Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
Most craft breweries are small businesses in the truest sense of the word, and the people who launch them are often forced to be creative when it comes to siting their breweries. In Ohio alone, I’ve visited breweries housed in old car washes (Lineage) and auto parts stores (JAFB), in pole barns (Little Fish) and... Continue Reading →
If beer styles were celebrities Berliner Weisse might well be viewed in the same light as David Hasselhoff or Def Leppard, more popular abroad than in its native land. Yes, I know Napoleon dubbed it the champagne of the north when his armies occupied Berlin, but the 20th century was not a good one for... Continue Reading →
Pilsner occupies a rather unusual spot in the pantheon of beer styles. When people first get turned onto craft beer their instinct is to gravitate to something dark or hoppy or fruity. Lagers are generally none of those things, in fact they are almost the antithesis of what casual observers think craft beer is about,... Continue Reading →
As I was scrolling through my social media accounts this morning I saw that Wolf's Ridge Brewing scored a gold medal at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers (FoBAB) yesterday in Chicago. My first instinct was to tweet to Chris Davison congratulating him and everyone else at Wolf's Ridge, but when I scrolled through the... Continue Reading →
For reasons that are not completely obvious to me Czech beers have had less impact on American brewers than beer styles from elsewhere in Europe. Have a look at the commercial examples listed with each of the four subcategories of Czech lager in the BJCP style guidelines and you won’t find many familiar names. When... Continue Reading →
After years of unbridled growth, the American craft beer industry appears to be entering a new phase. Over 800 craft breweries opened their doors in 2016, but the rate at which they are opening is gradually starting to slow. A small but increasing number of breweries are closing up shop, Blank Slate Brewing in Cincinnati... Continue Reading →
Scotland’s contributions to the world far exceed any reasonable expectation for a country with half the population of Ohio. The world would be a duller place without the likes of whisky, golf, curling, kilts, bagpipes, and the catchy 80’s pop hit “In a Big Country”. We can thank Scotland for the steam engine (James Watt),... Continue Reading →
Many great beer styles are associated with a region—pilsners with the Czech Republic, lambics with Brussels, goses with Leipzig, saisons with Wallonia, steam beer with San Francisco, and so on. While most styles originated in Europe long ago, America has made important contributions in my lifetime. American-style pale ales and IPAs originated in the Pacific... Continue Reading →
This month marks the fourth anniversary of the Pat’s Pints blog. Looking back, I realize that I fortuitously started this adventure at a point in time when the beer landscape in Ohio was in the early days of its current renaissance. At that time there were about ten craft breweries in Franklin County, some of... Continue Reading →
As many of you know I’ve temporarily relocated to the north of England, where I’ll be spending the next eleven months on sabbatical at Durham University. Obviously, my ability to cover beer goings on in the Buckeye State are going to be limited during this period, and believe me I’m already missing the great beer... Continue Reading →
Craft brewers have benefited from the eat/drink/buy local movement as much as anyone. There’s something that feels right about having a pint of beer in the place where it was made, sometimes even served to you by the person who brewed it. While frequenting local breweries undeniably helps support the local economy, it doesn't boost... Continue Reading →
In recent years mixed fermentation saisons have become a hot trend among American craft breweries. These beers combine the dry, yeast driven character of a classic saison with the tart, funky character that comes from bacteria and Brettanomyces yeast. Jackie O’s Pockets of Sunlight is a beer is made in this vein. It’s never wise... Continue Reading →
One of the perks of being an academic is the occasional opportunity to travel to faraway places. If you’ve been reading this blog for long enough you’ll know that I try to take advantage of these opportunities when I can. I’ve got a responsibility to my readers after all. Earlier posts described my efforts to... Continue Reading →
It’s been over a month since my last post, perhaps my longest hiatus since starting this blog nearly four years ago. In the meantime, I’ve been to Colorado for a workshop, Idaho for vacation; South Korea for a neutron scattering conference; and upon returning home spent several evenings in my yard pulling the weeds that... Continue Reading →
For a few years I’ve secretly aspired to become certified beer judge. Some of you might think I’m already qualified to judge beer, but regular readers of the column will know better. The challenging part, aside from knowing what you are talking about, is to land a spot on one of the Beer Judge Certification... Continue Reading →
This past Sunday marked another successful finish to one of Ohio’s longest running beer traditions, the Barley’s Homebrew Competition. The contest dates back to last century, the summer of 1996 to be specific. At that time I was still in graduate school in Oregon, drinking the likes of Rogue, Deschutes and Widmer. In those days... Continue Reading →
In the crowded landscape of craft brewing some aspect of your business should differentiate you from the competition. Maybe it’s your location, or your branding, but ideally the beer itself can stand out from the crowd. With over 200 breweries in Ohio that task is easier said than done, but breweries such as Zaftig (high-gravity... Continue Reading →
Now that Columbus Craft Beer Week has come to an end it’s worth looking back on some of the beers that deserve special mention. While my one pint of the official collaboration beer Dysfunctionale was neither here nor there, I did come across some exceptional beers while making the rounds. Everyone knows that Lineage makes a... Continue Reading →
It’s a brisk Saturday afternoon in early March and I’m wandering through the rows of a nondescript industrial park in Whitehall, just south of the Columbus Airport. This is not the result of an out of control Friday night bender at the Actual taproom either, I’m searching for the 2 Tones Brewing production facility, with... Continue Reading →
Over the last few months Columbus has been awash in some pretty impressive Imperial IPAs including the likes of CBC Creeper, Fathead’s Hop JuJu, North High’s Stardust to Stardust and Butch Otter, Great Lakes Chillwave, Seventh Son Proliferous, 2 Tones Space Lazer, and the ever rotating selection of Hoof Hearted double IPAs. If your palate hasn't... Continue Reading →
