BY LISA DONOVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Call it an exercise in the power of persuasion.
A committee of Cincinnati City Council members wants Taste of Cincinnati organizers to sit down with owners of local microbreweries and try to reach a compromise before the committee approves this year's Memorial Day weekend event.
Local microbrewers say they have been excluded from the event, designed to showcase the city of Cincinnati's culinary offerings. Officials with Downtown Council, the event promoters, say the focus of the "family oriented" event is on food -- not beer.
Still, the sponsor of Taste -- Miller Brewing Company -- will be selling beer, as will two other local brewers, Oldenberg Brewing Company and Sam Adams. Miller has a brewery in Butler County and a sales office in Cincinnati.
"The issue of excluding local microbreweries at a Taste of Cincinnati raises a number of policy questions for council to consider concerning that event and any other subsidized at any level by the city," Councilwoman Jeanette Cissell said Monday during a meeting of council's Law and Public Safety Committee.
If the two sides meet this week, the committee would make a recommendation on the event next Monday, with final approval by council April 15. Mrs. Cissell and Councilman Todd Portune proposed allowing local microbreweries to participate in the event. Mr. Portune explained that the city provides fire, police and other services for Taste at no extra cost to the organizers.
But promoters say they weren't trying to slight anyone -- just practicing good business, said Teri Gasper, vice president of the Greater Cincinnati Area Chamber of Commerce in charge of the Downtown Council.
In the case of BarrelHouse Brewing Co., whose owners raised concerns about being excluded, Ms. Gasper said promoters had several reasons not to offer the Over-The-Rhine brewer a spot to sell beer. Among them is the higher cost of the specialty brew for customers. Repeated attempts to reach BarrelHouse owners were unsuccessful Monday night.
