Ohio Weekly Roundup
3.23.2018
CENTRAL
Central Ohio brewers will once again team up to brew a collaboration beer for Columbus Craft Beer Week. This year’s brew – Confluence IPA – is being brewed at Four String Brewing Company on Friday, March 23 with representatives of over 20 breweries on-hand. The beer will be released in cans and on draft in advance of Columbus Craft Beer Week, May 11-19, and will be available at Six One Pour: The Ohio Craft Beer Fest on Saturday, May 12 at Huntington Park.
Actual Brewing Company tapped a limited release of Catalysis Grätzer Ale this week. Grätzer (aka Grodziskie) is a smoked wheat ale of Polish origin, nicknamed “Polish Champagne” due to traditionally high carbonation. Only one batch of this rare style was produced, so act fast if smoky beers are what lights your fire.
Hofbräuhaus Columbus taps their new seasonal kegs on the first Tuesday of each month. Last month was their Watermelon Lager. What will next month bring? Stop in at the Grandview beer hall on Tuesday, April 3 to find out.
GREATER CLEVELAND
The next release of Nut Smasher, the highly sought-after Imperial Stout from Willoughby Brewing Company, is scheduled for April 7 & 8. Tickets to the bottle release sessions are going on sale Monday, March 26 at 10 a.m. Both the base beer and the Vietnamese variant will be available for purchase at both sessions. Tickets for the last session sold out in seconds, so put this one in your calendar right now! Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/willoughby-brewing-co-10864942919
Platform Beer Co. will release two barrel-aged stouts this Saturday, March 24 at the Lorain Ave. taproom. Up Against The Wall is a highly drinkable barrel aged American stout that provides unctuous chocolate, slight smoke and cooling orange aromatics. Where The Sky Ends (a Can Collective exclusive) is a traditional dry stout aged in American Bourbon and Jamaican rum barrels. Both beers will also be released at the Columbus taproom on Sunday, March 25.
Thursday, March 29 is baseball’s Opening Day; Hansa Brewery in Ohio City will release Scoring Position Maibock that day to commemorate. Have a pint and watch Corey Kluber mow down the Mariners in Cleveland’s 2018 season opener in Seattle.
NORTHEAST
The oldest known barley-based beer dates back to around 3500 BC. Remnants of popcorn have been dated as far back as 3600 BC. Coincidence? Noble Creature Cask House will celebrate 5,000 years of unimpeachable human wisdom with their beer and popcorn pairing event this Saturday, March 24 at their Youngstown taproom. Details at facebook.com/noblecreaturebeer
Headtrip Brewery released their latest small batch beer on Thursday: 15th Street Dark Wheat & Cherry. Get to their taproom in Stow and get some before it’s gone.
Lockport Brewery in Bolivar is hosting a fundraising event on Tuesday, April 10 to support the Zoar Wetland Arboretum. The wetland is the site of the original Zoar Brewery and features a 30-acre shallow marsh, 50 acres of woodland and 2+ miles of trails. Local history experts will be on site to answer any questions about the old brewery and the wetland. A portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to the dock and shore improvement project. Details available at facebook.com/lockportbeer
NORTHWEST
Father John’s Brewery, the converted church/religious-themed brewpub in Bryan has a new beer called Defenestration of Prague. This crisp Bohemian Pilsner was named for the most notable occurrence of a person being thrown out of a window: in this case, the violent act that started the Thirty Years War in 1618. Descendants of the Habsburgs should probably steer clear of this brew, but it should be enjoyable for you and me…
Black Frog Brewery in Holland will tap Coffee & Cream, their coffee cream ale, on Saturday, March 24. With a highly regarded cream ale – Cream of the Frog – already in their portfolio, this coffee-infused offering is not to be missed.
SOUTHEAST
Welcome Double Edge Brewing Co., Ohio’s newest craft brewery and newest member of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association! They opened to the public last Saturday, but they’re holding their grand Opening celebration at their taproom in downtown Lancaster this Saturday, March 24 at noon. Get that Ohio On Tap passport stamp!
Little Fish Brewing Company will release their latest bottled beer, “Momentary Freak Out”, on Saturday, March 24 at noon at their Athens brewery. This mixed fermentation in stainless steel sour ale is brewed with guava and passionfruit, and dry-hopped with Simcoe and Falconers Flight hops. Details at facebook.com/littlefishbrewing
SOUTHWEST
Urban Artifact will release variant cans of their Squeezebox Strawberry Midwest Fruit Tart on Saturday, March 24 at the Northside brewery. Available 16 oz. variant cans include: Strawberry Margarita, Hazelnut and Chocolate, Strawberry Jalopeno Jam, Lemon Basil Sorbet and Orangberry Smoothie. Limit two per variant per person. Details (including any weather-related announcements) at facebook.com/urbanartifactbrewing
Christian Moerlein Brewing Company has released Moerlein Original Lager, a Vienna-style lager that pays tribute to the brewery’s pre-prohibition roots. Brewers from the production brewery and the Moerlein Lager House tweaked the recipe for over a year prior to this month’s release. Available in six-packs and on draft throughout Southwest and West Central Ohio.
Blue Skies Hero Brew is the newly released amber ale from Grainworks Brewing Company in West Chester. $1 from each pint will be donated to Blue Skies For The Good Guys And Gals Warrior Foundation, a non-profit providing enriching, life-changing experiences for veterans, Purple Heart recipients and families of fallen soldiers.
WEST CENTRAL
The owners of Devil Wind Brewing have announced that they are on track for opening their doors for the first time on Friday, March 30. Devil Wind will be the first brewery in Xenia since the Miami Trail Brewing Company closed in the early 2000’s. Be sure to get your Ohio On Tap passport stamp at Ohio’s newest craft brewery!
On Saturday, March 31, Fifth Street Brewpub will hold a lottery for 100 bottles of Schmidion Damme Belgian dark strong ale aged 8 months in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels. Tickets will be distributed starting at 10 a.m. with a drawing at 2 p.m. to determine who can purchase the bottles (one per person). One keg of this brew will be tapped at 10 a.m. to enjoy a taste before the drawing. Details at facebook.com/fifthstreetbrewpub