Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
Fall is the air and that means it's time for beers made with freshly picked whole cone hops and no brewery in Ohio embraces fresh (wet) hop beers like Columbus Brewing Company. In this episode Tony Corder tells us how CBC approaches the brewing and logistics of working with fresh hops. We sample five of... Continue Reading →
Brown ales are a style near and dear to our hearts, but one whose popularity has been waning in recent decades. In this episode we are joined by homebrewer, Jim Sudduth, whose English Brown Ale won the 2019 Barley's Homebrewing Competition, for a in depth look at this underappreciated style. Join us for a voyage... Continue Reading →
The invention and rise of the American IPA is one of those rare moments in the history of brewing that forever changes the rules of making beer. In this episode we turn our attention to this ubiquitous and hugely influential style by sampling six year-round American IPAs from our home base here in Columbus. We... Continue Reading →
In this episode Nick Smith from Steam Machine Brewing in the UK joins us to talk about the rebirth and surge in popularity of IPAs over the past 40 years.
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 →
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 →
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 →
To finish my three part series on American IPAs (better late than never) we return to where it all started—to the bold, flavorful hop varieties born and bred in the USA. Within the IPA genre it’s a big tent approach when it comes to the malt bill—East Coast, West Coast, Session IPA, Double IPA, Rye... Continue Reading →
In the first post of this series I discussed how American IPAs went through a period where hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness levels progressively increased, culminating in double and triple IPAs that boasted triple digit IBU levels. In recent years the most sought after American IPAs have slowly but surely become less bitter and more aromatic. ... Continue Reading →
Sitting in the sleek Hoof Hearted Brewpub drinking a DIPA cloudier than a German Hefeweizen, fruitier than a grapefruit/mango smoothie, it’s hard to fathom how this beer could have evolved from the English-style IPAs of my youth. In a single generation American IPAs have morphed into something that would be unrecognizable to the founders of CAMRA,... 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 →
As announced last week on this blog I’m participating in a collaboration with five other beer bloggers to identify the best Ohio-brewed IPA, and bestow the crown King of Ohio IPAs. Each blogger is tasked with identifying three beers to represent their part of the state in a showdown that will be held on November 1... Continue Reading →
Perhaps no style embodies America’s contribution to the beer world better than an IPA. Using hops bred and developed in the Pacific Northwest, American brewers took the venerable English style and supercharged it for the 21st century. With aromas and flavors that can take your senses from the grapefruit orchards of Florida to the pine forests... Continue Reading →
When I started this blog about 6 months ago I have to admit that I knew relatively little about Cincinnati breweries and their beers. Even though Columbus is only about 100 miles away most of the new, up and coming Cincinnati breweries don’t distribute here. I still have a lot to learn, but all of... Continue Reading →
Not too long after Thanksgiving I visited Seventh Son Brewery with my wife and our friends Tom and Mary. We ordered a couple of sampler trays and among the beers we tried I thought the most interesting one was Golden Ratio IPA. The brewery doesn’t offer a lot of details about this beer other... Continue Reading →
Trailhead Pale Ale is a fresh hopped Pale Ale which is not bottled and according to the Fatheads website is a limited edition batch exclusive to Cleveland. (Editors Note: Fatheads has announced they will begin canning Trailhead sometime in May 2014.) As I reported earlier, this beer won a silver medal at this year’s Great American... Continue Reading →
In round 4 the dark roasted malts were center stage. In round 5 we go to the opposite extreme with two beers where the juicy American hops dominate, completely overshadowing the malts: The Brew Kettle’s White Rajah vs. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. White Rajah by The Brew Kettle (Strongsville, OH) – The Brew Kettle... Continue Reading →
In round three we have a battle of two Rye PAs, a hoppy style of beer that is similar to an IPA but with rye added to the malt bill. The rye imparts a spicy twist and helps dry out the finish. If you’re interested to find out more about rye beers check out a... Continue Reading →
When late November arrives in Central Ohio one subject dominates the news, and takes center stage in the thoughts and minds of many residents. I’m not referring to Thanksgiving or the ridiculous shopping spectacle that used to occur the day after Thanksgiving, but now lasts longer than Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach of the... Continue Reading →
After what seems like a month (but was actually only one week) away I’m glad to be back to blogging about beer. My absence was prompted by a big project at work (a grant deadline) that is behind me now. Fortunately, during my hiatus I was able to partake in some beer related activities. Last... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 