Streetside Brewery is marking Thanksgiving with a nod to the most famous turkey stunt in television history. The East End Cincinnati brewery releases Oh, The Humanity!, an American wheat ale named for the WKRP in Cincinnati turkey drop, on Saturday, Nov. 14. The beer is meant to be easy-drinking enough to hand runners at the finish line.
The name comes from “Turkeys Away,” the 1978 episode in which station manager Arthur Carlson drops live turkeys from a helicopter over a shopping center. Newsman Les Nessman, reporting live as the birds hit the ground “like sacks of wet cement,” cries out, “Oh, the humanity!” The episode first aired on CBS on Oct. 30, 1978, and TV Guide later named it one of the 100 greatest TV episodes. It ends with Carlson’s line: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”
What’s in Streetside Brewery’s Oh, The Humanity!
According to the label, as reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Oh, The Humanity! is brewed with American pilsner malt plus white and red wheat, then dry-hopped with Cascade and Citra. The brewery has not published an ABV, and we have not seen one on the label or in the coverage.
Streetside owner Kathie Hickey told the Enquirer the beer was built for after a race. “It’s light and doesn’t fill you up,” she said. “Especially, after a race you’re a bit dehydrated, so you don’t want one of those big heavy beers.” She added that the same lightness makes it a good beer for the Thanksgiving table. Cascade and Citra are two of the most familiar American hops, and you can read about both in our Hop Directory.
Saturday release party with a fun run
The release day starts early, and it is a fitting one for a Cincinnati beer named after a Cincinnati sitcom. Streetside Brewery will hold a “fun run” at 9 a.m. at its Eastern Avenue taproom, and the doors open at 10 a.m. FC Cincinnati mascot Gary the Lion is scheduled to appear from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Live music starts at noon, and the brewery’s music calendar lists The Dugan Brothers from noon to 3 p.m. for the Oh, The Humanity release.
Ten percent of Saturday’s Oh, The Humanity! sales go to the FC Cincinnati Foundation. This is not the first time we have seen local beer and the city’s soccer club come together. Back in 2020 we covered Braxton Brewing’s FC Cincinnati hard seltzer pack.
A free beer at the Thanksgiving Day Race finish
The beer also has a role on Thanksgiving morning. Runners who finish the 2026 Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race will get an Oh, The Humanity! for free. The Enquirer reports that this is the first year the race has given beer to finishers.
Hickey said Streetside Brewery will sell the beer until it runs out, but it should last through Thanksgiving. Anyone who wants a pint after the holiday should not wait too long.
Plan your visit
- What: Oh, The Humanity! American wheat ale release
- When: Saturday, Nov. 14. Fun run at 9 a.m., doors at 10 a.m., music from noon
- Where: Streetside Brewery, 4003 Eastern Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio
- Good cause: 10% of Saturday sales benefit the FC Cincinnati Foundation
- Availability: While it lasts, expected through Thanksgiving
Even from orbit we can confirm that turkeys cannot fly. Streetside Brewery has made sure the beer will at least land softly. Looking for more seasonal pours? See Horse & Dragon’s Winter Lights Gingerbread Stout.
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