At Brick and Barrel, the Cleveland neighborhood taproom that launched in 2014, Karl Spiesman applies his wine-making background to classically inspired European ales executed with a creative American sensibility.
What sets Ohio-based brewery Fat Head’s apart from its peers is its winning streak at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Since the original brewery opened, it has collected 25 medals between the two competitions across a wide range of styles.
When BrewDog announced the Columbus, Ohio, location of its US brewing operations in June 2015, it left some wondering how the arrival of a big player would impact the city’s beer scene.
America’s brewing renaissance has developed alongside a renewed interest in cycling, with new breweries popping up along the nation’s bike trails to cater to two-wheeled clientele.
Ancient brewing equipment found in China; 14 breweries leave Colorado Brewers Guild; Walmart launches beer brand; and a roundup of legislation passed in Alabama, Idaho, and Ohio.
Trevor Williams co-founded Columbus, Ohio’s Hoof Hearted Brewing with a pair of college buddies, Jared and Ryan Bichon, in 2011. They crank out bold, aromatic beer that’s influenced by hops, hair metal and video game culture.
Temperance Row holds a nostalgic place in brewing history with timeless beers and an iconic brewmaster in a small town in central Ohio that was dry for 148 years.
Thanks to places like Bodega, Columbus, Ohio’s Short North is a revitalized district today. Outside, the 50-seat patio offers superb people watching on North High Street. Inside a long bank of windows, Bodega serves up 47 beers from sleek, stained wood tap handles at a rustic wooden bar.
BrewDog announces location in Columbus; Minnesota allows Sunday growler sales; US breweries win at Australian International Beer Awards; AB InBev trademark application suspended; Alabama craft beer law limits brewery expansion; and breweries and brewpubs now open or coming soon.
The Rhinegeist Brewery was founded by Bob Bonder, the owner of a local coffee shop, and Bryant Goulding, a brewing industry sales and marketing veteran. To put recipes to their vision, they turned to Jim Matt, a longtime homebrewer who was brewing professionally only because his day job as a chemist had ended.
It wasn’t long ago that the beer scene in Columbus was dominated by the local Anheuser-Busch brewery on the north side of the city. But while only two craft breweries in the city date back more than 20 years, Columbus is at the heart of the state’s current craft beer boom.
In Ohio, the outlook is favorable for a proposed bill that would lift the state’s current alcohol-by-volume cap from 12 percent to 21 percent. A similar bill failed in 2011, but this version has bipartisan support from 21 legislators.
Cincinnati has always been steeped in brewing history thanks to its predominately German heritage. But the craft scene was slow to catch on. A few years ago, this metropolitan area of 2.1 million people could boast only three locally owned breweries. Today, there are upwards of 16 locals.
The Alchemist closes cannery to public, promises new retail space soon; analysts believe time is nigh for SABMiller / AB-InBev merger; phony “Brew Dog” beer shop opens in China; and new beer laws on tap for Ohio, Michigan and Georgia.
A good brewery is aware of the atmosphere it’s creating. They don’t just want you to stop in and check it off your list; they want you to hang around, ask questions, bring friends. In essence, it’s all about community-building.
Before Prohibition, Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood was the heart of the brewing district, and it is emerging as a must-visit for beer drinkers once again. A driving force behind that revival is Market Garden Brewery & Distillery, which was opened in 2011.
Slowly, but very surely, Akron is coming into its own as a beer town, with more establishments offering craft beers and Akron’s own breweries starting to emerge. It’s also worth noting—with appropriate irony—that Akron is the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Brad Clark has wanted to push the envelope since the first beer he ever brewed. At Clark’s Athens, Ohio, brewpub, Jackie O’s, he’s pushing boundaries in several directions.
Regardless of whether it’s a one-off brew or one of Indigo Imp’s signature beers, it will have Matt and Kathy’s mark all over it. It can’t be helped, as everything from stirring the mash to filling the bottles is done by their hands.
In this city, there’s stunning prewar architecture downtown, boulevards of old-money mansions and reclaimed industrial warehouses. And for two decades now, it’s been ground zero in the fight against fizzy macro swill.
Why is beer suddenly grabbing the attention of chefs and bar managers at the hoitiest and toitiest places in the nation, after being relegated to second-class status for so long? There are a lot of intangible reasons, but there’s a more tangible one as well: Garrett Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table.
