Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
I haven’t posted a dedicated beer review in well over a year, but when Columbus Brewing Company releases a new Imperial IPA it demands your attention. Following in the footsteps of GABF medal winners Bodhi and Creeper, Cowboy Bernie is a 9.3% Imperial IPA featuring experimental hops from the Yakima Valley. Given the photos CBC... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Craft beer enthusiasts have a strong tendency toward what some might call stamp collecting. Constantly seeking out new beers, the harder to find the better. Making convoluted justifications for spending their weekends queuing up in nondescript industrial spaces and muddy farm fields. Violating the 10th commandment in a way that would make Robert Redford’s character in... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks back I was attending an event held downtown at Brewcadia, upstairs from Barley’s Ale House on High Street across from the Convention Center. I noticed a new house beer on tap, a double IPA dubbed Tour de Hops. Whenever I come across a new beer made by Ohio’s longest tenured brewer,... Continue Reading →
When the Columbus Brewing Company expanded and moved out to their new location on the west side of Columbus one of the most tangible benefits to local beer lovers was the promised expansion in their lineup of packaged beers. While their award-winning hop bombs, Bodhi and Creeper, have captured most of the attention let’s not forget... Continue Reading →
While saisons are a great beer any time of year (for example it’s my go to Thanksgiving dinner beer), there’s no season like summer for a saison. After all they were historically brewed in the cooler months for consumption during the summer. Quoting from The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth (Workman Publishing, 2015): “Rustic ales... Continue Reading →
When the dog days of summer are in full swing there’s nothing like a cold beer to beat the heat. Not just any beer though, August calls for beers that are thirst quenching, refreshing, and sessionable. This is no time for a malty doppelbock or a barrel aged behemoth. (For those who take exception to... Continue Reading →
Regardless of what you call them—the descriptive but somewhat oxymoronic Black India Pale Ale or the more fanciful Cascadian Dark Ale—Black IPAs have emerged as a style to be reckoned with over the past several years. When done right they capture the best elements of the IPA and Porter genres. Among Central Ohio breweries, Land... Continue Reading →
I think it’s a fair to say that many American craft brewers take considerable creative license with the traditional style guidelines. Colin Vent at Seventh Son is not hesitant to use the creativity of his culinary training to dream up unique recipes. Who else is adding heather flowers to a stout (Galloway Tale)? Chris Davison... 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 →
Last month I wrote a post about the madness of the Hoof Hearted Dragonsaddle Triple IPA can release party. To recap I showed up a little too late to ride the dragon, as hundreds upon hundreds of hopheads descended on an otherwise nondescript farm field in Morrow county. In response to my post several readers... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving and the days around it are among the best days of the year for breaking out those beers you’ve been saving for a special occasion. What could be more apropos, after all the pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in large part because their supplies of beer were dwindling. So on Thanksgiving eve... Continue Reading →
During the summer I find myself on the road a lot. While I enjoy using these trips as an opportunity to try beers I can't get at home, increasingly I find that it's not so easy to find places where the beers are better than what I can get back in Columbus. So before heading out on... Continue Reading →
With the weather finally coming around this is my last post in the Sunday Stout Soliloquy series. I was planning to review Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout, going so far as drinking a bottle that I had stashed away and taking tasting notes. I can summarize my thoughts on BCBS by saying of all the barrel... Continue Reading →
Those of you keeping track will have noticed that I missed a couple of weeks in the Sunday Stout Soliloquy series. Perhaps you thought it was over because the series was only supposed to run until the end of winter, and the optimist in me would like to think that winter is behind us. In... Continue Reading →
As we approach St. Patrick's Day many a pint of Irish dry stouts like Guinness and Murphy's will be hoisted. I'll admit that I have a soft spot for a good pint of Guinness served on nitro, particularly when looking for something sessionable. It may surprise you to learn that Guinness has the same alcohol content as a... 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 →
Looking out my window today I see that winter is still fully entrenched in Central Ohio, which means it's time for the second installment of Sunday Stout Soliloquies. Today we take a closer look at Plead the 5th Imperial Stout by Dark Horse Brewing. Not content with making one or two different stouts, Dark Horse releases... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 