How to go
What: Cincy Brew Ha-Ha
When: 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday
Where: Sawyer Point, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati
Cost: $5 beer wristband, $1 per sample, $5 per full serving
More info: www.cincybrewhaha.com
Cincy Brew Ha-Ha is billed as America’s largest beer and comedy festival, with more than 100 brands of beer and 50 comedians on four stages.
While one might think such a combination would produce heckling on a particularly obnoxious scale, a quick look at the Brew Ha-Ha’s Facebook page finds festival-goers talking in-depth about IPAs and IBUs, suggesting connoisseurship rather than a free-for-all.
“People like sampling beers they never tried before while listening to comedy,” said festival co-founder Michael Fillhardt. “We’ve never had any issues. We try to bring in beer from around the nation, as far away as Denver and California along with the local brews. This year, 50 of the 100 beers weren’t at the festival last year, and 25 of those 50 have never been at the festival at all.”
The headliners for this year’s festival will be Tom Arnold — best known for marrying Roseanne Barr then going on to co-star in the Hollywood films, True Lies and Nine Months and his own TV sitcom “The Jackie Thomas Show” — and Reno Collier, who was on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and frequently opened for Larry the Cable Guy. National comics who have appeared at the Brew Ha-Ha in previous years include Tom Green, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Pauly Shore.
“We work with (the) Go Bananas (Comedy Club),” Fillhardt said. “With their connections, they help us book all the acts, local and national. We’re excited about Tom. He should bring some laughs.”
Despite the regular appearance of celebrity comedians, Fillhardt stressed the Brew Ha-Ha is more about the other 48 performers who make up the show, the up-and-coming local and regional comics.
“It’s for comedians who are either just starting out or have been around for a little bit and want to use the festival as a stepping stone,” Fillhardt said.
Some examples include Josh Sneed — a Cincinnati-based comic who has had his own Comedy Central special and opened for Dave Chappelle and Lewis Black — and Mike Cody, a Cincinnati transplant who has won several comedy competitions and has become a regular at comedy clubs throughout the Midwest.
Fillhardt said that, due to the festival vibe, the Brew Ha-Ha is a unique experience for the performers as well.
“They’re used to performing in this small, intimate venues,” he said. “At the Brew Ha-Ha, by the time the headliners come on, there’s 10,000 people out there on the lawn. I get a lot of great feedback about it. They can be like rock stars but still get the interaction that you would get with a smaller crowd.”
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