Last year, Streetside invited a group of local folks (“influencers”… if you will) to help them craft a beer that would be a fun way to tie the community together. They nailed it, too. If you didn’t get a chance to try the big ‘Pastry Brown Ale With Waffles’ at the tapping event last year, I have great news for you this month… it’s back!

A beer meant to showcase community, beer, and collaboration… it was something really fun when it all came together last time.

The Original Idea

I wrote a bit about it last year when it was released (read about it here – or over on Cincinnati Refined, here) – but I wanted to circle back and give you a little bit of the reasoning behind this collaboration, especially looking back on it after a year.

A ton of folks around town work their butts off to showcase what makes Cincinnati special. I’m not just talking about the beer scene, either. There are Instagrammers that showcase the small businesses around their community, and bloggers that write about the restaurants that we all know have had a heck of a time over the last couple of years to keep doing what they do. There are podcasters, YouTubers, and more.

The world calls it “influencing” which can have a terrible connotation with it. A lot of these folks don’t fit into the standard stereotype that you draw up when you hear that word, though.

For me… on the “influencer” side of the collaboration… this was one of the big reasons I wanted to do this collaboration. I wanted a chance to be part of showcasing some of the really great folks around town that do this for the love of it.

Why Streetside?

Streetside is a great example of a community brewery in Cincinnati. They have always been dialed into their neighborhood, their customers, and how to play with trendy “stuff” while staying true to their roots. They are an influencer in the Cincinnati Beer scene and a natural fit for a collaboration like this.

It doesn’t hurt things that they make insanely good beer, either.

Who Else is Involved?

There were a ton of folks involved in this project – and I don’t know everyone super well… so bear with me if I miss someone and have to go back and fix it!

The group at last year’s beer release event.

This Year’s Release

We didn’t talk a lot about it last year, but when the Streetside team brewed up Socially Influenced last year, a little bit of it was tucked away in a bourbon barrel… just to see what would happen. Lucky for us, things turned out great… and they’re ready to release it for all of us to enjoy together!

The brewery is throwing a big event this year for the winter solstice and not only will Barrel-Aged Socially Influenced be hitting taps (and cans) but there are going to be three different, big barrel-aged beers released that day. It’s going to be a celebration of not just the big “social” community, but of winter drinking in general.

I’m pretty excited about this one.

It is all happening at the Streetside taproom on 12/21 from 4-10 pm – which… brings up another point that I know someone will point out. It might be a little chilly outside. Not only will these big barrel-aged beers warm you up from the inside, but Streetside is going to have a bourbon barrel fire on the patio for you to hang out around, too.

Sounds nice and “instagrammable”, right? That’s because it is.

A lot of us folks will be there, hanging out and drinking that night. It’s a great chance to come, be part of a community and drink some great beers together!

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