Ohio Brewery News
8.15.2020
CENTRAL
Brewery collaborations have taken on many forms of late, from the open invitation, worldwide fundraising projects like Resilience, All Together and Black is Beautiful, to socially distanced virtual collaborations like Long Distance High Five (see West Central section below.) But even in our crazy modern world, there’s still room for an old-fashioned, one brewer visits another brewer to brew a beer collab. That’s exactly what Sideswipe Brewing and 2 Tones Brewing have done: the resulting hazy IPA, Internet Feelings, hits the taps at Sideswipe this Saturday, August 15. Heavily hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Taiheke varietals, this 6% ABV brew is bursting with citrus and tropical fruit aromatics. Enjoy a pour of Internet Feelings at Sideswipe’s taproom, or pick up crowlers and growlers to-go. The version of the beer brewed at 2 Tones will be available at their taproom sometime next week. More info on the collab release available at facebook.com/sideswipebrewing
GREATER CLEVELAND
Fat Head’s may be best known for their award-winning, hop-forward beers like Head Hunter west coast-style IPA, Hop Juju imperial IPA and Midnight Moonlight imperial black IPA, but brew master Matt Cole and his team also have a deft hand when it comes to modern, trendy beer styles. This week at the brewery and saloon in North Olmsted, fans of juicy New England-style IPAs can get a taste of Dat Haze Brah, the third iteration of their experimental hazy IPA. This version leans into Motueka hops for strong notes of tropical fruit and citrus. An hour to the west, Fat Head’s teamed up with CLAG Brewing in Sandusky to brew Small City Pathway, a passion fruit and guava-infused hazy session IPA. 50% of the proceeds from this beer will be donated to the construction and maintenance of the Sandusky Bay Pathway, a 12-mile waterfront bike path and boardwalk. A few kegs of that collab will make their way to North Olmsted next week. Keep up with the Fat Head’s daily tap list at facebook.com/fatheadscle
NORTHEAST
This blog tries to appeal to a wide variety of craft beer drinkers, so for every dive into an experimental hop variety or spotlight on an obscure, historical beer style, we try to balance it with some fundamentals of beer and brewing for those who are just starting to explore craft beer. To that end, we’re very happy to share a new video series from Lockport Brewery that covers the basics of beer and brewing. Every week, Lockport owners Lauren and Andrew Marburger release an informative and easily digestible two-minute video highlighting the brewing process. So far, they have covered the essential ingredients of beer, a typical brew day at Lockport and the basics of fermentation. Take six minutes out of your day to get a solid grounding in what goes into your glass. Follow Lockport Brewery on social media for future educational videos: facebook.com/lockportbeer
NORTHWEST
Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORAs) are popping up all over Ohio as communities look for ways to support their local businesses and help struggling restaurants, bars and breweries safely accommodate customers with social distancing in mind. The city of Sylvania instituted their DORA in the spring of 2019, allowing the public to purchase a drink from Upside Brewing, Inside the Five Brewing or other nearby establishments and carry it with them as they hop from shop to shop downtown. The city also hosts a weekly farmers market on Tuesdays, which inspired Upside Brewing to brew a beer with some locally sourced produce. Doing You A Flavor IPA is brewed with fresh sweet basil purchased at the farmers market and makes a perfect pairing with the brewpub’s beloved pizza. Available by the pint – in the brewpub or in a DORA cup – or in crowlers to-go while supplies last. More info at facebook.com/upsidebrewing
SOUTHEAST
Here in the dog days of summer, nothing hits the spot quite like a Kölsch, the pale, clear, bright ale that is cold conditioned like a lager to finish crisp and clean. If you’re so inclined to take a summertime cruise to eastern Ohio this weekend, take the road less traveled and stop by Dungeon Hollow Brewing to pick up Of Kölsch You Can, their German-inspired Kölsch-style ale. Dungeon Hollow is offering this taproom favorite in bottles for the first time starting today when they open at 5 p.m. While you’re there, try the green tea-infused version of OKYC as well; a very limited amount of the green tea variant will be available in bottles alongside the base beer. Try them side-by-side in the brewery’s pastoral beer garden and decide for yourself which version is more refreshing. For info on future releases from the cozy roadhouse brewery in Bloomingdale, follow Dungeon Hollow on social media: facebook.com/dungeonhollow
SOUTHWEST
Fifty West Brewing has three big releases this Saturday, August 15 from their Remus’ Revenge barrel aged beer series. First is Six Feet Under, a bourbon barrel aged English-style barleywine brewed in collaboration with The Party Source. Compared to Fifty West’s two-time World Beer Cup award winning 10 & 2 American-style barleywine, Six Feet Under uses all English malt, hops and yeast, producing a sweeter, more malt-driven beer than its American cousin. Ghost of Imogene, a Russian imperial stout that has seen several barrel aged releases in the past, gets two varieties this year: the base beer aged in bourbon barrels as well as a variant aged on coconut and coffee. All three Remus’ Revenge beers will be available for online purchase only starting Saturday morning and can be picked up at Fifty West’s burger bar on the brewery campus same day. For more info on the beers, pricing and personal allotments, visit facebook.com/fiftywestbrewingcompany
WEST CENTRAL
To bring this collaboration-heavy blog post to a close this week, here’s a story about breweries working together on a beer in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. Dayton’s Warped Wing Brewing Company and Land-Grant Brewing Company from Columbus orchestrated a collaboration between their two breweries entirely via video conference, coming up with a recipe for a light, summertime crusher that highlights Ohio’s agricultural heritage. Long Distance High Five is a tart, slightly salty gose-style ale with a light body derived from Ohio wheat and heirloom corn, plus a floral sweetness from locally sourced honeysuckle honey. The beer was brewed and canned at both locations and features distinct can art for both versions. Both breweries will release the beer at their respective taprooms on Thursday, August 20 with local market distribution to follow. Read more at facebook.com/warpedwing