Both say they dropped out of the running after the group promoting the attraction sought upward of half a million dollars in capital and marketing money in its request for proposals. The two were among 12 finalists trying to land the attraction proposed by a Maryland group.

Twenty-eight cities had competed to land the 100,000-square-foot attraction. Joe Gardenghi, director of operations for the beer group's U.S. Beer Drinking Team and Beer Radio - a radio talk show about beer - has said the organization wants to build a tourist attraction focusing on the heritage of beer. The site will be announced Oct. 30.

"I was looking to sell my building to somebody, and they were looking for somebody to give them a building," said Denny Dellinger, an architect who owns a former brewery in Over-the-Rhine.

Dellinger said he understood another Cincinnati entrepreneur, Randall Herbst with Visions Implementation Group, was pursuing the attraction, but neither could be reached for comment Friday.

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