Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
Back in January I toured the Columbus Brewing Company Production Facility with Tony Corder for a story that I published a few weeks later. Of the many wonderful things on offer at CBC, the nascent sour beer program was perhaps the most exciting. At that time there were boxes and boxes of recently filled 500... Continue Reading →
In the second half of our interview with Sean White, co-owner and head brewer at Little Fish Brewing, we continue our exploration of the fascinating world of sour beers. The episode kicks off with with a candid discussion of the challenges of spontaneous fermentation. As the pod progresses we talk about the important role of... Continue Reading →
In this episode we sit down (virtually) with Sean White, co-owner and head brewer at Little Fish Brewing in Athens, Ohio, for an expansive discussion of sour beers and wild ale brewing. With two World Beer Cup medals for their barrel-aged sours (a bronze for Petit Poisson in 2018 and a gold for Barrel Aged... Continue Reading →
Two of my favorite Columbus breweries are celebrating anniversaries with blow out parties today (Saturday 9/28/18), Land Grant (noon to midnight) and Wolf’s Ridge (10 am to midnight). To celebrate I’m reviewing a beer featured in the massive bottle release at Wolf’s Ridge, Terre du Sauvage Gold. Not quite ready for the release is an... 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 →
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.
Last November work took me to Helsinki where I spent the weekend search for the elusive Finnish farmhouse ale, Sahti. Fast forward six months and I find myself in Europe once again in search of a beer style that not so long ago was perilously close to extinction—gose. Despite its German heritage gose thumbs its nose... Continue Reading →
I don’t know about the rest of you but by the middle of February I’ve had my fill of winter. So when we finally get to the spring equinox I’m more than ready to move on. This year on the last official day of winter (March 20, 2015) I found myself in Denver, Colorado on... Continue Reading →
Before Thanksgiving I promised a series of posts from my October visit to Oregon, but aside from a post on the Bend Ale Trail I haven’t followed up on that promise. Better late than never here is the second installment in this series, a visit to one of the most unique breweries in the country –... 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 →
Many foods and drinks are acquired tastes. Think back to the first time you tried coffee, gin, rhubarb, bleu cheese, single malt whisky, grapefruit, ... What did you think? Chances are you didn’t like it very much. Maybe you still don’t, but over time many people come to enjoy, even crave, one or more of... Continue Reading →
