cincy winter beerfest

i just wanted to give a shout out to beerfest in case any readers out there have not heard about it. this is an awesome event if you like beer and actually even if you don't. i volunteered at it last year and had so much fun. basically what you do is get a cup and go around and taste all kinds of beers from various breweries. this year there are going to be over 125 beers so start getting your liver ready now. there will also be food (skyline and pizza last year i think) and music.

once again i am stealing images but i think the beerfest people will be ok with that

everyone gets drunk and ridiculous but the beer drinking crowd is very laid back so it is really fun. it is going to be on saturday, 1/30 at the hyatt downtown. tickets are available on the website and i think they are $30. all profits go to the big joe duskin music education foundation. i absolutely love this event and i think it is one of the most fun things to do in cincinnati, well besides all the other beer festivals i guess.

GIMB goes to taste of the nfl

yes readers, that's right, i am taking the plunge... i have decided to try pimping out my blog in exchange for free food. i will be going to taste of the nfl where i will mingle with football players whose names i do not know, stuff my face with cincinnati snacks, and try to get someone to bid on silent auction items for me, all to support the freestore foodbank.

what is taste of the nfl? here is some info from the press release:

On Friday, June 19, the FreestoreFoodbank will present this year’s Taste of the NFL, an annual event giving Cincinnati Bengals fans the unique opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with members of the Bengals team, sample delicious dishes from Greater Cincinnati’s best restaurants and help their hometown team tackle the growing issue of hunger in our community.

The benefit will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Club Lounge West at Paul Brown Stadium. Hosted by Cincinnati Bengals guard Andrew Whitworth and Chef Andy Hajjar of Andy’s Mediterranean Grille, this dinner-by-the-bite event will pair chefs from more than 30 of the Tri-State’s favorite restaurants with players, coaches and alumni from the Cincinnati Bengals football team.

"wait a minute liz," you ask, "why the hell are you going to this event? you are like the opposite of a bengals fan." it is true, i do not know or care about the bengals. when i moved to cincinnati, all anyone ever talked about was the damn bengals. it took me a good week to figure out that this was a sports team and not a pack of wild animals. i was also trying to remember how the hell to order food in a drive thru so cut me some slack. i lumped the bengals in with wal-mart, casey kasem's top 40, the cracker barrel, and other icons of the midwest that make me want to kill myself.

however, time has passed and now i am trying to embrace all things cincinnati and what is more cincinnati than the bengals? i am ready to give them another chance, especially if a) there is free food involved and b) i do not have to actually watch football. furthermore, the freestore foodbank is an awesome organization that helps a ridiculous number of people in cincinnati and i am happy to do what i can to support and promote it.

here is some info about the freestore foodbank:

The FreestoreFoodbank is the largest emergency food and services provider in the Tri-State. The organization is a trusted partner to 400 nonprofit member agencies spread across 20 counties, through which the FreestoreFoodbank annually distributes 10 million pounds of food and product to more than 160,000 individuals. By providing emergency food distribution, the FreestoreFoodbank works to determine the root causes of poverty and food insecurity and is able to provide an array of services (emergency clothing, housing services, Food Stamps assistance, Medicaid outreach and others) aimed at creating self-reliance.

clearly this is a cause i can get behind. however, the fact remains that i know nothing about the bengals. fortunately i get to bring a guest so kieran invited himself along as a "bengals fan." i have serious doubts about his actual knowledge of the bengals, so we will see how that goes. i am imagining the scene in my head...

liz: yum, ribs! hey, who is that guy?
kieran: that's ocho cinco.
liz: what is ocho cinco?
random bengals player: what the hell. i am NOT ocho cinco. who are you?
liz: get in mah belly!!!
random bengals player: security!

so readers, if you would like to stalk, i mean join, me for an evening of food, bengals, hopefully an open bar, and definitely lots of awkward conversations, buy your ticket now for taste of the nfl.