Ohio Brewery News
1.31.2020
CENTRAL
A trio of Ohio breweries will celebrate their one-year anniversaries over the next two weekends. Nostalgia Brewing in Gahanna, Nocterra Brewing in Powell and Alematic Artisan Ales in Huber Heights all opened their doors to the public on Feb. 2, 2019 and Nostalgia brewer Shawn White convinced the other two to brew a beer together to commemorate their first years of beers. We Made You a Mixtape, Vol. 1 is a the first of a planned annual collaboration; the first iteration is a double New England IPA with mango. Alematic’s version will hit the taps for their birthday celebration on Saturday, Feb. 1, which will also feature their first ever milkshake IPA, The Big Balloons. Nocterra and Nostalgia will each tap their batch of the beer on Saturday, Feb. 8 when they hold their own anniversary festivities.
GREATER CLEVELAND
Last week, The Brew Kettle tapped Perfect Strangers, a hop forward, golden pale ale perked up with the addition of hand-selected coffee beans from Hoof Hearted Coffee, the java offshoot of Marengo’s Hoof Hearted Brewing. Today, Perfect Strangers makes its debut in cans at The Brew Kettle and at craft beer retailers in northeast Ohio and beyond. This collaboration beer allows its contrasting ingredients to shine, pairing fruity aromas and flavors from hops with the intense roast character of the coffee to produce a well-balanced, palate-pleasing pale ale. Read more at facebook.com/brewkettlebrewery
NORTHEAST
Beer tourism has taken off in Ohio, thanks in large part to regional brewery passport programs and Ohio On Tap, our statewide brewery passport app. The Akron Summit County Visitors and Convention Bureau announced this week that the Summit Brew Path will return for a fourth year, with passport booklets available starting Saturday, March 28. This year’s passport will include three breweries that opened since last year’s edition: Eighty-Three Brewery in Akron’s historic Goodyear headquarters complex, Ohio Brewing Company in Cuyahoga Falls and R.Shea Brewing – Canal Place in downtown Akron. People who complete the passport will be invited to an exclusive beer festival and have an opportunity to win cash prizes. Read Rick Armon’s story at beaconjournal.com
NORTHWEST
Twin Oast Brewing throws a heck of a party – several parties, actually – out on Catawba Island during the height of tourist season. Next weekend, Twin Oast is launching Winter Fest, a new all-day event for the colder end of the calendar. The brewery teamed up with Homage to put on an alternative (or alternative to alternative) winter sports fest featuring snow shotput, sled relay races, a “bundling up” contest and many other games, capped with an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the event. Twin Oast also published their 2020 beer release calendar this week, which includes a yet unnamed India Pale Lager and some fun barrel-aged beers to be tapped later this year. Get all the Winter Fest details at facebook.com/twinoast
SOUTHEAST
Outerbelt Brewing has been busy pushing out new beers from their brewery in Carroll. Last Friday, they released their newest addition to their Small Batch Exclusive beer series, a 6.5% ABV sour IPA bursting with fruit-forward American hops and backed up with a sharp, pucker-inducing sour bite. A limited number of Sour IPA cans are available at the brewery tasting room while supplies last. Yesterday, Outerbelt tapped Blueberry Lemonade Kolsch, a variant of their Brew BQ Kolsch infused with, you guessed it, blueberry and lemon. It might be another dreary, Ohio winter weekend coming up, but this fruity, refreshing brew will have you pining for summer. Follow facebook.com/outerbeltbeer for news on these and upcoming releases.
SOUTHWEST
Save the date: MadTree Brewing’s Seventh Anniversary Bonanza is set for Saturday, Feb. 15 at their brewery in Cincinnati’s Oakley neighborhood. Late last year, MadTree asked their fans what long lost beer they’d like to see make a comeback for their birthday event. After tallying up hundreds of votes, the winners were Pilgrim – a fall-inspired pale ale brewed with cranberry and vanilla – and Sprye – a rye pale ale with citrusy notes from Centennial, Chinook and Simcoe hops. Both beers will be available on draft at the annual Bonanza. Several timed tappings will occur throughout the day, including an anniversary blend from MadTree’s cellars. Watch for more details to be released in advance of the event: facebook.com/madtree
WEST CENTRAL
The Ohio Craft Brewers Conference returns to Dayton on Feb. 4-6. To welcome the hundreds of brewers and industry professionals visiting the city, several local breweries will be releasing new beers next week. On Tuesday, Branch & Bone Artisan Ales will tap a single keg of Amalgamated Transference, a collaboration wild ale blend made with Antiques on High from Columbus. On Wednesday, Branch & Bone will tap an oak aged version of their Microcastle Pilsner. Fifth Street Brewpub has two special bourbon barrel aged releases set as well: Scottish Reign wee heavy on Tuesday and Viscous Commodities barleywine on Wednesday. Warped Wing Brewing will also tap Strange Wings on Tuesday, a collaboration amber wheat ale made with Yellow Springs Brewery.