Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
After a summer break the All Things Beer podcast is back with an episode devoted to homebrews. We welcome back recurring guests Hans Gorsuch and Chris Mercerhill to discuss and dissect the fruits of our labor, including a hefeweizen, two different saisons, a biere de garde, and a wet hop harvest ale. Our conversation touches... Continue Reading →
In this episode Mark and I are joined by by homebrewer and Pat’s Pints Podcast veteran Hans Gorsuch for an in-depth discussion of an underappreciated gem of the beer world, saisons. We sit outside on a warm summer evening and enjoy a range of saisons while the cicadas serenade us as the evening turns to... Continue Reading →
In its relatively short history the King of Ohio contest has consistently produced surprise winners. In 2014 when the theme was IPAs, Half Wet Musk of the Minotaur from upstarts Hoof Hearted Brewing edged out Fat Head’s highly decorated Head Hunter to win the title. When the contest resumed in 2016 and the focus shifted... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
If you follow the happenings of the beer world on social media, every once in a while you realize you’ve stumbled onto a beer holiday without even realizing it. I’m not talking St. Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving weekend either. I’m talking about little known days like IPA Day (Aug. 7), Stout Day (Nov. 3), Sour... Continue Reading →
The beers and decor at Land Grant Brewing are predominantly sports themed, the most obvious exception being the flagship 1862 Kolsch inspired by a dead senator. While Justin Morrill does sport sideburns that would give Wolverine a run for his money, his visage is more likely to be confused with George Washington than Motorhead bassist Lemmy Kilmister. So I was surprised... 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 →
Sideswipe Brewing is the newcomer to the Columbus brewery scene. Unlike the other new breweries in the capital city, Sideswipe chose to enter the marketplace with bottled beer rather than a taproom or brewpub. Toward the end of last year (2013) 22 oz bottles of three Sideswipe beers started showing up on the shelves around Columbus:... Continue Reading →
While most people associate Thanksgiving with food, what feast would be complete without great beer. This year I had an incredible beer on Thanksgiving and I wanted to share that with everyone. This post is coming a little late due to the Ohio vs Michigan series, which was followed by an out of town business... Continue Reading →
In round two we pit two variations on the Belgian Farmhouse Ale style against each other. Let’s start by meeting the contestants. Saison by Rockmill Brewery (Lancaster, OH) – Rockmill is a small brewery located in Lancaster, OH that makes Belgian style ales from organically grown ingredients. In a recent state-by-state guide to craft beer... 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 →
Tonight I’m reviewing Pepe Nero, one of Goose Island’s Belgian-style beers. I had a sample of Pepe Nero at this summer’s Columbus Beer Festival and made a note at that time to come back and try this beer. I can promise that not all the mental notes I made at the beer festival were still... Continue Reading →
Saison Dupont is the considered to be the quintessential Saison. Here I review the standard Saison Dupont (the small bottle in the picture above) followed by a review on a dry hopped variation on the standard offering (the large bottle). The yeast used to make Saisons is thought to be related to red wine yeast,... Continue Reading →
Boulevard beers have officially arrived in Ohio. Based out of Kansas City, Boulevard was purchased by Belgium's Duvel Moortgat in the fall of 2013. Duvel also owns Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York, and the combined sales of Boulevard and Ommegang make Duvel the 8th largest craft brewery operation in the US. When the acquisition happened... Continue Reading →
Beer: Surette Provisional Saison Brewery: Crooked Stave (CO) Style: Saison (6.2% ABV) Rating: 6 (on a 1-10 scale) Price: $4.99 for a 12 oz bottle Notes: I’m reviewing another American made Saison tonight. This one, Surette Provisional Saison, is brewed by Crooked Stave out of Denver, CO. They are best known for Belgian style wild ales. The Brewery... Continue Reading →
Saisons are a Belgian style of beer sometimes called Farmhouse Ales. Traditionally they were brewed in the winter and consumed by the farm workers over the summer. Like many Belgian styles, the Saison style spans a pretty wide range. The description of the style as given on Beer Advocate is: “This is a very complex style;... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 