Ohio Brewery News
6.26.2020
CENTRAL
A better journalist would probably do a fact-check, but I’ve been watching Zaftig Brewing’s social media accounts for more than three years and have no recollections of them ever offering beer in cans. The purveyor of high-gravity ales has bottled consistently for as long as I can remember, but their announcement this week of the release of Super Juicy Lucy IPA and Tropical Hazy IPA caught me a little by surprise. This rare packaging choice for Zaftig is perfect for these two heavily hop-forward brews: cans offer better protection against oxidation and light exposure that can cause off-flavors in beer. You can pick up six packs for carry out starting Saturday, June 27 from Zaftig’s brewery taproom in Worthington. More details at facebook.com/zaftigbeer
GREATER CLEVELAND
Pils may be the first style that comes to mind when considering Czech beer, but it’s certainly not the only one worthy of your consideration. Tmavé pivo – literally “dark beer” – is like the Czech cousin of the German Schwarzbier with a history dating back to the 15th century or before. The oldest brewery in Prague, U Fleků, was founded in 1499; today it brews and serves tmavé pivo… and only tmavé pivo. This week, Fat Head’s tapped their take on tmavé: Mystery Machine is an easy drinking 5% ABV brew bursting with aromas of toffee and toasted malt, delivering notes of milk chocolate and caramel. Try a pint of Mystery Machine or Pillowy Clouds summer saison at the Fat Head’s brewery and beer hall in Middleburg Heights. Details at facebook.com/fatheadsbeer
NORTHEAST
Fans of the original Royal Docks taproom in North Canton will feel right at home at the brewery’s new location in Plain Township, northeast of Canton. While the décor and aesthetics will seem familiar, the Royal Docks Foeder House was built to help the brewery expand their wood aged beer program and will focus on those brews to complement the fleet of Royal Docks flagships. The large wooden foeders that draw the eye in the taproom’s interior have already produced their first brew, Somer Farmhouse Ale, a European-inspired, slightly tart beer that pairs orchard fruit flavors with grassy aromas. You can get your Ohio On Tap brewery passport stamp from the Royal Docks Foeder House starting today when they open at 4 p.m. Read Rick Armon’s full write-up at cantonrep.com
NORTHWEST
Ohio has an affinity for breweries housed in former churches, but of the five examples in the Buckeye State, none embraces the religious theme with as much fervency as Father John’s Microbrewery in Bryan. The brewpub occupies the basement of this retrofitted 1895 Methodist church, the sanctuary plays host to live music, the courtyard has become a strikingly beautiful beer garden and the parsonage next door is now an Airbnb, a heavenly home base for those exploring northwest Ohio’s breweries. The coronavirus closures provided the catalyst for a remodel of the kitchen and taproom, re-opening today just a week after the brewery’s seventh anniversary. Plenty of house-brewed beers available as well as a limited kitchen menu (which is set to expand on July 9.) Follow Father John’s on Facebook to stay on top of all the re-opening developments: facebook.com/fatherjohns
SOUTHEAST
The Granville Brewing Company will give their customers extra room to space themselves out this weekend as they re-open their taproom and introduce a brand new outdoor barnyard seating area on the grounds of their pastoral Licking County property. The brewery pivoted to curbside pickup only in mid-March amidst the state-ordered closure of bars and restaurants and decided to stick with that model for the last month as they finalized plans to safely re-open to customers on-premises. To welcome people back, Granville has tapped Down on the Farmhouse ale, a refreshing, 6.4% ABV Belgian-inspired brew designed for sipping in the sunshine. Check the weather report, pull up a lawn chair and grab a pint; details at facebook.com/thegranvillebrewingcompany
SOUTHWEST
Cheers to four years of beers from Nine Giant in Cincinnati! The celebration has been going on all week, but the highlight is arguably today’s 4 p.m. can release of My Friends Over You, the Nine Giant/Streetside collaboration New England-style IPA featuring New Zealand hop varieties and named after a New Found Glory song (do you sense a theme?) Only 60 four packs are available and only one keg will be tapped for the festivities, so I guess I had better hurry the hell up and post this update before it’s too late. As expected, the Nine Giant kitchen is also going to be turning out some amazing specials for the remainder of the weekend, many featuring the 100 pounds of peaches that the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood brewpub brought in earlier this week. Get all the details by following Nine Giant on Facebook: facebook.com/ninegiant
WEST CENTRAL
Friday, July 3 is National Independent Beer Run Day, a day where we encourage you to visit your local craft breweries and stock up on beer in advance of the Independence Day holiday. July 4 falls on a Saturday this year, and despite it being a weekend, many breweries, bars and restaurants plan to close to allow their employees to enjoy the holiday with their families. Warped Wing has a brand new beer that will be ready just in time for Beer Run Day and your red, white and blue festivities. Magic Razz is the perfect accompaniment for the Fourth, a refreshingly tart gose buffered with raspberry sweetness and complemented with a slight saltiness that will have you craving another. Magic Razz will be available for pickup exclusively at Warped Wing’s downtown Dayton taproom on Thursday, July 2 before hitting distribution, direct shipping and local delivery after the holiday weekend. Details at facebook.com/warpedwing