Ohio Brewery News
5.6.2021
CENTRAL
Next week, 70 Ohio breweries will release From the Heart, a statewide fundraising collaboration beer to benefit the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. Named by Krista Alvarado of 4KD Crick Brewery and developed by OCBA board members John Haggerty of Warped Wing Brewing and Mark Hunger of Great Lakes Brewing Company, From the Heart features specialty ingredients donated by Crosby Hops, Origin Malt, Great Western Malting and White Labs. While all the breweries are operating from the same IPA/pale ale recipe, each version will be slightly different depending on each brewery’s base malt, house yeast and water chemistry. Participating breweries also had the option to tweak the recipe to take the brew in unique and experimental directions. A few will also offer the beer in cans with labels provided by Blue Label Packaging and Lemon Grenade Creative. To find out where you can enjoy a From the Heart pour during American Craft Beer Week May 10-16, head over to ohiocraftbeer.org/fromtheheart
GREATER CLEVELAND
The pandemic has been especially hard on urban breweries that don’t have access to outdoor space for increased seating capacity. The Ohio legislature passed House Bill 669 last year, making it easier for an establishment to temporarily expand into adjoining property, but for many that was simply not an option. The Butcher and the Brewer is tucked in among more than a dozen densely packed businesses on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, which makes it a popular destination during normal times but doesn’t offer expansion options when more outdoor dining is needed. Out of an abundance of caution, the brewery was open for only five months in 2020 and has been shuttered since mid-December. However, as COVID cases and vaccinations continue to trend in the right direction, the Butcher and the Brewer will re-open to customers on a limited basis starting today. Read more at facebook.com/butcherandthebrewer
NORTHEAST
Details emerged this week about a collaborative project to transform a downtown Akron green space into an outdoor beer garden. As part of the city’s ongoing downtown development project, they’ve partnered with Akronym Brewing to convert Commerce Park, a small lot nestled between downtown buildings, into an extension of Akronym’s taproom and patio. The future AKRONym Biergarten is located just a few hundred feet from the brewery and will feature a dedicated bar to serve customers during peak hours. The Biergarten will also continue to serve as an open, public green space for downtown workers to enjoy lunch outside, even when the bar is closed. Renovation of the space is already underway, and Akronym anticipates an opening within the next month or two. Follow the progress at facebook.com/akronymbrewing
NORTHWEST
Cheers to three years of beers from Twin Oast Brewing! This Saturday, May 8, the first 200 guests through the doors will receive a complimentary Twin Oast three year anniversary Kölsch glass, perfect for filling up with a fresh batch of Toast Kölsch-style ale. Additional glasses will be available for sale throughout the day, while supplies last. While you’re out taking in the scenery at the pastoral farm brewery on Ohio’s northern shore, you can enjoy the variety of beers available on tap, ranging from the thick and luscious chile-infused Chocomole stout to Sugar Rock, a Belgian-style dubbel brewed with authentic yeast strains and Belgian candi sugar to bring out rich dark fruit and caramel flavors. The festivities begin at noon; get more details at facebook.com/twinoast
SOUTHEAST
At least in the universe in which we live, time holds constant as far as we can perceive it, an immutable reality of our existence that defines causality over all events, past, present and future. Even though time is fundamental to our nature, the way we measure time is a subjective human construct. Instead of marking and subdividing the period of the earth’s rotation and revolution around the sun, we could use literally any other measurable phenomenon, much as the foot was derived from the length of some long-forgotten ruler’s walking appendage. As is, we’ve arbitrarily decided that a random point in England would be our global navigational reference, and that a line exactly across the world from it would be the demarcation to differentiate between dates. The International Date Line’s position in the Pacific means that New Zealand experiences the one of the first sunrises on any date, which serves as the inspiration for the new First Sun pale ale from Sixth Sense Brewing in Jackson, brewed with New Zealand-grown hops. Read more at facebook.com/sixthsensebrewing
SOUTHWEST
If you wandered into the 16 Lots Brewing taproom in Mason last weekend, you may have had a taste of Raspberry Vibrancy, the brewery’s first full scale sour ale release. The initial test batch was tapped back in January, analyzed, taste tested, refined and scaled up to a full production run. The results showed great promise, as the base sour ale provided the perfect tart balance to the rich, sweet character imparted by an abundant addition of raspberries. This first release will begin to make its way to through the brewery’s distribution footprint this week and will soon be found on tap lists around the greater Cincinnati area. Raspberry is just the first step: future Vibrancy series releases will feature copious amounts of other fruit flavors. Be sure to follow 16 Lots on social media to find out about upcoming Vibrancy variants: facebook.com/16lots
WEST CENTRAL
If Mom is a craft beer lover, Alematic Artisan Ales might have the secret weapon that will help you win Mother’s Day this year. Neapolitan Sky hit the taps this week, a milk stout drawing its inspiration from the rich, decadent strawberry cheesecake. Alematic put a lot of love in this brew, and just as much strawberry puree, cream cheese and graham cracker. This thick, creamy, mouthwatering stout is the perfect step up from that boring box of chocolates you give Mom every year. I mean, she’s not going to tell you she doesn’t like the chocolates, but you know she’d prefer a great beer instead. Swing by Alematic’s taproom in Huber Heights and pick up a crowler to go, or better yet, bring Mom out to the brewery this weekend. Read more at facebook.com/alematicbrewing