CINCINNATI — Very punny, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Very punny indeed.
The zoo recently announced it will open Hops, a new craft beer garden, during its annual Zoo Brew event on Oct. 10. Hops' name is a two-fold play on the word reflecting both the beer garden's zoo location and a main ingredient used to brew beer.
“Cincinnati is a beer town, and we’re thrilled to expand our partnerships to offer visitors some selections that are brewed locally,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard in a press release.
The zoo partnered with Fifty West, High Grain, MadTree, Braxton and 3 Points Urban breweries to open Hops, which will be located near the zoo's new Roo Valley.
The still-under-construction Roo Valley will feature a kangaroo walk-about, a new little penguin habitat and Klimb, an adventure ropes course. Hops' 130-seat, multi-tiered deck will offer a spectacular view of those areas when the valley officially opens next spring.
Take a look at the 360 degree rendering of Hops created by zoo staff below.
Hops will also include rotating tap of national brews from Goose Island, Breckenridge, Elysian and Golden Road, along with a food menu featuring artisanal flat bread pizzas, oven-roasted meatballs and marinara, caprese salad, oven-fired chicken wings, roasted cauliflower and shareable pub pretzels and beer cheese.
Roo Valley and Hops are part of the zoo’s current “More Home to Roam” capital campaign. For more information about both projects visit www.cincinnatizoo.org.
