Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
Two Ohio breweries, Akronym and Jackie O's, had a strong showing at the National Honey Beer Competition earlier this month. The competition, which is sponsored by the National Honey Board, features 13 different style categories. BJCP-certified judges use the standard criteria (aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel) for evaluating the beers, plus take into account the role... Continue Reading →
Despite the recent respite from the heat, it has been a long hot summer in more ways than one. When the mercury rises, there’s nothing like a nice cold beer to slake your thirst. Beers that fill this role, sometimes called lawn-mower beers, tend to be light bodied, neither too bitter nor too sweet, with... Continue Reading →
In this episode we take advantage of our newfound remote recording skills to go international for the first time. Mark and I are joined by Nick Smith, founder and brewmaster of Steam Machine Brewing in County Durham. In the first of a two part episode we explore the history of the India Pale Ale from... Continue Reading →
In this episode we are joined by Columbus sour beer aficionado Dan Reeve for a virtual voyage to Pajotenland. Join us as we take an in depth look at a style that many feel represents the pinnacle of brewing art, blended lambic gueuze. We crack open gueuzes from Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen and Lindemans and share... Continue Reading →
In the second half of our interview with Sean White, co-owner and head brewer at Little Fish Brewing, we continue our exploration of the fascinating world of sour beers. The episode kicks off with with a candid discussion of the challenges of spontaneous fermentation. As the pod progresses we talk about the important role of... Continue Reading →
In this episode we sit down (virtually) with Sean White, co-owner and head brewer at Little Fish Brewing in Athens, Ohio, for an expansive discussion of sour beers and wild ale brewing. With two World Beer Cup medals for their barrel-aged sours (a bronze for Petit Poisson in 2018 and a gold for Barrel Aged... Continue Reading →
Life over the last month is like nothing I’ve experienced. As I write this, the sun is shining, flowers are coming into bloom, and crimson red cardinals fill the air with song in hopes of attracting a mate. Hardly the stuff of a Hollywood pandemic movie. In some ways the world seems normal, but in... Continue Reading →
With a statewide stay at home order in effect across Ohio, some of us have a little more time on our hands, enough to record a new episode of the Pat's Pints Podcast. In this episode we connect (remotely) with Dan Eaton who covers the beer and food industries for Columbus Business First. Dan shares... Continue Reading →
Let’s start this story about Columbus Brewing Company (CBC) with some indisputable facts. Fact #1: Founded in 1988, CBC is Ohio’s second oldest craft brewery. Only Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing is more venerable, and not by much. Fact #2: CBC is Central Ohio’s second largest craft brewery (only trailing BrewDog), producing 26,840 bbl in 2019.... Continue Reading →
The annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers (FoBAB) went down over the past two days in Chicago and no less than five Ohio breweries took home honors from the prestigious festival. Â Â For those not in the know FoBAB is dedicated to beers that have either been aged in a wooden barrel or have... Continue Reading →
This past Saturday medals were given out at the annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver. This year’s competition featured 9,497 entries from 2,295 breweries representing all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Of those entries 318 medals were awarded, spread across 283 breweries. I'm pleased to report that... Continue Reading →
I’m always happy with blind tasting events when the beers that rise above the field are a mix of tried and true favorites and surprising newcomers. That’s exactly what happened a few weeks ago at the King of Ohio IPA competition. Fat Head’s Strange Magic took top honors, while Seventh Son’s Miracle finished in the... Continue Reading →
The 5th iteration of the King of Ohio contest is now in the books. The King of Ohio contest comes around once per year, and this year we chose the broadest, most American category you can imagine, IPAs. Close to 100 breweries entered, roughly 1/3 of the craft breweries in the Buckeye state. We divided... Continue Reading →
When I first visited Ill Mannered Brewing back in January 2016 the hours were limited because all four owners were still working day jobs, and the taproom seating capacity was slightly smaller than the waiting room at my dentist's office. Despite its diminutive footprint, I was won over by the tasty beer, warm hospitality, and passion... Continue Reading →
Despite the ubiquity of IPAs on the American craft beer market, craft lagers are ascendant in a way that would have seemed improbable a few years ago. In this episode, which contains previously unreleased material from the spring of 2018, Mark, Hans and I take you on a journey back to the source of all... Continue Reading →
The fifth iteration of the King of Ohio competition is just under a month away. Each year the competition, organized by Ohio-based beer bloggers and writers, focuses on a broad stylistically related family of beers and seeks to identify the best commercially brewed beer in the Buckeye state of that type. This year we return... Continue Reading →
In this episode we welcome back Canadian ex-pat Chris Mercerhill who does his best to educate the rest of the cast on beer from north of the border. Our meandering discussion touches on topics ranging from distribution laws to the Canadian music scene to motherhood while enjoying beers from from Ontario heavy hitters Flying Monkees,... Continue Reading →
In the 21st century a wealth of brewing tips, techniques, and recipes are accessible to anyone with access to the internet. Bohemian pilsner malts, New Zealand hops, Belgian yeast strains are available to brewers from Texas to Tokyo. Water chemistry can be bent to the brewers will. Geographic differences in beer styles that were once... Continue Reading →
Corvallis, Oregon is one of America’s quintessential college towns. It’s bounded by the Willamette River to the east and the highest peak in the Coastal Mountain range to the west. The Pacific Coast, the Cascade Mountains and Portland are all within two hours driving distance. It has the kind of natural beauty and geographic diversity... Continue Reading →
The taproom is a central focus of most craft breweries these days. The beer is fresher, the connections to the local community stronger, and perhaps most importantly the margins are higher. Ohio has nearly 300 breweries, but the number without a taproom is small enough to count on your fingers. The only two that call... Continue Reading →
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