Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
This is the third installment in my ongoing series of craft beer crossword puzzles. The first was a general craft beer crossword puzzle. The second focused on the craft beer scene in Ohio. This latest puzzle takes most of its clues from San Diego county. So if you think you know the ins and outs of beer... Continue Reading →
What do you know about the craft beer scene in Idaho? Unless you are one of the small contingent of family members and old friends who live in Idaho and follow this blog, the answer is probably not much. In fact I’m willing to bet that many of you would be hard pressed to name even... Continue Reading →
Lately most of my posts have been about beer adventures I’ve had while visiting various parts of the county, but before summer runs out I wanted to get back to some reviews of local beers. One that I’ve enjoyed on several occasions this summer is Big Star White IPA by Four String Brewing here in Columbus. ... Continue Reading →
For hardcore hopheads it doesn’t get too much better than an imperial or double IPA (DIPA for short). Vinnie Cilurzo, head honcho at Russian River Brewing, is credited with developing this style while he was brewing at the now defunct Blind Pig Brewing. His initial motivation for gravitating toward über hoppy beers is interesting. Consider... Continue Reading →
I recently attended a conference at a small college in the middle of New Hampshire (Colby Sawyer College in New London). Looking to squeeze a little beer tourism into the trip I was faced with a difficult choice. On the one hand, I could head west into the wilds of Vermont and seek out the... Continue Reading →
Though I have lived in Columbus for the entire 21st century, I spent my late teens and early 20s in Pocatello, Idaho where I was a student at Idaho State University. There’s no denying that I drank more than my fair share of beer during that period, but in terms of both quality and variety... Continue Reading →
The newest release from Great Lakes is a Belgian pale ale called Spacewalker American Belgo. The names of many Great Lakes beers are taken from the pages of history (Elliot Ness Vienna Lager, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Commodore Perry IPA, Burning River Pale Ale, The Wright Pils, etc.) and this beer is no different. It is... Continue Reading →
Having invested more hours over the past month than I care to admit watching the World Cup I found myself in a wooded patch of the Ohio countryside northeast of Mansfield as the championship match kicked off. I was with my friend Ralph and we had just dropped our daughters off at summer camp. What... Continue Reading →
A session beer is defined as a beer with a “low enough abv” that you can drink it continuously over an extended period of time and not end up stumbling drunk. Exactly how one defines “low enough abv” is a matter of some debate. In Britain a session beer would typically have an abv less than... Continue Reading →
As someone who takes reviewing beers seriously I always worry about the various biases that slip into my reviews. If I’m unimpressed with a beer that is rated highly on BeerAdvocate, does that mean my tastes are not sufficiently refined, or is it a case of the emperor’s new clothes? If I’m drinking a beer that... Continue Reading →
The paw paw is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. Since the paw paw is related to tropical fruit trees like papayas and mangoes you would think that one would have to go to Florida or someplace in the deep south to find paw paws growing in the wild, but you would be... Continue Reading →
Let’s say you want to visit a several breweries on a single day. Maybe you are visiting town for the weekend or are looking for something fun to do for a birthday, bachelorette party or other special occasion. There are two options you can choose, an organized brewery tour run by a company who specializes... Continue Reading →
A few months back I received an e-mail out of the blue from a gentleman named Jim Ellison who runs a company called Columbus Brew Adventures, inviting me to go on one of his Columbus Brewery tours. What could I say, one of his tours was on my list of the top gifts for the... Continue Reading →
Until this past week Sideswipe was the only Columbus brewery that had neither a taproom nor a brewpub. To get your hands on their beer you had to make a trip to a local store and pick up a bomber adorned with one of their distinctive splatter art themed labels. I respect them for taking... Continue Reading →
Back in 2012 Rivertown Brewing released a series of beers inspired by the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Pestilence – a Flanders Oud Bruin War – a smoked Irish Red Ale Famine – a black Hefeweizen Death – a Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Jolokai Peppers Fortunately, the release of these beers did not actually... Continue Reading →
Last month I was downtown and my friend Phil suggested we stop by a small place called House Beer (843 N. High Street). This place was completely off my radar but it is a cool joint with an impressive beer selection. If you are in the Short North it's worth a stop. After trying a... Continue Reading →
After finishing my second pint at the Wedge I started my walk back up the hill to downtown Asheville. It was after 7 pm now and the shadows were lengthening, but there was still an hour or two of sunlight left on this gorgeous June evening. Since I had visited all of the places... Continue Reading →
After leaving Highland I drove back to my hotel, parked the car, and proceeded to walk the mile or so down to Wicked Weed to grab some dinner and a glass of beer. After that I set out for Wedge Brewing, which is located down by the French Broad River in the River Arts district. ... Continue Reading →
Founded in 1994 Highland is the oldest and biggest brewery in Asheville, possibly the largest in all of North Carolina. So it seemed obligatory to pay them a visit. Highland Brewing was initially located in downtown Asheville in the basement of Barleys Taproom and Pizzeria. In 2006 they moved out to their new, much larger... Continue Reading →
Our next stop on the Asheville Ale Trail was Burial Beer Co., which is located less than 500 feet from our previous stop, Green Man (head east on Buxton and take the first left onto Collier). Burial is a nanobrewery that makes a rotating selection of small batch beers. They first opened in June of... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 