Ohio Brewery News
7.10.2020
CENTRAL
I stopped by Land-Grant Brewing this week to chat with the Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s newest board member, co-owner Adam Benner, and during our conversation he explained how the brewery is adapting to on-premises sales during the coronavirus pandemic. Taking advantage of their in-house canning line, beers that normally would have been offered as taproom-only exclusives on draft are being canned to serve in Land-Grant’s sizeable outdoor beer garden and for sale in six-packs to-go. This week, four new experimental cans were released: a crisp Italian Pilsner, a pineapple forward Double IPA, an El Dorado single hop pale ale showcasing pear and watermelon aromatics, and a Trail Mix pale ale brewed with craisins and almond flower. All are available at the brewery in Franklinton or for Columbus-area delivery. Get more beer details and place your order at landgrantbrewing.com/carryout
GREATER CLEVELAND
Masthead Brewing, one of the north coast’s most celebrated purveyors of Northeast-inspired hazy beers, recently headed down to southern Ohio to team up with Rhinegeist on an imperial west coast IPA. Did I lose you there? Put down the compass: you’re going to need a star chart to navigate the Space Vibes. Strata, Simcoe, Columbus and Citra hops drive the super dank west coast character with pungent aromas of pine, tropical fruit and electric lettuce. The deceptively smooth-drinking imperial delivers notes of citrus peel, pine sap and fresh cut grass. The Space Vibes collaboration was brewed and canned at Rhinegeist and will be landing on store shelves around Ohio next week. Learn more about the beer and find out where you can pick it up next week at rhinegeist.com
NORTHEAST
Three northeast Ohio breweries re-opened their doors to taproom customers this week. Shale Brewing Company temporarily shut down all their operations in mid-March, deciding against offering carry out or delivery services due to health risks and logistical challenges. After giving their brand a refresh and implementing new safety and sanitation protocols, Shale opened their North Canton taproom doors yesterday. McArthur’s Brew House immediately pivoted to carry out when bars and restaurants were ordered to close. Since then, they’ve made some improvements to their patio space and re-opened for both outdoor and indoor seating at their taproom in Cuyahoga Falls. The kitchen at Blue Heron Brewery has been busy for the past several months offering family meal kits alongside growlers of craft beer at their curbside carry out. Now the brewpub has re-opened to the public, including ample outdoor seating with gorgeous views of the adjoining Austin Badger Park just outside Medina. Click the brewery links above for more info and up-to-date operating hours.
NORTHWEST
Small business ownership can be a precarious proposition even in the best of times, but they’re disproportionately affected by economic downturns like the one caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It is more important than ever to support the small businesses that enrich our communities and our lives. Moeller Brew Barn is doing just that with their newest beer release, sourcing their hops from a nearby farm. Hopyard29, located southeast of Sidney, provided the hops that make up Hopyard29 Ohio IPA, which combines the grassy, grapefruity aromas of the Comet variety and the crisp, mildly spicy bitterness of Galena and Newport hops. This hyper-local IPA will be released on draft and in cans at both Moeller Brew Barn locations in Maria Stein and Troy on Thursday, July 16. For more information, head over to facebook.com/moellerbrewbarn
SOUTHEAST
When Jackie O’s put their imperial stout collaboration with Missouri’s Side Project Brewing into bourbon barrels 17 months ago, I’m sure no one involved would have guessed that the bottle release would be held through an online store and shipped direct to each purchaser’s home. But that’s where we are in “the new normal”: the newest iteration of Appervation, a blend of Jackie O’s Dark Apparition and Side Project Derivation imperial stouts, will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 13 at jackieos.com. This is a shipping-only release, no purchases or pick-up at the brewery. There’s already some prop betting over how fast this bottle run will sell out, so here’s a pro tip: register for a store account in advance. You’ll need one to order and you don’t want to waste a single minute on Monday morning lest someone snatch your allotment out from under you. See all the details about this highly anticipated release at facebook.com/jackieos, and good luck!
SOUTHWEST
Dead Low Brewing announced today that they have hired Grant Thompson to head the brewing operations at their Cincinnati brewpub. An Ohio native who got his start in the industry at The Brew Kettle and Great Lakes Brewing Company, Thompson was most recently the head brewer at Ravinia Brewing Company in Chicago before returning to take over Dead Low’s brewhouse. According to the brewery’s press release, Thompson enjoys the historical and the culinary aspects of brewing. “I like taking historic styles, styles that people think they are familiar with and tweaking them just a little bit, trying to change minds and find green space. In this industry, where everyone is trying everything, I like to find the little things, those little ideas that make your beer really stand out.” Dead Low plans to hold “meet the brewer” happy hours and tastings in the coming weeks. For more info, follow them at facebook.com/deadlowbrewing
WEST CENTRAL
We’ve added two new breweries to the Ohio On Tap statewide brewery passport app this week. Southern Ohio Brewing held the grand opening of their brewery and taproom on July 4 – should be relatively easy to remember for anniversary purposes – becoming the second brewery to open in Beavercreek in the past year (The Wandering Griffin started brewing in late October 2019). Southern Ohio debuted an initial draft list of five beers ranging from a cream ale to a peanut butter porter.
The other new brewery added to the passport is N.E.W. Ales Brewing in Middletown (technically in our Southwest region, but only about a 40 minute drive from Southern Ohio Brewing if yhou’re planning a road trip this weekend.) The brewery, named for owners Nikki Heupel, Elizabeth O’Harra and Wes Heupel, got their brewery permit back in January and opened their taproom and beer garden on May 22. If you’re not already using the Ohio On Tap app, download it today and start earning prizes for visiting Ohio breweries: ohiocraftbeer.org/app