the conclusion of each tour, the group will return to the Race Street Station Bar at Findlay Market for a round of pints, included with the tour.

About

Over-the-Rhine is a historic neighborhood comprised of amazing structures both above and below the ground. Come and explore with us as we walk and ride the streetcar to major topside landmarks such as Findlay Market, Music Hall, Washington Park, and the location of the Miam-Erie Canal. We’ll also learn about its underground history as we stop by several places from above, including the pre-Prohibition lagering facility of the Lafayette Brewery and Cincinnati’s abandoned subway system below Central Parkway. Then we’ll go underground, where the Gerke Brewery fermented and cold-stored their beer dating back to the 1850s.

At the conclusion of the tour, a pint of beer is included at the Sam Adams Taproom, where they brew Cincinnati exclusive beers, but also offer all of their national brands! 

More Information

This tour is not recommended for young children due to the steep steps leading in and out of the Gerke Lagering Cellar, required for guests who choose to explore the underground section of this tour. However, guests have the option to remain topside.

About

Our fun begins at the Cincinnati Lager House, where we’ll have a flight of beers and take a short tour of the brewpub, before enjoying a freshly prepared brunch. Afterward, we catch a streetcar to Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, looking for relics of the city’s brewing past, both large and small, often hidden in plain sight. We’ll share stories of not only the breweries that helped to build the Queen City, but also the saloons where thirsty citizens gathered every day.

Along the way, the tour stops in for a pint at the Lackman Bar, located at a pre-Prohibition saloon site, with many local favorites on tap. After quenching our thirst, we’ll visit the historic underground lagering cellars of the the Park Brewery, open for the first time to visitors in many years and only available through this tour! Finally, we’ll catch the streetcar and head back to the Cincinnati Lager House.

Food & Beverage Info

This tour includes a flight of Cincinnati Lager House beers, an entree selection from the brunch menu, and a pint of beer at the Lackman Bar.

More Information

Please wear comfortable shoes for walking and dress appropriately for the weather conditions, as we will be walking outside for part of the tour. Stairs are required to enter and exit the underground lagering cellars, but all guests have the option to remain topside.

Bruckmann Brewery Tour

About

We welcome private tours outside of our normal tour schedule. You can choose one of the public tours listed on our website or we can customize one for you. Tours are great for business outings, bachelor and bachelorette parties, family outings, and more! We can also assist with partners at local breweries and restaurants for tastings, food, and more.

Contact us at: info@brewingheritagetrail.org and let us know the date and time you are considering, along with the anticipated number of guests and any specific tour content or locations, such as taprooms, you’d like to visit.

Below is some general information about our private tours:

– Schedule/Duration: We can typically start the tour at any day or time you prefer and can meet you at one of our regular starting locations or one of your choosing in Over-the-Rhine or downtown Cincinnati. Typically these tours are about 90-120 minutes, but we are flexible on the time depending on what you prefer.

– Content: Most of our public tours are available as private tours and they typically include a visit to an 1850s underground lagering cellar, but if there are particular locations you’d like to visit, please let us know, otherwise we can curate the content for you. These are usually walking tours, but we can set up transportation for an additional fee or utilize the streetcar, which is free.

– Cost: The base fee is $400 and covers the first 10 guests on the tour. Additional guests are $36 per person and for groups of 20 or more, they are $34 per person. If you would like us to set up a pint or flight of beers at a local taproom before, during, or after the tour it is typically $5-11 per person depending on where we go and what you want to drink. However, if you would like to keep all food/beverages on a separate tab, we can set things up that way as well. For all private tours, we include a gratuity for the guide in our pricing and for groups of more than 20, we typically add a second guide, splitting the group in two.

– Timeline: We like to have most details and payments finalized two weeks before the tour date in order to schedule a guide and notify any taprooms we’re working with on the tour. For large groups of 20 or more, we like to have most arrangements finalized a little sooner.