Ohio Brewery News
2.21.2020
CENTRAL
Ill Mannered Brewing has a couple of firsts lined up for the forthcoming week. Today at 3 p.m., they’ll release their flagship IPA – Powell! Right in the Kisser – in cans for the first time. Healthy doses of Galaxy and Comet hops impart big citrus, peach and passionfruit aromas, backed by the white grape flavor of Nelson Sauvin hops. Then, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Ill Mannered will tap three Belgian beers, the first beers to be released from their recently developed barrel aging program. Ill Monk dubbel and Feeling Dangerous tripel both spent the better part of a year in Watershed bourbon barrels, while Fat Bottomed Girl Belgian dark strong ale rested in a New Riff bourbon barrel for 13 months. All three will be available on draft at Ill Mannered’s taproom in Powell, but are not expected to last long. Read more about both release events at facebook.com/illmanneredbeer
GREATER CLEVELAND
It’s been such a mild winter that it’s debatable whether or not we even need the Kurents –mythical Slovenian creatures that scare away cold weather and usher in spring – to perform the ritual duties this year. Nevertheless, the Kurentovanje festival, a.k.a. Slovenian Mardi Gras, returns to Cleveland this weekend and with an official craft beer to boot. Earlier this week, Collision Bend Brewing released cans of Pivo Kurent, a crisp golden lager brewed with Slovenian hops. It will be available on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Kurentovanje festival held at the Slovenian National Home, as well as at Collision Bend’s brewpub in the Flats. Ring your bells, hoist your beers and celebrate the coming of spring at this unique Cleveland event. Read more about Pivo Kurent at facebook.com/collisionbrew
NORTHEAST
An absolutely affable brewer named Brian called to connect about a downright delicious elixir expected to come forth on Friday. Goodness gracious, he hurled heaps of information including this juicy kernel: Lager Heads would label an ale after Letterkenny, a modern TV masterpiece of nebulous northern Ontario origin. Putting out a product as quaffable as the program is quotable, reaching rabid supporters of the series seems tremendously tantalizing. Understandably underappreciated in the United States, this very verbose but wonderful watch is explicitly eccentric. Yep. Zebra? Allegedly IPA will be available in cans and on draft starting today at the Lager Heads brewery taproom in Medina, so pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er.
NORTHWEST
2020 marks the bicentennial of Sidney, Ohio, the seat of Shelby County. As they did last year for the county’s bicentennial celebrations, Moeller Brew Barn has produced a beer to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Sidney’s founding. Nick Wolters of Sidney won the contest to name the brew, with the bicentennial committee bestowing the title Sidney 1820 Export on this Dortmunder-style pale lager. Moeller Brew Barn owner Nick Moeller presented Wolters with the first case of the beer this week; a total of 100 cases were packaged and will be available for purchase at select western Ohio retailers. Sidney 1820 Export is expected to be served at bicentennial events while supplies last. Get more info at sidneydailynews.com
SOUTHEAST
Cheers to three years of beers from Sixth Sense Brewing in Jackson! The anniversary festivities kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 with the tapping of two new beers: Salted Caramel Pretzel Stout and Donard’s Big Cherry Donker. I just searched to see if I’ve ever used the word “donker” in the past three years of writing this blog and it turns out I haven’t: it’s a beer in the same general style family as a Belgian dark strong ale or Trappist Quad. Sixth Sense will also tap a bourbon barrel aged version of Espris Russian imperial stout and possibly two other brand new beers (not confirmed at press time). Read more about all the anniversary celebration details at facebook.com/sixthsensebrewery
SOUTHWEST
With all the awards and acclaim that Brink Brewing has earned over the past three years, it’s hard to write a quick paragraph about them without getting into a long list of honorifics that threatens to take up the bulk of my column inches. World Beer Cup bronze medalist in 2018. Five Great American Beer Festival medals (four gold) in three years. The only brewery to win the GABF Very Small Brewery of the Year award twice. And on and on and on. So when we report that Brink is celebrating their third anniversary starting today, it’s probably wise to run to their College Hill taproom this weekend. It all kicks off today with the bottle release of Brink’s annual Anniversary Blend, a cuvee of five different barrel aged beers. On Saturday, cinnamon and toasted coconut variants of King Cake pilsner bottles will see release just in time for Mardi Gras. A dozen other special beers will hit the taps this weekend as well, see the full list at facebook.com/brinkbrewing
WEST CENTRAL
Deep in Buckeye State lore is the story of Grassman, a supposedly locally indigenous Bigfoot or Sasquatch-style cryptid that lives in the wooded lands of eastern Ohio. Grassman has been spotted several times since the first alleged sighting in 1978, even garnering a write-up in the Columbus Dispatch just two weeks ago. If Grassman exists, he’s said to be around 8 feet tall and rather aggressive, which makes it a perfect namesake for Rhetoric Brewing’s new Russian imperial stout, The Grassman’s Nectar. This 10% ABV monster will be released today as the brewery celebrates their one year anniversary at their tasting room in Richwood. Learn more about the festivities at facebook.com/rhetoricbrewing