All of Cincinnati’s breweries are collaborating on a mega beer

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BlackTart is a collaboration among all 15 of Cincinnati's local licensed breweries to celebrate Cincinnati Beer Week.

Andy Brownfield

Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

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All of Cincinnati's licensed breweries are collaborating this winter on a mega brew to celebrate Cincinnati Beer Week.

BlackTart Tart Stout is a collaborative effort among 15 local breweries.

"This is the fourth year of Cincinnati Beer Week. At its inception, we really wanted to do something different with the week and celebrate the breweries in the city," Cincinnati Beer Week president Lindsey Roeper told me. "The first year we had six breweries participating. Fast forward, we have 15 this year."

All of the brewers got together earlier in the year to decide on what to brew. BlackTart is a tart stout brewed with cinnamon, lactose and blackberries. The beer weighs in at 8 percent alcohol by volume with 18 International Bitterness Units. Roeper said the taste was described to her as similar to a "yummy morning pastry."

The brewers are given freedom each year to choose whatever style of beer they want to collaborate on, she said. The only real requirement is that the beer be capable of being cellared.

All of the participating breweries contribute ideas and ingredients to the beer, and a different brewery takes responsibility for brewing the beer each year. Mt. Carmel brewed the collaborative Barleywine the first year, Rivertown made a Baltic Porter the second year and Christian Moerlein made the Imperial Pilsner last year.

MadTree is in charge of making BlackTart this year. The brewery is holding a public event on Dec. 12 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its brewery to kick off the brewing of the beer.

BlackTart is the first collaboration beer to be canned. The first round of canning will be kicked off at another event on Dec. 26.

Brownfield covers retail and restaurants, technology, manufacturing and courts.