'Can't keep in stock:' Why Rhinegeist's Bearcats-backing Cincy Light has been big success

It’s a familiar conversation at stores that sell beer across Greater Cincinnati.

“What’s that new beer everyone wants and we can’t keep in stock?” a Party Source worker asked a colleague on the two-way radio.

“Cincy Light. It’s from Rhinegeist.”

It’s a conversation I overheard a couple of Fridays ago, right after I had picked up four of the six remaining 12 packs of Cincy Light on the shelf.

The light beer launched to support University of Cincinnati athletes has been an overnight sensation. It’s perhaps the hottest-selling, Cincinnati-brewed beer ever in the time frame since its launch. Cincy Light debuted on draft in June and in 12-pack of cans last month.

It's left everyone involved in the Cincy Light project wondering: How the heck has a new light beer become such a phenomenon?

Social media has been abuzz about Cincy Light. It was a staple at tailgate parties before UC's season opener at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 2, and Cincy Light sold out at several concession stands. Cincy Light will be flowing again at Nippert Stadium on Saturday night for the Bearcats' annual rivalry game against Miami, and UC's vendor has ordered extra to ensure it doesn't run out.

Rhinegeist donates $1 from every 12-pack and $13 from every keg of Cincy Light sold to Cincy Reigns, the fund set up to pay UC football players and other athletes through name, image and likeness deals. Neither Rhinegeist nor Cincy Reigns are publicly revealing how much money has been made on Cincy Light sales yet. But I’ve heard some of the data, and it's mind-boggling.

“We’ve already exceeded our goals for the year,” said Brian Fox, chairman of Cincy Reigns.

Rhinegeist has already quadrupled the amount, or volume, of Cincy Light it had originally expected to brew for the rest of 2023, interim CEO Adam Bankovich said. Rhinegeist has had to add seven new jobs to its production team to keep up with demand for Cincy Light, in addition to another new beer the 10-year-old brewery launched earlier this year, Juicy Truth. Cincinnati's largest craft brewery also has added a third shift for its packaging crew.

"It’s been an over-the-top success, any way you slice it," Bankovich said.

Retailers, bars and restaurants are clamoring for Cincy Light. Beer drinkers are constantly sharing stories online about how their local retailer is out of Cincy Light or that they bought up the last 12 packs on the shelf.

Cincy Light is now available in 500 retail locations and 300 bars and restaurants across Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and the Dayton area. That’s significantly more locations than where it started.

Cincy Light’s popularity has forced Rhinegeist leaders to start discussing the possibility that it might need to expand its production facility in Over-the-Rhine or find another brewing facility. Rhinegeist, which opened in summer 2013, already was among the nation’s top 25 largest craft breweries before the Cincy Light launch.

“I can definitely tell you this was our biggest summer we’ve ever had – and Cincy Light is part of it,” Bankovich said. “We’re not bursting at the seams yet, but we’re getting close.”

Bankovich calls the production challenges a “good problem.” It’s especially a good problem at a time when growth in the American craft beer industry has been stunted, partly because the novelty has worn off and increased competition from canned, liquor-infused cocktails.

It's hard to imagine a light beer helping to buck the trend for Rhinegeist, given the market is overly saturated with that style of brew. But a light beer is actually unique to a local craft brewery. The industry has long snubbed its nose at light beers, deciding instead to brew more hoppy, unique-flavored and full-flavored options.

It’s likely a combination of factors that's led to Cincy Light's success: Light beer is popular. Rhinegeist is popular. The Bearcats are popular. Cincy Light isn't priced like craft beer. It's competitively priced with Miller Lite, Coors Light and Bud Light. And with every sip, UC fans feel like they're helping the Bearcats remain competitive in the wild-west of college sports.

Could Cincy Light have launched right at a time when light beer drinkers were looking for a new beer in the wake of the Bud Light controversy? That's difficult to quantify, but maybe

Another line of thinking could be: If you’re going to drink a light beer at the tailgate and stadium anyway, why not make it a Cincy Light?

Whatever the case, Rhinegeist and Cincy Reigns have hit on a perfect partnership. They're now working on a strategy to make Cincy Light a long-term success. It seems like it's here to stay.

“I believe there’s a real level of authenticity to this,” Bankovich said. “It’s resonating with people because it’s something they can get behind. I don’t think this would have worked if we called it ‘Rhinegeist Light.' We are connecting this to Cincinnati. It’s Cincinnati’s light lager.”

Contact columnist Jason Williams by email at  jwilliams@enquirer.com and on Twitter @jwilliamscincy.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats: How Rhinegeist's Cincy Light beer has taken off