In 2008, Bockfest was almost entirely shut down by the largest snowfall in 20 years. A motley band of hardcore Bockfest fans took to the streets to parade through the snow, and hunkered down at Bockfest Hall to enjoy their delicious Bock beer. Unfortunately, everyone else was not so lucky and couldn’t make it to Over-the-Rhine.

In 2009, we felt a little retaliation was in order. A snowman effigy was acquired, and set alight at Grammer’s amid much celebration. The gods were thus put on notice, and provided us with a beautiful Bockfest weekend. With similar results in 2010 after burning another snowman at Milton’s, a tradition was born. We cannot conclusively guarantee that we have acquired the power to control the weather in Cincinnati, but it has worked for the past three years. In 2012, in fact, we attribute this ritual to why a tornado that was supposed to hit downtown Cincinnati was substituted with clearing skies in time for the parade. As importantly, burning a snowman is a lot more fun than watching a groundhog stick its head out of a hole.

This year, the retaliation will be held at Northern Row! Join us Friday, February 25th as we sentence a snowman to death during the annual Precipitation Retaliation Happy Hour!

Why should you join us?
- A representative for precipitation will be lit on fire.
- Happy Hour deals on pints & bites.
- We will be giving away some vintage Bockfest glassware!
- Beer poking! (We will be dipping a hot iron into our Doppelbock, caramelizing the malt and imparting a smoky character while giving the beer a creamy mouthfeel. Beer s'mores, basically)