The Muse of
Brews
June/July 2007 Column
The BREW Kettle has outgrown their current location so an expansion to quadruple their production capacity has begun. They will be moving their 10-barrel Century brewing system out of the pub and brew-on-premise to a 6,000 square foot facility about two miles down the street in one of Strongsville’s industrial parks. The new found space in the current building will allow the brew-on-premise some additional brewing, bottling and storage so they will be able to increase BOP brewing times by 35% to take the pressure off the over taxed brewing schedule. The new site will also include a commissary to assist in the prep work for the kitchen and start their new catering business.
Stop by to try a refreshing Hefeweizen (or one of the other 23 beers on tap) on the patio, and check out some great live music that has been booked for Saturday nights throughout the summer. They just installed a new house PA system that really sounds great!
Thirsty Dog Brewing Company is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Blues and Brews Festival at Stan Hywet on July 28. This year will be expanded in size and feature a larger selection of ales and microbrews, cooking demonstrations, music, and food available for purchase. Blues & Brews will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. There will be a six-piece blues band along with cooking demonstrations with recipes available for take home, along with cheese and chocolate pairing stations. The Winking Lizard will also be providing lunch for an additional cost. Go to www.stanhywet.com or call 888-836-5533 for ticket information.
For the latest in the ongoing saga of Ohio Brewing Company, they now report their target opening date is late summer. They are now partnering with Damon’s Grill and well be called Ohio Brewing/Damon’s Grill. They will have only their own house-brewed ales and lagers on tap, with five regular ales and one rotating lager. They have hired Dennis Holland as head brewer. Holland is very well regarded in NE Ohio as he was one of the original brewers at Great Lakes Brewing. For the last fifteen years or so, he has been brewing at brewpubs in Washington state and Michigan. Holland is no stranger to awards as he has won multiple medals at both the Great American Beer festival and the World Cup of beer for his beers at Great Lakes Brewing, Leavenworth Brewing in Washington, and Bob's House of Brews in Michigan.
Rocky River Brewing Company will have summer brews such as the Kolsch, Subchaser Hefe-weizen, and Blueberry Ale available all summer. For the more adventurous, watch for the HopGoblin IPA (brewed with over 2.5 pounds of hops: Simcoe, Centennial, Warrior, and Cascade per barrel), the Zwickel Bier, a keller bier which will include a version from Matt Cole’s brewmaster friend Stephan Michel from Mahr's Brau in Bamberg Germany. Also coming is the Chocolate Jitters stout with Belgian chocolate, milk sugar, and brewed coffee, and Sommerfest, a German lager that is crisp, clean and has a snappy hop finish. Also expect something with rye and a boatload of hops! Stop in and enjoy one (or more) on the patio and check out the new menu.
BarrelHouse Brewing Co. in Cincinnati is now shipping freshly bottled, locally brewed beer through Cavalier Distributing Co. I picked up a bottle of RedLegg Ale, Cumberland Pale Ale, Hocking Hills Hefeweizen and Duveneck's Dortmunder Style Lager on a recent trip to Louisville, Kentucky, but I haven’t seen them in Northeast Ohio yet.
In my column last month I talked about Riverside Wines in Kent. Well I’ve been informed that Chuck's Fine Wines at 23 Bell Street in Chagrin Falls also has a very nice selection of beer. They boast a collection of 450 or so beers and over 2500 wines. They have regular monthly tastings, and recently featured beer from Akron’s Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. Hoppin’ Frog has released a new summer Wild Frog Wheat beer, a full flavored German hefeweizen.
A recent visit to the new Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood found the place packed, the food and the service excellent, and Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja on cask! No wonder it’s a popular place.
Lastly, to keep you informed with what’s going on in the Ohio beer world, I have started a website, www.ohiobeerguide.com. For the latest in what’s happening, check my website, and if you have any news, comments, or questions, email me at brewmuse@ohiobeerguide.com … And thanks to those of you who DO keep me posted. It is appreciated!