Hop On The Trail With The Cellarmen’s Tour

Spend a weekend afternoon taking the Cellarmen’s Tour through Cincinnati’s historic urban neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine. Offered by the Brewing Heritage Trail, these 90-minute walking tours take you into the lagering cellars and tunnels of the historic Schmidt Brothers/Crown Brewery. The tour starts at the Brewing Heritage Trail Tour Center, located in the Christian Moerlein Malthouse at 1621 Moore Street.

Learn about the men who built and worked in the 19th century breweries and the long, grueling hours and dangerous working conditions they endured. Hear about men like Adam Ungebuehler, a stamp clerk at the Buckeye Brewery, and how he narrowly escaped from death. He was standing near the keg hoist when a piece of iron caught his foot and threw him into the shaft in which the hoist operates. He managed to brace himself against the sides of the shaft and avoid falling on the hooks where workers hung kegs to be hoisted up from the cellar. He was rescued by a fellow workman.

Then, there is the story of William Kuhlman, a brewer, who was thrown 50 feet down into the cellar of a brewery. The hemp ropes on the elevator broke as he was loading beer kegs. Kuhlman died from his injuries.

Also, on the tour, you’ll visit the site of the former Crown Brewery. In 1870, brothers Friedrich and Heinrich Schmidt bought the Box Brewery on Central Avenue. Later, Friedrich Schmidt and his new partner Henry Adam bought Bach’s Brewery on McMicken Avenue. This brewery, which became Schmidt Brothers Brewing Company in 1891, is part of the tour. The company sold Crown Beer and in 1905, the company name was changed to Crown Brewery. Wear sturdy shoes as you’ll climb down into the old lagering cellars and explore the tunnel that connects the old operation’s two buildings. You may want to bring a sweater also. The lagering cellars are a steady 55 degrees, which is why kegs were aged in them year-round.

​The tour concludes back at the Christian Moerlein Malthouse Taproom. Sample some of the latest craft beers on tap and enjoy German menu items like pretzels with beer cheese and brats.

Purchase Tour Tickets Online
The Cellarmen’s Tour takes place year-round starting at 12:30 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost $25. To book your tour, visit this tour ticketing link to see available dates.

Once your transaction is complete, you’ll receive a ticket via email, which serves as your record of the purchase. If you have questions or experience any problems with booking, please contact us at tours@brewingheritagetrail.org or 513-604-9812. Be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn for our latest updates!