Ohio Brewery News
7.8.2021
CENTRAL
Here’s a beer designed to shake things up: Ill Mannered Brewing has released the newest version of CowQuake, a milkshake IPA that features a new combination of fruit each time it’s brewed. This latest iteration was made with guava and papaya to deliver huge tropical flavors. The traditional milkshake IPA additions of vanilla and lactose give the beer a smooth, creamy body and a delectable, sweet note. If you want to get your hands on this one, head up to Ill Mannered’s taproom in Powell. This version of CowQuake is only available in pint pours: no cans, crowlers or growlers to-go. Find out more at facebook.com/illmanneredbeer
GREATER CLEVELAND
When breweries were forced to close their taproom doors due to the pandemic, many wondered if a dip in sales volume would kickstart a long-anticipated craft lager trend. Lagers require long maturation in tanks, which makes them economically tougher for a small brewery that can turn around an ale in a fraction of the time. The Butcher & the Brewer teamed up with The Brew Kettle to find a creative and time-tested way to make a tasty pilsner without taking up valuable tank space. The use of pitch – a combination of pine resin and wax – as a waterproofing agent dates back centuries. The two breweries used it to line wooden barrels to age their Czech-inspired pilsner. The aptly-named Patience in Uncertain Times lager is currently available on draft at Brew Kettle locations; cans will start appearing on store shelves this week. Read all about it at thebrewkettle.com
NORTHEAST
Christmas in July means a different thing in northeast Ohio beer parlance. It’s an occasion for special releases of the near ubiquitous spiced holiday ales that have become a staple of the Ohio craft beer scene. While every brewery plays their own riff on the traditional winter warmer – generally involving some combination of mulling spices, citrus peel, ginger and honey – the high ABV and heavy body typical of these brews aren’t always harmonious with hot July weather. Birdfish Brewing has the answer, delivering the holiday flavor in a summer-friendly package. Lloyd Christmas is a light-bodied pale ale augmented with a generous dose of orange peel and ginger. Get it on draft and in cans now at the Birdfish taproom in Columbiana, a place where the beer flows like wine. Read more at facebook.com/birdfishbrew
NORTHWEST
The word of the day is “aegis,” the authority and protection offered by a powerful person or organization. In Greek mythology, the aegis is the battle cloak of Zeus and Athena that conjured fear in the hearts of their enemies. Despite drawing its name from historical terror, there’s nothing scary about the new Aegis Wheat from Aistear Brewing. On the contrary, this raspberry mint wheat ale promises to vanquish only your thirst. Enjoy a flagon of Aegis Wheat at the Aistear taproom in Bowling Green. Find out more at facebook.com/aistearbrewing
SOUTHEAST
Little Fish Brewing is about to party like it’s 1872 for their sixth anniversary. Among a slew of releases over the course of the next week – which also happens to be Ohio Brew Week in their hometown of Athens – Little Fish will debut a beer made from a nearly 150 year-old recipe. First brewed on December 8, 1872 according to the recipe found at an Ohio farm, the beer features licorice, orange peel and coriander. Little Fish’s version is a biere de garde, cooled in the brewery’s open-air coolship to introduce wild yeast before maturing in oak barrels for a year. The 1872 Amber Ale was then dry hopped and bottle conditioned for this release. Pick up bottles of this historical beer from the Little Fish taproom starting Tuesday, July 13. For details on all of the brewery’s Ohio Brew Week releases – they’ll have at least one per day from July 9-16 – head over to facebook.com/littlefishbrewing
SOUTHWEST
HighGrain Brewing Company teamed up with the Cincinnati Nature Center on a special community collaboration beer. The brewery is known for incorporating local ingredients in both their beers and their kitchen menu as part of their commitment to environmental sustainability. HighGrain sourced 30 pounds of spruce tips from the nature center’s Long Branch Farm northwest of the city to brew Tipper, a spruce tip pale ale. The addition of the spruce tree’s spring growth adds a unique bitterness and bright, piney note to the beer, making a relatively light and refreshing pale ale really sparkle. Enjoy a pint on draft now at the HighGrain taproom in Silverton; six-packs of cans will be available later this week. Find out more at facebook.com/highgrainbrewingco
WEST CENTRAL
Cheers to three years of beers from Roundhouse Depot Brewing Company! They’ll be celebrating their anniversary at the taproom in Bellefontaine starting Friday, July 9 with beer releases throughout the weekend. The festivities kick off with Friday’s bottle release of Lionel 937 coffee porter aged in New Riff bourbon barrels. The tracks get switched on Saturday as Roundhouse Depot introduces Rail Flyer, a locally-sourced pale ale brewed with grain from Rustic Brew Farm in nearby Marysville as well as hops from Zachrich Hop Farm in Mechanicsburg and Hopyard 29 in Conover. Several other fan favorites will be tapped on Saturday as well; for details, follow Roundhouse Depot on social media at facebook.com/roundhousebrewing