Ghost of the Rhine How Cincinnati’s favorite craft brewery is igniting a renaissance in the city’s urban core
By Michael J. Pallerino to spread its wings. Joining the team was Jim Matt, a brewing guru who also happened to have 20 years of chemistry experience, and Luke Cole, who had been roasting coffee and brewing at Rock Bottom’s downtown Cincinnati brewpub. The last piece of the puzzle was Dennis Kramer-Wine, who would help form the foundation for the brewery’s self-distribution model. Together, the Rhinegeist team opened its doors in June 2013, brewing its first batch of beer and innovating a dazzling array of beers for all craft lovers. CBAM sat down with Bryant to get his insights on why branding is critical in this age.
“We’re in the urban epicenter of Cincinnati’s beer renaissance.” That’s how Bob Bonder and Bryant Goulding, founders of Rhinegeist Brewery, describe the home of their widely popular craft beer. Their story can be traced to the story of their building, which goes back to 1895. At the turn of the 19th Century, Over-the-Rhine was home to nearly 45,000 inhabitants—most of whom were of German descent. Led by the city’s largest brewery, the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, Cincinnati was home to 38 breweries. The Moerlein building, which spanned three city blocks, produced more than 300,000 bbl annually before Prohibition. So there’s all that history. Fast-forward over 100 years and the story of Rhinegeist starts to take shape. After founding the Tazza Mia coffee business, Bob flirted with the idea of starting his own brewery, getting serious when he discovered Moerlein’s building lying vacant. His first call was to Bryant, who was selling beer on the West Coast for Dogfish Head after a stint with Anderson Valley Brewing. After a few impactful visits to Cincinnati, Bryant joined forces with Bob and the duo started their brewery-building journey. Their plan revolved around that historic brewery building on 1910 Elm Street. What once was a lifeless brewery became the start of a brand looking
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CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
Give us a snapshot of today’s craft brew market. When I look at the market today, I see a congested marketplace. Brands that have built a reputation for quality and innovation are growing, but the era of building national brands may be closing. It’s tougher to grow further away from your home market today. By the time you get to a place like Massachusetts (our furthest territory) you have some amazing regional and local breweries popping up in smaller towns and neighborhoods, and serving the market in a way they weren’t a few
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