Ohio Brewery News
10.7.2021
CENTRAL
To honor Matīss Kivlenieks, the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie who tragically died last summer at the age of 24, Edison Brewing Company brewed Kivi, a Latvian-inspired honey rye lager. $2 from each pint of Kivi sold will be donated to the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation’s Matīss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund to support youth hockey initiatives in central Ohio and in Kivlenieks’s native Latvia. Edison is also offering a limited edition Kivi glass at their brewery taproom in Gahanna while supplies last. To learn more about Matīss Kivlenieks, his namesake beer and tribute glass, the CBJ Foundation or to make an independent donation to the Matīss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund, head over to facebook.com/edisonbrewing
GREATER CLEVELAND
Pumpkin beer lovers around Cleveland have a lot to celebrate as several area breweries are tapping the autumnal gourd for some great new brews:
- Last week, Market Garden Brewery held their 10th annual Pumpkin Beer Fest, featuring brews from Ohio and beyond, headlined by their own seasonal Franklin Castle spiced pumpkin ale and the brand new Smashing pumpkin saison.
- Just up the block on West 25th Street, Nano Brew Cleveland started their eighth annual Parade of Pumpkins with the release of Pumpkin Giant imperial pumpkin ale. Nano Brew will release a new, small batch pumpkin beer every week throughout the month of October; follow them on Facebook for release details.
- Downtown at Masthead Brewing Company, look for Bourbon Barrel Aged Pumpkin Underverse, an imperial stout brewed with pumpkin, milk sugar and spices before picking up a boozy complexity from maturation in the barrel. It’s available on draft and in cans for a limited time: to make sure you don’t miss out, pre-order your cans at masthead.oznr.com
NORTHEAST
Hype may be king when it comes to beer marketing, but humility rules here in Ohio. There’s a balance to be struck between ostentatious braggadocio and demure civility, a balance just as important as the interplay between malt and hops. That balance is on display with Just Another Cold IPA From Akron, a collaboration brew between the veteran brewers at Thirsty Dog and the upstarts at Akronym Brewing. It starts with the choice of beer style, the incredibly trendy cold IPA: an ale recipe brewed with rice or corn for a clean body, then fermented like a lager and dry hopped for a burst of flavor and aroma. This collab uses pilsner malt and flaked rice, then gets a huge dose of Amarillo, Citra and Ekuanot hops for a strong citrus flavor with pleasant bitterness balanced against a crisp, refreshing body. The diminutive name has a long-running history in Akron, variations of which were most famously uttered by native sons LeBron James and Devo. Pick up some cans of Just Another Cold IPA From Akron at the Akronym and Thirsty Dog taprooms and find your own balance. More details at facebook.com/akronymbrewing
NORTHWEST
It’s October and all things fall- and Halloween-themed are taking their rightful time in the spotlight. Even though pumpkin beers started appearing on retail shelves in July this year, it isn’t until the leaves start to change color and the autumn chill descends that pumpkin beers really seem to fit the season. Juniper Brewing Company must agree, since they released not one, not two, but three new pumpkin beers on Oct. 1. The Thriller is a classic pumpkin ale that is brewed with cinnamon, allspice and clove, then aged on graham cracker crumbs and vanilla beans. For something stronger, there’s Wolfman’s Brother brewed with roasted butternut squash, brown sugar, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, clocking in at 7.5% ABV. PSL fans can look forward to Monster Mash, an English-style porter made with pumpkin puree, coffee, pumpkin pie spices and lactose. Find out more at facebook.com/juniperbrew
SOUTHEAST
Be honest: when Facebook and Instagram went down this week, did you worry even for a second that you might be missing out on some crucial Ohio craft beer news? FOMO is real, but luckily so is email. Tons of breweries shifted their attention away from social media and blasted info directly to their fans on Monday during the social media outage. One of those was Homestead Beer Company, which used the opportunity to make a big announcement. The brewery will be releasing a new beer every Wednesday starting on Oct. 13, and the details of each release will be shared first to subscribers on Homestead’s email list. Take this opportunity to sign up for their list to stay in the know, and then check to see if your favorite breweries have their own email lists you can join. You can even use our handy, online list of Ohio Craft Brewers Association breweries – with links to their websites – to guide your search. While you’re at it, be sure to subscribe to the Ohio Brewery News Bulletin to get these weekly blog posts and other updates delivered direct to your inbox every Friday morning: http://bit.ly/ohiobrewerynews
SOUTHWEST
It’s going to be a fun weekend for craft beer fans in Middletown as both FigLeaf Brewing and Rolling Mill Brewing Company are hosting big events on Saturday, Oct. 9. FigLeaf is celebrating five years of beers starting at noon with the return of their Peanut Butter Amber Ale, as well as the debut of a new spin on a longtime favorite, Irish Coffee Ponderous Porter. Since it’s October, the brewery is encouraging guests to show up in costume: FigLeaf will hold a contest at 6:45 p.m. for individual and couple or group costumes. Meanwhile, across town at Rolling Mill, the brewery will host their third annual Mill Fest celebration from noon-9 p.m. The highlight of the event is the release of Haunted Hayride imperial pumpkin ale, the 100% gluten-free brewery’s strongest beer to date. There’s also still time to sign up for the Run The Mill 10K and half marathon races, if you’re in the kind of shape to be able to do that kind of thing on short notice. Get more info on both events at figleafbrewing.com/anniversary and facebook.com/rmbc2016
WEST CENTRAL
Ohio is rapidly approaching a big craft beer milestone. As of today, there are 393 independently-owned craft breweries licensed to operate in the state, and several more have applied for their brewery permits and await inspections. That means that we will likely pass the 400 brewery threshold before the end of 2021, despite the devastating and lingering effects of the pandemic. Walking Distance Brewing Company is one of the most recent to open their doors, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 9. If you happen to be near Marysville today or tomorrow, feel free to pop into the taproom and get a sneak peek this week starting at 3 p.m. You can even get your Ohio On Tap passport stamp while you enjoy these brand new brews. Be sure to give @walkingdistancebrewing a follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date.