I hadn't heard of the Red Ear Brewing Company, either.

Yesterday, John Campbell forwarded me a copy of a rules change being considered by Kentucky’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) regulatory arm.

"This administrative regulation amendment establishes the requirements for a licensed microbrewery to participate in private parties and charitable fundraisers. The amendment mirrors the regulation that allows producers of liquor and wine to participate."

In turn, I’m forwarding it to an attorney friend, and also inquiring of the management at River City Distributing, NABC’s Louisville wholesaler, because I understand very little of the proposed change and how it pertains to charitable donations.

But I made a game effort at reading it, and down around page 12, there’s a list of licensed microbreweries in Kentucky.

Okay … familiar stuff ... two Cumberlands (pub and production), two BBCs (St. Matthews and Main & Clay) and Browning’s (all in Louisville), Alltech in Lexington, and Newport’s Hofbrauhaus … but wait:

8. Midway Café
1017 S. Ft. Thomas Ave
Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075
Located in Campbell County

9. Vito’s Café
654 Highland Ave. #29
Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075
Located in Campbell County

The Midway Café link is of no help whatsoever, but the Vito’s site makes reference to the Red Ear Brewing Company as a new component of the café, otherwise famous for singing Italian waiters. Searching a bit further, there’s information on Red Ear at the Thrive: Northern Kentucky website.

The microbrewery will be run by Matt Wehmeyer, son of Vito's owners Mary and Vito Ciepiel. Wehmeyer's new business venture is named Red Ear Brewing Company after a familiar fish he used to catch called the "Red Ear Sunfish."

"I remember seeing a hundred different beers on the shelf and not knowing anything about them," says Wehmeyer. A recent trip to Asheville, NC is what really sparked him to move forward with starting his own brewing company.

"I took a trip to Asheville where they have like seven microbreweries, and I thought to myself that we needed more microbrews here in Cincinnati," says Wehmeyer. Red Ear is one of the first microbreweries in Northern Kentucky and one of the few in the Cincinnati region.

As Johnny Carson once confessed, “I did not know that.”

Readers: Did you?