The Muse of
Brews
August/September 2008 Column
Ahh, August! That means the 4th Annual Blues and Brews Fest at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, sponsored by Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and the Winking Lizard Taverns. It will be held on August 9 this year. For $25 ($30 at the gate) you get to sample beers from over fifty breweries from 2 – 6 PM. For $50 you can start at noon with a VIP pass which includes lunch and select beers. There will be live music by the Bluestones, and cooking demonstrations by area chefs. For more information, visit www.stanhywet.org or call 330-836-5633. This is one of the nicest venues I’ve ever seen for a brewfest, you don’t want to miss this one.
The Thirsty Dog just completed the addition of another 240 barrels of fermenting capacity with fermenters acquired from the former Moulton Brewing in Cleveland which will help with additional growth and expansion of offerings in their distribution network. With this addition, Thirsty Dog also welcomes Mitch Ackerman and Tom Robbins to assist brewer Tim Rastetter with brewing and cellaring at the brewery. John Najeway has indicated the brewery will now be open for tours and growlers will be available the first and third Saturdays of every month from 10-3 pm. So clean out those jugs and “unleash the flavor” of your favorite Thirsty Dog brews: Old Leghumper, Hoppus Maximus, Siberian Night, Labrador Lager, Cerberus Belgian Trippel, Orthus Belgian Dubbel, Twisted Kilt, Stud Service Stout, Maibark, Raspberry Ale, and Raspberry Leghumper.
The Raspberry Ale was released in bottles statewide in June and available on draft many places such as Winking Lizards in Fairlawn and Peninsula and 69 taps in Medina, Akron, and Wadsworth. Look for the release of Thirsty Dog Pumpkin Ale and Barktoberfest at Winking Lizards in Fairlawn and Peninsula in September and the Barktoberfest will be at the Berea Fairgrounds Oktoberfest and at the Stan Hywet Ohio Mart as summer ends.
Also in August will be the Dayton Ale Fest, from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday the 23rd at the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton. They promise over 250 beers from over 100 breweries. See alefest.ticketleap.com for tickets and details.
Zanesville’s Weasel Boy Brewing Company will be featuring Wezel Junge Kolsch in late August and will be brewing up Das Fretchen Oktoberfest for late September. They will be joing Columbus area breweries on Saturday, September 13, for the 3rd annual Columbus Microbrew Festival, to be held at the North Market in Columbus. Seven area breweries (Barleys #1 and #2, Columbus Brewing, Elevator, Gordon Biersch, Hosters, and Weasel Boy) will be participating, and your $12 admission gets you a pint glass and 8 tasting tickets. There will be cooking demonstrations, live music, and a homebrew contest. Check www.northmarket.com for more details.
Hoppin’ Frog Brewery has a special beer dinner planned in Dayton for Friday, August 22 on the evening before the Dayton Ale Fest. It’s at a Thai and sushi restaurant called Thai 9, at 11 Brown Street in the Historic Oregon District. They will pair appropriate Hoppin’ Frog beers with the often spicy and always flavorful Thai dishes. Call (937) 222-3227 for reservations.
In the quest for the perfect pint, Hoppin’ Frog has been improving their brewing processes. One improvement has helped reduce haze and sediment so they can continue to not filter and keep all the great flavor in the beer. They also say they have improved their dry-hopping to get more hop aroma. Check it out yourself at the monthly Hoppin' Frog Nite Out on the first Tuesday of each month at Siamones’ Thai-American Pub, at 2215 East Waterloo (Rte. 224), about ½ mile east of the Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. You can try either Thai or American food paired with Hoppin’ Frog brews.
Ohio Brewing Company is fast becoming my favorite place. It’s the nearest brewpub to me, has good food, outstanding beer, and it has Buzztime Trivia, not to mention free indoor parking after 6 pm, and the terrific deals on beer for Mug Club members! They’ve recently added a hoppy Czech-style Pilsner to their lineup called Polymer Pilsner, and the Wright Brothers Wheat, a medium-bodied, assertive American wheat beer. Coming up in August, they will be adding Buckeye Blonde, a Belgian white ale, Akron Doppel Alt, a strong alt or sticke beer; and Smoky Scotch Ale, a strong Scotch ale with noticeable peat malt character balanced with smoky undertones. Late summer, watch for a Cherry Wheat Ale. You can now find OBC beers at Canal Park, the home of the Akron Aeros, and a tap at Riverside Wines in Kent.
AND…Ohio Brewing is proud to announce the first annual Ohio Brewing Company Octoberfest to be held September 12 and 13 at the Lock 3 Amphitheater in downtown Akron (which happens to be right next door to the brewpub). German food and music will be featured along with, of course, their Octoberfest Beer. Watch for details at www.lock3live.com .
Great Lakes Brewing Company is celebrating their 20th Anniversary (which is officially September 6, 2008) with the limited release launch of their Imperial Dortmunder. In addition, GLBC will be celebrating its anniversary with “20 Days of Celebration and Promotion” in the GLBC Brewpub beginning Sunday, August 17 with a GLBC Staff Reunion, a brewmaster’s dinner on August 26, and culminating on Saturday, September 6 with a big party.
At the BREW Kettle, their new production brewery is up and running and producing great beer! Well known favorites including Ringneck 4 C's Pale Ale, Copperhead Red Ale, Big Woody Lager and Olde 21 Imperial IPA have already been brewed on the new system. This is the first step to getting their beer distributed throughout Ohio. Watch for the Ringneck label on draft and in stores in the near future!
The Brewkeeper in North Ridgeville will be participating in the Berea Oktoberfest brewing competition schedule for August 29. BOO Beer, a pumpkin ale, makes its annual return the same week. The annual Hop Harvest Festival will run from September 12 - 14. Some of the beers they will be featuring are Hop Fusion, MAD-arillo, Anger Management (an imperial IPA), and a new IPA they have developed for local hero Joe Charboneau (1980 AL rookie of the year for Cleveland), called RBIPA.
I hear the Main Street Grill and Brewing is open in Garrettsville, Ohio. First reports on the atmosphere, food, beer, and service were good, but I haven’t been there yet. This is the place that has been through several reincarnations as a brewery. Let’s give them a try and help them make a go of it! I don’t like to see promising new breweries like Mulholland Brewing in Reynoldsburg close their doors after less than a year in operation.