Contributed By Jenny Callison | freelance contributor
Charlene Lausche doesn’t drink beer, but she’s excited about the program on Cincinnati’s brewing heritage that will be presented at the September 17 meeting of Forest Park Women’s Club.
The program, “Foam, Sweet Foam,” will feature Jim Bruckmann of the Cincinnati Museum Center. Bruckmann’s family operated a brewery in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and he will recount the heady days of beer production when a large German immigrant population in the Queen City guaranteed a strong demand for the beverage.
“They took their beer drinking seriously,” said Lausche. “On average, each Cincinnati resident consumed 40 gallons a year, which was 24 gallons more than the national average at the time. In 1860, Cincinnati had 36 breweries; there were 26 still operating before Prohibition.”
Lausche, the women’s club’s program chair, plans to serve pizza and beer to accompany the program – with root beer floats as a non-alcoholic alternative. The program, which begins at 7 p.m., is free of charge and open to the public. Prospective members are always welcome. Location is the Forest Park Senior Center, next to the city’s police department at the corner of Winton and Kemper roads. Meeting information: 513-522-0066.