Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
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 →
I know the holidays can be a hectic, for some downright stressful, time of the year. There are parties to attend, gifts to buy, carols to sing, and stockings to stuff. While acknowledging those demands on your time, you need to do whatever it takes to clear your calendar for this coming Saturday (Dec. 17),... Continue Reading →
Given the hot weather we’ve been experiencing it may not feel like fall is upon us, but once football season kicks off it can’t be long until the leaves start changing color. If the deluge of pumpkin beers invading the shelves has you cursing fall beers as an egregious affront to the Rineheitsgebot don’t despair,... Continue Reading →
Today (Friday, July 1) Actual Brewing will be releasing their take on Stone’s venerable American strong ale, Arrogant Bastard. I hung out with the crew at Actual several weeks ago on brew day to get the scoop on this somewhat unusual collaboration involving the brewers and equipment at Actual and the recipe from Stone. Let’s... Continue Reading →
IPAs are the poster child of the American craft beer movement, to argue otherwise is like pinning your hopes on a Martin O'Malley presidency. The American-style IPA category is the most competitive style at the GABF (336 entries in 2015). Sales wise IPAs are far and away the most popular style of craft beer accounting for... Continue Reading →
Now that we’ve closed the books on 2015 it’s time to look back on the year in beer in Central Ohio. Once again there was much to celebrate as growth of the craft brewing industry showed no signs of slowing down. No less than seven new breweries officially opened their doors in 2015—Temperance Row in Westerville... Continue Reading →
I’m an enthusiastic advocate of Ohio beer, but there are certain styles that local brewers have been slow to embrace. Ohio has a bounty of delicious double IPAs and imperial stouts, including many celebrated award winning beers, but choices are much more limited when it comes to sour beers and wild ales, especially those made... Continue Reading →
In the inaugural podcast we talk sour beers with Fred Lee (Founder, President and Elder Beerman) and Jonathan Carroll (CEO, Brewer) at Actual Brewing. We preview the two new sours that Actual is releasing on December 5 (Tenacity and Leviton), get into Brett beers, talk Ohio sandstone fermenters at Actual, share Chili recipes, and divulge our lists of underrated Central Ohio beers.
Today (Tuesday, September 1st) cans of Actual Brewing’s Photon Light Lager will start hitting the shelves of beer stores and supermarkets across Central Ohio. Intrigued by a craft brewery that chooses not only to brew a light lager but put it in the spotlight, I headed out to Actual this past Friday to get the story... Continue Reading →
In today’s post I ask Central Ohio brewers to share their opinions and experiences with locally grown hops.
The first annual Columbus Craft Beer Week (CCBW) is just around the corner. Among the 18,000 events planned for the nine days of CCBW the collaboration beers are arguably the most interesting aspect of the event. Things kickoff this Friday, May 1 at Market District Grandview Yard where all of the collaboration beers will be pouring. They culminate on... Continue Reading →
Time for another installment of Sunday Stout Soliloquies and for the first time my ritual of drinking strong dark beer every Sunday seems to be unnerving old man winter just a little. Cracks of spring are starting to show through, but I have a feeling that winter still has a few tricks up his sleeve.... Continue Reading →
The latest offering from Actual Brewing Company is an abbey ale called Temporal. A bottle of Actual beer is almost worth the asking price just for the label artwork and this one is no exception (yes I do have a collection), a faceless woman is holding back the hands of a clock about to strike... Continue Reading →
What a year 2014 was for beer in Central Ohio. Three completely new breweries, Zaftig, Land Grant, and Temperance Row, opened up shop. Zauber and North High Brewing significantly expanded their capacity by purchasing new brewing systems. Cans of Four String and Seventh Son beers started showing up on the shelves. Sideswipe opened their brewery to... Continue Reading →
One of my goals for the holiday season is to reduce the inventory of my beer fridge and cellar. It's a little like those year end sales that stores put on, out with the old to make room for the new. The holidays provide an opportunity to open up some of the bigger beers that... Continue Reading →
This story, published in October 2014, takes on an entirely different tone in light of accusations of sexual assault against Fred Lee published in Alive Magazine on February 5, 2019. If the accusations prove true, or even partially true, they are disturbing, reprehensible and I condemn them in the strongest possible terms. I contemplated deleting this... 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 →
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 →
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 →
The latest beer released by Columbus’ Actual Brewing is a Berliner Weiss called Curiosus. Aside from the occasional German import the only readily available Berliner Weissbiers I've come across when perusing Central Ohio stores are Festina Pêche by Dogfish Head (a summer seasonal), Oarsman by Bells, and Hottenroth by the Bruery. In fact I’ve never seen... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 