Ohio Brewery News
9.2.2021
CENTRAL
We celebrate a lot of brewery anniversaries here on the Ohio Brewery News blog, but there are other ways to mark a brewery’s development beyond the number of years since they’ve opened the doors. Forbidden Root’s Columbus brewpub – which will celebrate its second birthday this coming November, by the way – recently hit a significant milestone when they brewed their 100th batch of beer. Head brewer Nick Gabriel got the Forbidden Root staff involved in developing the recipe for the historic brew, landing on a tropical fruited gose with heavy additions of pineapple, mango and soursop. The beer, christened Keeping It 100, is now available in cans alongside freshly canned batches of Statusphere hazy IPA, Everybody Wins! blueberry and grapefruit wheat ale, and Ready and Willing oak aged farmhouse ale. Grab some four-packs from the Forbidden Root brewpub while you’re stocking up on Ohio craft beer for Labor Day weekend. Find out more at facebook.com/forbiddenrootcolumbus
GREATER CLEVELAND
Cha cha slide into Terrestrial Brewing this week for a brand new collaboration beer. Two Hops This Time, a blueberry west coast IPA, was the brewers’ choice award winner in the Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers Big Brew competition earlier this year. Terrestrial invited winning brewer Alan Wardeiner to scale up his homebrew recipe for production on the brewery’s five barrel system. The two hops used in this brew, African Queen and Mosaic, both lend strong and complex fruit flavors and aromas that are amplified with the addition of blueberry puree during fermentation. The result is a hop-forward brew tempered with sweetness and cut with a bit of acidity from the fruit. Two Hops This Time hits the taps at Terrestrial’s taproom in Battery Park on Friday, Sept. 3 when the doors open at 4 p.m. Read more at facebook.com/terrestrialbrewing
NORTHEAST
In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, R. Shea Brewing quickly pivoted their production to a series of limited edition can releases. Those beers, primarily hazy IPAs and imperial pastry stouts, quickly became highly prized by northeast Ohio craft beer fans and would routinely sell out during the weekend of their release. The brew team did manage to squirrel away a few of those limited run stouts, aging them in bourbon barrels to add depth and complexity. This Friday, Sept. 3, R. Shea will release four of those beers at their Canal Place taproom in downtown Akron. Light Containment chocolate hazelnut stout, Heavy Containment coconut macaroon coffee stout, Full Containment caramel macchiato stout and Our Darkest Hour coffee toffee stout will be available on draft for full pours or flights, as well as in a limited number of 22-ounce bomber bottles. Get all the details at facebook.com/rsheabrewing2
NORTHWEST
The Ohio State University football squad kicks off their season tonight against the Golden Gophers of a state up north (but not that state up north.) In keeping with tradition, Buckeye fans will continue their prohibition against the 13th letter of the alphabet, replacing it with a big red X wherever possible. Such is the case for Xichigan Copper Ale, Xoeller Brew Barn’s new fresh hop beer. This brew’s appellation is not a tribute to the state up north, but rather to the hop variety grown and harvested at nearby Hopyard 29 in Conover, Ohio that was used in the beer. Floral and tropical hop-derived characteristics shine through in the beer, with subtle notes of fruit punch and black cherry. Try a pint on draft at the brewery in Xaria Stein while rooting on the Buckeyes tonight. Read up on this new fresh hop ale at the brewery’s Facebook page.
SOUTHEAST
Sixth Sense Brewing’s taproom in Jackson offers not only the innovative and tasty brews made on site, but also a variety of creative cocktail offerings. Now those two distinct arms of the business have collided in the form of a new beer released this past week. Six Degrees of Beefsteak is a sour ale inspired by the Bloody Mary cocktail, brewed with tomatoes, pickle, horseradish, celery seed and Worcestershire sauce. You get all the flavors of the classic brunch cocktail in a light-bodied, easy drinking beer with just enough tartness to perk up your taste buds. Six Degrees is the perfect match for the brewpub’s Saturday and Sunday brunch menu, or for some patio sipping on a mild September evening. Order a Bloody Maria and a Six Degrees of Beefsteak from the bar and do a little compare and contrast, or, if you ask really nicely, maybe they’ll make a Six Degrees michelada for you or garnish your beer with bacon. Read about all the new brews on tap at facebook.com/sixthsensebrewery
SOUTHWEST
A fan favorite barrel aged stout is returning to the taps at Fretboard Brewing this weekend. Cool Meditation last appeared on the draft list in 2019; since then, a batch has been slumbering away in bourbon barrels to lend a boozy bite to the smooth, rich peanut butter and chocolate-heavy base. One of Fretboard’s Reggae Series of imperial stouts, Cool Meditation’s release on Saturday, Sept. 4 will be soundtracked by a live performance from Columbus-based reggae band The Quasi Kings. If heavy beers don’t nice you up, you’ll be delighted to learn that Fretboard is also dropping a brand new IPA, Zombie Zoo, this weekend as well. Find out more about both of these releases at facebook.com/fretboardbrewing
WEST CENTRAL
Certain beer styles lend themselves well to flavor infusions, especially beers that don’t punish the palate with excessive bitterness or overwhelming richness. A light, effervescent body helps to accentuate the infusion and activate the flavor on the tongue. That’s why The Wandering Griffin uses its White Griffin witbier as a base for experimentation with different infusions. In the past month, the brewery has featured different versions of the Belgian-inspired wheat beer for their weekly Fun Friday beer releases. The most recent iteration showcases orange and coriander, a classic summertime culinary pairing that imparts bright citrus and a spicy, herbal kick. Keep your eyes peeled for more of these White Griffin infusions by following The Wandering Griffin at facebook.com/wanderingg