Ohio Brewery News
7.31.2020
CENTRAL
There’s a certain subset of craft beer drinkers who are just gaga for saisons, the rustic, Belgian-rooted farmhouse style that shows off spiciness and fruity esters from the yeast used in fermentation. There’s also a certain subset of craft beer drinkers who are driven to obtain the rare brew, the one-off, the beers that play hard-to-get. In the overlap of that Venn diagram lies Derive Brewing Company. No taproom, no over-the-top marketing, no brewery even – they brew and can their beers under contract at North High Brewing – these beers pop up seemingly at random only on Derive’s Instagram account. To find out how to purchase, Derive instructs fans to “slide into our DMs.” The brewery slid onto the medal stand at the 2019 Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers, taking second prize in the classic beer styles category with a barrel aged, dry hopped saison called It’s Only Dirty Paper! Last week, Derive put the spotlight on Hovercraft, a four grain saison imbued with lemony citrus and white grape tannin notes from Calypso, Lemondrop and Nelson Sauvin hops. To read more and find out how to get your hands on Hovercraft, slide into their DMs at instagram.com/derivebeer
GREATER CLEVELAND
It’s been a busy month for Avon Brewing Company, opening two satellite locations in northeast Ohio. Just down the road from the original brewpub, ABC took over ZZ’s Big Top, a longstanding Avon tavern that closed in late 2018. The resurrected roadhouse will feature Avon beer and guest taps, plus the previous occupant’s signature Bang-A-Rang spicy honey chicken wings, among other sauce options. Avon also headed south, opening a second brewing location in Medina. The Medina Brewing Company, the fourth brewery to open in the city in the past 12 months, is located on the lower level of the recently renovated historic Medina Farmers Exchange. To commemorate all this new expansion, Avon rolled out their first Big Top branded beer, Sharp Dressed Man, a hazy double IPA. Cans are available at all three locations, details at facebook.com/avonbrewingco
NORTHEAST
A couple of northeast Ohio breweries are looking to raise money for charitable causes this week:
Missing Mountain Brewing Company is offering the opportunity to be a brewer for a day as part of the Ronald McDonald House of Akron Red Tie Affair charity auction. The winner will choose the style of beer, the name of the beer and will participate in every part of the brewing process. Missing Mountain will also donate the proceeds of the beer’s sale to Ronald McDonald House. Online bidding begins on Monday, August 3.
The Phoenix Brewing Company is raising funds for Craft x EDU, a non-profit organization created to champion inclusion, equity and justice in the craft brewing community through education and professional development. A portion of the proceeds from a new line of brewery-branded t-shirts and sweatshirts will be donated to the non-profit. Shirts will be available for purchase at the Phoenix taproom in Mansfield starting today, online ordering will begin on Friday, August 7. For details, visit facebook.com/thephoenixbrewingcompany
NORTHWEST
Twin Oast Brewing has a couple of summer slammer beer releases coming up this week. On Monday, August 3, Twin Oast will release their collaboration with Char whiskey bar in Rocky River: Summer Gose By is a traditional, lightly tart gose brewed with coriander and salt for peak midsummer refreshment. Then, on Saturday, August 8, the brewery will release Berry Delish, a cream ale fermented on strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. This beer is usually released in conjunction with Twin Oast’s annual Quinstock festival, which unfortunately had to be scaled back due to coronavirus concerns. The brewery will still celebrate the beer release with live music throughout the day. Cans of both beers will be available at Twin Oast’s taproom in Port Clinton. Get details at twinoast.com
SOUTHEAST
We spent so much time covering Christmas in July last week that we totally missed that Wooly Pig Farm Brewery gave us all one of the best gifts of the summer. The rural Coshocton County brewery tapped their newest take on the India pale lager, IPL Vier (as in the German word for “four.”) Wooly Pig is pretty lager-centric and their IPL Eins (“one”) has been a hop-forward mainstay on the draft list since opening to the public in late 2017. The fourth iteration has its hoppy bitterness balanced by the addition of sweet, rich mango, but retains a smooth, crisp drinkability perfect for a summer sipping session out on the farm. If you head out this weekend, you’ll also be able to try Wooly Pig’s Honey Cream Ale, which hits the taps when they open at 3 p.m. today. For details, follow the brewery at facebook.com/woolypigbrewery
SOUTHWEST
It’s candemonium at Streetside Brewery this week. Headlining a trio of canned beer releases is Tiki Time, a brand new imperial Berliner weisse that fuses orange, pineapple and lime flavors with allspice, ginger, nutmeg and toasted coconut candi syrup for a tropical-inspired treat. Streetside is also bringing back a couple of fan favorite brews in cans this week. Glitter Freeze passionfruit/dragonfruit Berliner weisse was re-released on Wednesday and has been flying out of the cooler at Streetside’s Cincinnati taproom. Today, it’s the Return of the Mac, or I guess more accurately, the return of the Return of the Mac, a blonde ale infused with caramel crème coffee and vanilla. To reserve your four-packs for carry out, head over to streetsidebrewery.com
WEST CENTRAL
Boat Show has become one of Yellow Springs Brewery’s most beloved beers, showing off tropical fruit and citrusy hop notes alongside a sweet base of Crystal malt. For the brewery’s seventh anniversary, Yellow Springs decided to literally double down on the flagship brew. Double Boat Show, a double dry hopped version of the original clocking in at 8.7% ABV, will see a can release on Saturday, August 8. Due to the extreme popularity of this beer and the limited canning run, Yellow Springs strongly recommends pre-ordering online starting Wednesday, August 5 at 9 a.m. This highly anticipated brew could sell out in advance, so be sure to get your order in if you want to taste this special anniversary brew. Get all the details at yellowspringsbrewery.com