Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with making a beer that incorporates homegrown ingredients. Growing or foraging adjunct ingredients like fruits, peppers, herbs, nuts, various tree parts, and the like is one thing, but incorporating homegrown versions of one or more of the base ingredients takes more planning (water excluded). For most of us growing... Continue Reading →
Despite the recent trend toward an ever-rotating line of one-off hazy IPAs, seasonal beers still exist. Autumn used to be the season of pumpkin ales, spice laden beers that are a curious confectionary treat at their best and an abomination at their worst [1]. Although the marketing folks would like you to believe these beers... Continue Reading →
Back in January I toured the Columbus Brewing Company Production Facility with Tony Corder for a story that I published a few weeks later. Of the many wonderful things on offer at CBC, the nascent sour beer program was perhaps the most exciting. At that time there were boxes and boxes of recently filled 500... Continue Reading →
The tradition of releasing a special beer for the cold, short days of December is centuries old, a tradition that has only intensified with the shift of the craft beer industry toward a rotating mix of seasonals and one offs. In the latest episode of the Pat’s Pints Podcast, Mark and I sat down with... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I received a press release from Jimmy Stockwell, co-owner of Little Fish Brewing, announcing plans to open a second location in Dayton. Founded in 2015 by Stockwell and longtime friend Sean White, the Athens brewery has enjoyed considerable critical acclaim for their farmhouse ales and barrel aged sours. Notable awards include medals from the... Continue Reading →
Awards were given out at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival last night. Given the dumpster fire that is 2020 you can be forgiven if you didn’t realize that the GABF was being held this year. I must admit I didn’t realize awards were being given this year myself until the award show was wrapping... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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. 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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
This past weekend I took my birthday as an excuse to head out to Licking County and visit a few breweries. It was great to see some old friends and share a few beers together. Here are a few thoughts on the experience. Nothing too deep but some food for thought if you are considering... Continue Reading →
Now and again people in the beer industry are kind of enough to consider me part of the media. We all know that’s not really true, but the gig often includes free beer and sometime food, so I’m happy to play along [1]. On Wednesday, I mingled with the likes of Dan Eaton, J.D. Malone,... Continue Reading →
The beer portfolio at Land Grant Brewing Company features an extensive mix of beers, ranging from the year-round core beers like Stiff Arm and Greenskeeper, to one-off collaborations like Got Fuzz or Totes Liotes. The Franklinton brewery recently announced that two hop-forward beers—Quadrahopic and Concentrate—are being promoted from the irregularly recurring IPA series to year... Continue Reading →
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