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 →
Understanding Wet Hop Ales Part 2 – Growing Hops in the Midwest
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with making a beer that incorporates homegrown ingredients. Growing or foraging adjunct ingredients like fruits, peppers, herbs, nuts, various tree parts, and the like is one thing, but incorporating homegrown versions of one or more of the base ingredients takes more planning (water excluded). For most of us growing... Continue Reading →
Understanding Wet Hop Ales Part 1 – Essential Oils
Lately I’ve been a little obsessed with wet hop ales, beers brewed with freshly picked hops that go straight from hop bine to brew kettle. My curiosity was piqued back in late July when I visited Zachrich Hop Farm near Mechanicsburg, Ohio. They were having an open house and had invited members of the SODZ... Continue Reading →
Wet Hop Season at Columbus Brewing Company Nearing its Finale
Despite the recent trend toward an ever-rotating line of one-off hazy IPAs, seasonal beers still exist. Autumn used to be the season of pumpkin ales, spice laden beers that are a curious confectionary treat at their best and an abomination at their worst [1]. Although the marketing folks would like you to believe these beers... Continue Reading →
All Things Beer Episode 29 – Summer Homebrews
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 →
When Less is More, Sixpoint’s Pumkinless Pumpkin Beer
This is a review of Autumnation, a seasonal beer made by Sixpoint Brewery out of Brooklyn, NY. Before I get to the beer itself you'll have to forgive me for going off on a rather long tangent on how I came to buy this beer. I first encountered Autumnation at Savor Growl (my local growler... Continue Reading →