2012 Ohio Beer Tastings (MSD made the list!)

Rick Armon at Beer.Ohio.com has a listing of all of the Ohio Beer events scheduled for 2012 (there are a lot) and the MSD Brew Ha-Ha made the list. Lots of good beer here, with more breweries popping up all the time. If you don't make the Brew Ha-Ha, you owe it to yourself to at least check out some of the other beer events here.

Event: Montessori School of Dayton Craft Beer Tasting

Very excited about January 28th, when my kids' school will be presenting our first craft beer tasting. We've been planning this over the last few months and I've personally been working with McAllister at Premium to put together an exciting and diverse beer list. A few last minute details to nail down, but it's looking like a great inaugural event. Dayton beer folks, this is open to the public and the crowd at the school is very cool. Check out the detail below and get tickets on EventBrite:

The Montessori School of Dayton (MSD) and their families presents their first annual craft beer and food tasting event on Saturday, Jan. 28. Sample up to 20 beers from of Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania’s best craft brews: Weyerbacher, Troegs, Stoudts, Ohio Brewing, North Peak, New Holland, Founder’s, Dark Horse, Brew Kettle, and Bell’s. Little Miami River Catering will pair appetizers and desserts with several of the beers for a unique beer and food pairing experience. Beers provided by Premium Beverage Supply, with soft drinks by Earth Fare.

The Brew Ha-Ha takes place on Jan. 28 from 5 -10 pm. Order tickets online at http://msdbrewhaha.eventbrite.com or visit MSD at 2900 Acosta Street, Kettering, OH 45420 to purchase tickets during normal business hours M-F 8am-4pm. For more information call 293-8986. Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 the night of the events. Proceeds benefit the MSD Capital Improvement fund.

UPDATE: Check out the awesome beer list, including the area exclusive premier tapping of Double Trouble.

BrewTensils Brewing 101

Live in the Miami Valley and want to know how to brew or improve your brewing chops? Check out the brewing school at BrewTensils. There are four sessions, with the first one next week. From their website:

Introduction to Brewing

Brewing 101 – January 12th – 7pm to 9pm

Just the basics, this class covers what each piece of equipment in your brew kit is used for, as well as walking you through your first batch of beer.

Pre-req: A desire to brew great beer starting with your first batch!

Cost: Free!

In depth look at Ingredients

Brewing 102 – January 19th – 7pm to 9pm

Ever wonder what alpha acids are? Lovibond rating have you confused? Want to know the difference between 2-row and 6-row? This class is designed to demystify the ingredients used in the brewing process. With better understand of the ingredients used, it is a small step to take your beers to the next level.

Pre-req: It is usually a good idea to have your first batch under your belt before this class.

Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.

How to Keg

Brewing 110 – January 26th – 7pm to 9pm

This class covers the trials and tribulations of setting up your own kegerator at home. You will also learn now to keg your own beer and how to maintain your whole system. This class is useful for anyone who wants to setup a kegerator at home, brewer or not.

Pre-req: The desire to have beer on tap at home.

Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.

Introduction to All Grain Brewing

Brewing 201 – February 2nd – 7pm to 9pm

All grain brewing seems like a crazy amount of work and calculations. We help you realize that it’s a pretty simple and straight forward process to get into. This class walks you through the terms used in all grain brewing, as well as the equipment, and finally the process.

Pre-req: It is usually a great idea to have a few extract batches under your belt before you attempt all grain brewing.

Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.

Beer Geek Weekend: FFFXV and FOBAB 9

The second weekend in November, I hit a double header of beer tastings in the Chicago-land area: The Three Floyds XV Anniversary Party and the 9th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers.

My write-up for the Dayton City Paper ran this week, and you can see it here.

Three Floyds was frustrating, as we stood in line for about 3 hours, just to buy our beers. It's true what they say about FFF events being very poorly organized. The last hour or so was fun, but then we had to rush off to get to FOBAB. Still, brought home a bottle of Baller Stout and a case of Zombie Dust, the FFF American Pale Ale that is simply amazing.

FOBAB was fun, as always, with a lot of crazy beers (see the

highlights in the article). This year, my media pass let me "backstage" to talk to some of the brewers and organizers, which was cool. (It also got me taller pours of the samples, which I probably, in retrospect, didn't need). I'll be back there next year, although I think I'll stick to a single event next year!

Big Brews and Blues

This Friday, check out Dayton's first outdoor beer festival of year: Big Brews and Blues. The event runs from 5-9 on the 20th, and features samples of 30 craft beers and live music by 4 local blues bands. Tix are $20 in advance/$25 at the door. Proceeds go to Dayton Diabetes, a local non-profit who help those whose lives are affected by diabetes. You can see my full write-up this week in the Dayton City Paper.

Technorati Tags: Big Brews and Blues, Dayton, blues, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Events: Trolley Stop Beer Tasting tonight

For those of you in the Dayton, OH area tonight, Mike Schwartz, owner of Belmont Party Supply and Miami Valley BrewTensils, is hosting a mother of a beer tasting tonight at the Trolley Stop. Full details can be found on the Belmont Party Supply site, but below is the beer list to whet your palate:

• Flying Dog Raging Bitch
• Bell's Hop Slam
• Alesmith Old Numbskull
• Founders Breakfast Stout
• Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
• Heavy Seas Below Decks
• Bruery Orchard White
• Old Speckled Hen
• Rogue Chatoe Rogue Black Lager
  

Brewing News Regional Calendars

I'm dismayed that I didn't discover the calendar feature of Brewing News earlier. I read the Great Lakes email updates regularly, so I generally have a good sense of the key beer events in the area, but didn't realize that Brewing News also aggregated the events into an online calendar. I've added the link to the resources section of this page. The link takes you to the Great Lakes region, but be sure to check out the other regional calendars, which are accessible at the same location.

Technorati Tags:Brewing News, Great Lakes Brewing News, events calendar, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

GABF Winners from MI, IL, IN, and OH

Congrats to the medal winners at the Great American Beer Festival. Of the four states that are the focus of this blog, Michigan led the pack with 9 medal, Illinois came in second with 7 medals, Indiana in third with 3, and Ohio with a paltry single medal. Ohio, you gotta step up your game!

REGIONAL MEDAL WINNERS BY CATEGORY

Category 7 Specialty Beer, 21 Entries
Bronze: Drunken Angel, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, Chicago, IL

Category 10 Session Beer, 27 Entries
Bronze: Bam Biere, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI

Category 12 Experimental Beer, 32 Entries
Silver: Bloody Beer, Shorts Brewing Co., Bellaire, MI

Category 15 American-Belgo-Style Ale, 51 Entries
Silver : The Crow and The Sparrow, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, IL

Category 16 American-Style Sour Ale, 32 Entries
Bronze: Diamond Kings ‘09, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 33 Entries
Silver: Red Woody, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 110 Entries
Gold: Cereal Killer Barleywine, Arcadia Brewing Co., Battle Creek, MI

Category 22 Smoked Beer, 43 Entries
Silver: Up In Smoke, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH

Category 25 Bohemian Style Pilsener, 39 Entries
Bronze: Bell’s Lager Beer, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Galesburg, MI

Category 37 Bock, 40 Entries
Bronze: Fornicator, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category 44 English-Style India Pale Ale, 40 Entries
Silver: IPA, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 57 American Style Brown Ale, 43 Entries
Gold: Dirty Helen Brown Ale, Barley Island Brewing Co., Noblesville, IN

Category 59 German-Style Sour Ale, 13 Entries
Bronze: Bad Kitty, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category 60 South German Style Hefeweizen, 66 Entries
Gold: Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category 63 French- and Belgian Style Saison, 56 Entries
Bronze: Saison Du Bastone, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category 64 Belgian and French-Style Ale, 41 Entries
Silver: Demolition, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 65 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 29 Entries
Silver: Red Rock, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI

Category 69 Robust Porter, 57 Entries
Bronze: Pirate’s Porter, Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill,
Frankenmuth, MI

Category 73 Sweet Stout, 27 Entries
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI

Category 77 Old Ale or Strong Ale, 29 Entries
Bronze: 4th Dementia Old Ale, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI

Technorati Tags: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Great American Beer Festival, GABF, GABF winners, GABF medals, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Event: Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference

From the Craft Brew Sustainability Desk. Water conservation taps into the current Green movement, but it also makes good business sense. Cleary Leinenkugel's agrees, given their sponsorship.

Curious how prevalent this type of concern is in other states. If you know of other such movements, please leave details in Comments section.

SPONSORS ANNOUNCED FOR GREAT LAKES CRAFT BREWERS &
WATER CONSERVATION CONFERENCE IN MILWAUKEE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Milwaukee, WI - The Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference is proud to announce that the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls and Milwaukee, WI, will be the Platinum Sponsor, with special support provided by Beer Capitol Distributing Inc., Wauwatosa, WI. The National Wildlife Federation is providing outreach support through its Great Waters Restoration program.

The conference will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 26-27, 2009 and focuses on best practices in water conservation for small and medium-sized craft brewers. This is the first independent conference designed to bring together craft brewers, policy makers and nonprofit organizations for education and discussion about water conservation. Early registration price of $195 per person offered through Friday, September 18, 2009.

Dick Leinenkugel, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Wisconsin, will give the keynote address, on the economic impacts of the Great Lakes Compact and projects including the Milwaukee 7 Water Council.

Jake Leinenkugel, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., will speak at the Monday evening reception at the Discovery World museum on Pier Wisconsin in downtown Milwaukee.

Marc Smith, state policy manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center, will outline opportunities for collaboration with conservation groups.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.,” says Lucy Saunders, conference organizer. For generations, the Leinenkugel family has supported conservation in its brewing practices and continues to make new improvements, with progress made across water, energy and waste reductions in recent years.

Participating breweries include Bridgeport Brewing Co. (Jeff Edgerton), MillerCoors Pilot Brewery (Troy Rysewyk), New Glarus Brewing Co. (Dan Carey), Odell Brewing Co. (Doug Odell) and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Fred Strachan). Poster sessions showcase designs and systems for water conservation, auditing, wastewater treatment and recycling in breweries/pubs.

The Monday, October 26, 2009 reception, open to the public from 5-8pm, features a special tasting with artisan cheesemakers, including Bob Wills of Cedar Grove Cheese Co., a leader in sustainable wastewater treatment, and displays by water conservation groups such as WaterKeepers and Clean Wisconsin. The $60 ticket includes a buffet dinner catered by the Bartolotta Catering Co., Pier Wisconsin., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Conference details, the call for posters, and tickets for the Monday evening reception are available online, at: http://www.conserve-greatlakes.com


-- Posted from my iPhone

Events: Ohio Fall Craft Beer Calendar

Five local events for beer aficionados in the Dayton/Cincinnati area:

September 19 -- Beer Judge Certification Program Training Class
Held at Belmont Party Supply. For more info, contact Bat Bateman at batman@erinet.com or 845-0572.

September 19-20 -- Zinzinnati Oktoberfest
What better way to celebrate Oktoberfest than to head to Ohio's largest Oktoberfest? Modeled after the festival in Munich in a Midwestern city known for its German heritage. For the rationale for why Oktoberfest is in September, check out this write-up I did a couple of years ago.

September 26-27 -- Dayton Art Institute Oktoberfest and Homebrew Competition
A week later, head 50 miles north to Dayton's largest Oktoberfest. Benefit the Art Institute and is always a good time. This year, they've added a homebrew contest.

October 24 -- Miami Valley Beer Fest
Miami Valley Beer Fest is a non-profit, charitable, craft beer event to benefit the Resident Home Association (RHA). RHA is working in conjunction with Belmont Party Supply, a leader in the Dayton craft beer scene for 25 years, to bring you an educational and safe day of fun, food, and most importantly craft beer.

Miami Valley Beer Fest will be held indoors at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in the Roundhouse from 2pm - 6pm on October 24th, 2009. There will be a limited amount of tickets available at participating bars and restaurants, as well as Belmont Party Supply. (from the MV Beer Fest website)

November 7-14 -- Arrogant Bastard National Competition Week
Help prove that Boston's Bistro & Pub is the most arrogant pub in the world. Boston's has held the title for the last two years and is trying for three-peat. Dave's looking to move as much Arrogant Bastard as possible, so look for some insane deals that week.

Technorati Tags:beer, brewing, craft beer, homebrew, Oktoberfest, Zinzinnati, Dayton Art Institute, DAI, Beer Judge Certification Program, BJCP, Belmont Party Supply, Arrogant Bastard, Boston's Bistro & Pub, Miami Valley Beer Fest

Canned Beer Festival

Received the update below from JustBeerNews.com. Before we get into the meat of the update, a few noteworthy items:

- The Canned Beer Fest is being put on by Buckbean Brewing, out of Reno, NV. The have two beers they market: Original Orange Blossom Ale and Black Noddy Lager. Their marketing team offered samples to bloggers a while back, so I got to try both. The Orange Blossom Ale was a little too sweet, in a teenage bubblegum way, but I really liked the Black Noddy. Marks for a refreshing Black Lager, which most American brewers don't tackle, and for putting it in a can.

- NONE of the beers in this festival are available in Ohio. I haven't seen any canned craft beers out here and I don't understand why not. Have you seen Ohio? If the Midwest doesn't scream canned beer, what does?

- Be sure to check out JustBeerNews.com, a clearinghouse for beer-related events and press releases. I get too many of them to publish them here, although I will republish ones that I find interesting from time to time.

Reno, NV (August 2009)—Buckbean Brewing Company, Nevada’s largest production microbrewery, will bring to Reno this October the first ever CANFEST – Reno International Canned Beer Festival, the first international beer judging and tasting for canned beer, to take place at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Oct. 23, 2009.

Buckbean, a company that packages their beers in environmentally-friendly 16 ounce aluminum cans, hopes to shed light on the various breweries across the US that distribute their brews in cans and crush the many myths regarding beer in cans. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Nature Conservancy and the Great Basin Bird Observatory.

The competition will commence and finish in the Grand Sierra Theater October 23, from 6:30 p.m. -10:30 p.m. Judging will take place prior to the public tasting. Celebrities from the beer world will judge the beers individually, based on categories still to be decided. Beer seminars, beer and food pairings and a forum of brewers that can beer are planned.

Along with Buckbean Brewing Company, Big Sky Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, Ukiah Brewing Company, Maui Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, and Rochester Mills Brewing Company are a few that have confirmed they will attend the event.

Ticket prices are $35 per person and room packages will be available for attendees. For more information, please contact Constance Aguilar from Abbi Public Relations at constance@abbipr.com or by calling 775.323.2977.

Technorati Tags: beer, canned beer, beer in a can, homebrew, JustBeerNews.com, Buckbean Brewing

Resurrection of KevBrews

A day before the two-year anniversary of my last post, I have decided to resume posting. During the hiatus, I landed a new job and my wife and I had our third child (and first daughter). But I haven't given up my love of beer, just lost the time to write about it. Now that things are settling in, it's time to start writing again.

Some quick notes of local or personal interest:

- The 11th annual Dayton Alefest took place in Carillon Park last weekend. I have attended for the last 6 years (since we moved back to Ohio) and this was BY FAR the best weather--dry, sunny, and in the mid-70s. Attendance continues to grow each year. This year there were more draft beers than I recall in the past, most which were conveniently clustered in one area. Some whispers about Cavalier's lack of participation, which meant no Dogfish Head (no Randall) or Stone. That was disappointing, but I still imbibed a lot of interesting beers including Bell's Third Coast Old Ale and Goose Island Night Stalker, both on tap.

- Speaking of Bell's, the family and I took our annual summer vacation to western Michigan, this time to Ludington. We stopped at Bell's Eccentric Cafe for lunch, where I tried their Wild One, a delicious sour ale. Most of the family turned up their noses at it, but I thought it was incredibly third quenching and paired well with my burger.

- While in Ludington, we hit Jamesport Brewing. I was disappointed that they were out of their IPA, but thier dry stout made up for it. And, the burger was one of the best I've had in a long, long time. The group consensus was the beer was B+ good, but the food was a solid A.

- Finally had a chance to brew again (it had been nearly as long ago that I brewed as when I last posted). I was shooting for a twist on a British bitter. A session beer (only 3.6% ABV), but using late addition Centennial hops rather than a traditional British hop. The brew was an experiment to see if I could brew outside, with the boys (age 5 and 3) and keep them entertained while still producing a solid brew. Call it Daddy multi-tasking. I put it into the keg today and was impressed thus far. Will let it carbonate naturally, they chill and serve next week.

- Joined the Passport club at The Pub last night. Only 52 beers left to try before I get $4 pints for life. Last night, the cask was BrewDog Paradox Smokehead, with a really nice Scotch peatiness. Body was a bit thin, but the smokiness made up for it.

That's all for today. I'm shooting for updates at least weekly, although I have a backlog of items to notes this month.

Technorati Tags: AleFest, Bell's, Eccentric Cafe, Wild One, Third Coast Ale, Goose Island, Night Stalker, Cavalier, Ludington, Jamesport Brewing, The Pub, Passport club, BrewDog, Paradox, Smokehead, brewing, homebrewing, beer

Event: Dayton AleFest 2007

It's time once again for the Dayton AleFest. It's next Saturday, August 25th at Carillon Historic Park in Kettering, OH. This'll be my fourth year. We always have a great time--there are nearly 300 beers from about 50 breweries. Tix are $30 in advance (see Belmont Party Supply, Arrow Wine, The Little Store, Boston's Bistro), and $35 at the door. Best bet is to get your tix in advance--there's always a long line and you risk them being sold out if you wait until the day of.

Check the local bars (particularly Tank's and Boston's) for pre-parties and mass transit. I will warn you--be sure you've got a designated driver well in advance--the small samples go down quickly and easily and you'll be in no shape to drive.

Here's hoping it doesn't rain again (we're 2 for 3 on thunderstorms since I've been attending). Check this site after the event--I'll do my best to take note. (Here are my notes from last year.)

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, AleFest, Dayton, Joe Waizmann, beer tasting, beer culture, events, Tank's, Boston's, Arrow Wine, The Little Store

Event: Ohio Brew Week

A reminder that Ohio Brew Week is just over the horizon. Athens, Ohio hosts the week-long celebration of Ohio breweries and microbreweries July 16th through the 21st.

If you haven't been to Athens yet, this would be the time to go. My wife and I are both OU graduates and share fond memories of the place. And the best time to visit is the summer, when the hordes of students haven't overrun the town.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend personally this year, but am actively seeking volunteers to go and report back to this blog. Feel free to post a comment if you are willing to volunteer.

Below is a press release from the folks promoting the event:

May 23, 2007

OHIO BREW WEEK CELEBRATES OHIO’S CRAFT BEERS

ATHENS, OH—Ohio Brew Week celebrates the diversity of Ohio’s micro-brewed beers and the independent establishments that serve them. The second year of the state’s newest festival will be held July 16-21st in Athens, Ohio at restaurants and venues throughout the downtown area. Ohio Brew Week will feature 50 craft beers from 15 microbreweries around the state. The weeklong event includes seminars on the history of beer, the history of taverns, home brewing demonstrations, beer-related videos and movies, cooking with beer demonstrations, pool tournaments, local musicians and beer song contests. The week culminates with the presentation of the People’s Choice Award during Saturday’s Boogie on the Bricks community festival.

Julie Bradford, editor and co-owner of All About Beer magazine and successful website, will be the keynote speaker for Brew Week. Bradford will speak about cooking with beer, beer/food pairings, women & beer and beer’s impact on society.

This year there will be a cooking with Ohio microbrews competition for amateurs and professionals and beer-related entrees, appetizers and desserts at most restaurants in the area. Prizes will be awarded in several categories. Bradford and other food writers will serve on the panel.

In addition, there will be a progressive dart tournament at participating venues throughout the week. A Brew Choo Choo ride on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is being planned, along with an Art Walk through the Historic Arts District in Nelsonville. Formal tasting of individual breweries’ microbrews will be held a different places every night throughout the week. Most of the restaurants and taverns will feature beer-flavored foods, including beer ice cream, and paw paw beer. Each restaurant will also have live musical entertainment each evening. The Official Brew Week meatball eating competition will be held on Thursday.

“Ohio Brew Week celebrates the rich flavors of Ohio microbrews and the contributions this growing industry of Ohio microbreweries makes to the state,” says Dan Gates, director of Ohio Brew Week. “Ohio’s Brew Week is the only week-long event in the world that provides the opportunity to talk directly with brewers, hear nationally-known beer experts and brew writers and editors, and sample some of the tastiest beers made on the planet.”

Ohio Brew Week will be celebration of tastes, adds Gates. “The breweries all have new and flavorful microbrews for this year and the restaurants are creating unusual beer-related foods. Visitors will get a real taste of our Appalachian culture, regional foods, and these craft beers.”

Last year’s first Brew Week showed that interest in micro-brewing is growing in the state and the rest of the U.S., says Jon Sparhawk, one of the originators of the event, “because people are thirsty for new experiences. The visitors last year enjoyed learning about the art form of micro brewing and sampling some of the most interesting and flavorful microbrews around. They also enjoyed experiencing the rich artistic talents in the Athens area: our artisans, chefs and the fun, comfortable places to gather and socialize. 2007 promises to be even more entertaining.”

Throughout the week, 17 restaurants, pubs and taverns in the Athens area will be featuring speakers, demonstrations and beer-related foods and specials. Most of the venues are within easy walking distance of each other. The local bus system will be circulating along the tasting route as well. Attendees will vote on their favorite micro-brewed beer throughout the week with the People’s Choice Award being presented during the band concert on Saturday, July 21.

Athens provides a relaxed and scenic atmosphere for exploring the new flavors of microbrews and for networking with other brewers, and other microbrew fans, adds Gates.

Ohio Brew Week is co-sponsored by Dine Across America and the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau and WWS Communications.

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft brew, homebrewing, Ohio Brew Week, Athens, Ohio, Boogie on the Bricks, People’s Choice Award, Julie Bradford, All About Beer, beer and food pairings, cooking with beer, women and beer, Brew Choo Choo, Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, Art Walk, Historic Arts District, Nelsonville, beer tasting, Dan Gates, Melody Sands, Dine Across America, Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, WWS Communications

Events: Kentucky Breakfast Stout on tap

Looking for the ultra rare Founders seasonal on tap? Look no farther than the Founders tap room this weekend, as the brewers throw their 6th annual Black Party.

On tap, all beers black, including Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Breakfast Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Black Rye, Frangelic Stout, Porter, and Imperial Stout. Just in time to warm us up during this brutal winter revival! The party starts at 5:00 and $7 gets you in and a commerative pint glass full of Oatmeal Stout. For complete details and direx to the Grand Rapids brewery, check Founders site.

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, Founders, Michigan, Grand Rapids, Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Black Rye, Frangelic Stout, Porter, Imperial Stout, Black Party

Event: Jungle Jim's Spring Beer Fest

Jungle Jim's, the foodie paradise just north of Cincy, has announced the second annual Spring Beer fest. Here are the details from the email newsletter:

Come and join us for Jungle Jim's Second Spring Beer Fest! It is going to occur on Saturday, May 12, 2007 from 4 pm to 8 pm. It will be held in The Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim's. The tickets are $35 for advance tickets and $40 for tickets at the door.

How to purchase tickets:

· At the coffee bar (in the beer and wine department)
· Customer service
· Call for reservations 513-674-6000 ext 7

What to expect at the Beer Fest:

· Meet brewery representatives

· Sample Import and American craft beer

· Food & Prizes

· Music – Phil Dirt and the Dozers
· Also a cash bar at Oscar's Pub until Midnight!

Readers of this blog know that I've spent a fair amount of time at Jungle Jim's tasting events. They've brought in Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery) and Dave Engbers (Founders) and have offered some amazing brews that I'm sure I could get not anywhere else. I'd expect more of the same, with some tasty surprises!

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, beer tasting, Jungle Jim's, foodie, beer fest, Cincinnati, Ohio

Events: Barrelhouse on Reds Opening Day

The start of the baseball season is just a little over a week away. Cincy's BarrelHouse will be celebrating with a customer appreciation day on Opening Day. Here are the details, via the RateBeer posting and the BarrelHouse website:

The BarrelHouse, along with Avril-Bleh Meats, is hosting a Customer Appreciation Day to celebrate the Reds opening day on April 2nd. The event will be from 9 am to 3 pm, and will feature $1 beers and $1 brats. There will be a $5 cover charge to get in, and there will be a raffle for prizes, including a pair of Opening Day tickets that will be given out at 1 pm. All proceeds from the event will be given to a local charity. Roll on down to the BarrelHouse and join us!

Also, don't forget to support your local brewery while you're cheering on your favorite team at your favorite ball park. RedLegg Ale is a natural, and is more widely available this year than ever before.

RedLegg Ale, named after the Cincinnati hometown favorite, is tasty stuff--one of the better red ales I've had (and I'm not particularly fond of the style). In fact, most of the BarrelHouse beers are excellent. They were strictly a brewpub for years, but have moved in the opposite direction and are now strictly a brewery. Too bad for us local folks--they used to have great bands play--but good news for folks living outside of Cincy. Hopefully, these beers will start getting distributed more widely.

Here's the address and other important stuff:

Monday, April 2nd from 9 am-3 pm
BarrelHouse Brewing Company
544-B West Liberty Street
Cincinnati, OH, USA

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, baseball, opening day, Cincinnati, Reds, BarrelHouse, RedLegg Ale, brewpub, brewery, red ales, amber ales

Events: Stone Beer Tasting at Boston's Bistro

Next Thursday, at 8:00 PM, Boston's Bistro, a.k.a. America's Most Arrogant Pub, is hosting a Stone Brewing tasting. The draft list includes:

• '06 Old Guardian Barleywine
• '07 Old Guardian Barleywine
• Arrogant Bastard
• Double Bastard
• Oaked Bastard
• Smoked Porter
• Stone IPA

Sadly, I'll be en route from Chicago, so I'll miss the tasting. But there's no reason for anyone else to not go!

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, Stone, Boston's Bistro, tasting, Old Guardian, Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Oaked Bastard, Smoke Porter, Stone IPA, Dayton, Ohio

Events: Lots of Ohio area events coming up

At some point, I'm going to figure out a way to compile a calendar to keep track of all of this stuff. Until then, I suppose individual posts will have to suffice.

January 18 (tonight)
Dayton, OH Monthly beer tasting at Boston's Bistro. Theme for tonight seems to be big beers. Starts at 7 pm and costs $7. No reservations needed.

January 26
Cincinnati, OH Founders tasting at Jungle Jim's. Dave Engbers to host. Starts at 7 and costs $25. Call ahead for reservations (513.674.6000 x7).

January 31
Cleveland, OH Great Lakes Brewing Company is tapping their Blackout Stout. Party starts at 5:30 and is $5 in advance; $8 at the door (although I believe that the advanced tix are sold out).

February 7
Cincinnati, OH Mug Club tapping at Rockbottom Brewery. Headbrewer Guy Bartmess will be tapping a bock. Runs from 6-7 p.m. Club members only, but I think it's fairly easy to join the club. Contact brewery for details or register online.

February 9
Cincinnati, OH Old World vs. New World tasting at Jungle Jim's. Starts at 7 and costs $25. Call ahead for reservations (513.674.6000 x7).

February 22
Dayton, OH Monthly beer tasting at Boston's Bistro. This time, beers will all be from Stone Brewing (after all, Boston's is the Most Arrogant Pub in the US) . Starts at 7 pm and costs $7. No reservations needed.

February 23
Cincinnati, OH Mike Dewey of Mt. Carmel Brewing Company hosts a tasting at Jungle Jim's. Starts at 7 and costs $25. Call ahead for reservations (513.674.6000 x7).

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft beer, events, Jungle Jim's, Boston's Bistro, Rockbottom Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Blackout Stout, Mt. Carmel Brewing Company, Stone Brewing Company, Mug Club, Founders Brewing

Recap: Jungle Jim's Best of the New Tasting

Friday night, we headed down to Fairfield (north of Cincinnati) for our third Jungle Jim's beer tasting. The theme of the night was beers that were new to the Ohio market in 2006.

Derek, who hosted the last tasting, also ran this event, giving insightful commentary about the beers themselves, as well as the state of the beer industry (including a long discussion on Budmillcoors' recent reactions to the continued growth of the craft brew industry). He noted that this was a more difficult tasting to arrange this year than in years past because many breweries were limited from introducing new products by the ever-progressive state of Ohio.

Nevertheless, Derek arranged an interesting flight, with some old favorites and a fair number of beers I hadn't yet tried (or have even seen on the shelves of our local brew store). Below is the order, as well as a few comments about each.

• Bell's Lager Beer (Bell's Brewery, Inc.)--sharp Saaz hop taste, relatively clean finish, with some metallic bite; an interesting beer, and a good one to start the night off with, but probably my least favorite offering from Bell's.
• Celis White (Michigan Brewing Co.)--the classic Wit Bier has returned to Ohio; different that I recall when I first tasted it, years ago; a lot sweeter (almost too sweet), with loads of citrus and spice (particularly clove, presumably from the yeast).
• Black Dog Ale (Spanish Peaks Brewing Co.)--on the sweet side, with low to moderate hops; easy to drink
• Cocoa Porter (Tommyknocker Brewery)--strong chocolate nose, followed by strong chocolate taste; similar to Young's Double Chocolate, although not as smooth, and more powdery; slightest hints of roast flavor buried under mounds of cocoa
• Prohibition Ale (Speakeasy Ales & Lagers)--this beer was a surprise hit--I thought the Speakeasy bit would be gimmicky, with a less than stellar beer, but I was pleasantly surprised; well-hopped with floral note and citrus and pine flavors
• Double White (Southampton Ales & Lagers)--clove in the nose; tart mouthfeel; spices well-balanced; less sweet than Celis--drier
• Celis Grand Cru (Michigan Brewing Co.)--spiciness, largely due to yeast; with slight hints of Brett in finish; honey and Champagne mouthfeel
• Big Daddy IPA (Speakeasy Ales & Lagers)--another nice surprise with big piney hops reminicent of Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve; well-balanced, with malt carrying hops (citrus up front, then fades to pine) throughout swallow
• Buffalo Stout (Brouwerij Van Den Bossche)--Belgian yeast dominates flavor, with hints of roast and chocolate swirling about; huge, effervescent mouthfeel
• HopSickle (Moylan's Brewing Co.)--smells like opening a fresh bag of hops; extremely bitter, but somehow the beer works; probably the most complex hop flavor I've encountered

The full lineup

The only real disappointment of the night was that Ed was on vacation and had the keys to the adjacent bar, so we weren't able to hang out and put back a few pints after the event. A real bummer since there was still clearly a keg of HopSlam!

More upcoming tastings at Jungle Jim's:

January 26
Dave Engbers of Founders Brewing hosts. Expect BIG beers. Very big beers.

February 9
Old World vs. New World--European brews take on their American upstart cousins.

February 23
Mike Dewey of Mt. Carmel Brewing Company hosts. Mike runs a nano-brewery that is quickly gaining ground in the southwestern Ohio region. Special fondness for this brewery since it is located about 1/4 of a mile from the neighborhood where I grew up.

Greg demonstrates a true wit bier

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, craft brew, beer tasting, Jungle Jim's, Cincinnati, Ohio, Bell's Lager Beer, Bell's Brewery, Celis White, Michigan Brewing Company, Black Dog Ale, Spanish Peaks Brewing Company, Cocoa Porter, Tommyknocker Brewery, Prohibition Ale, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Double White, Southampton Ales & Lagers, Celis Grand Cru, Big Daddy IPA, Buffalo Stout, Brouwerij Van Den Bossche, HopSickle, Moylan's Brewing Company