Headed to Kent State University

101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall in Kent is the best bottle shop and craft beer bar in the city, pretty much across the street from the university. Ray's Place in downtown Kent usually has a good tap list and good bar food.

As for Hoppin Frog, it's mainly good for sampling their beers fresh without having to buy their bombers. The tasting room has the vibe/atmosphere of a chain sandwich shop.

 

The Tasting Room itself at Hoppin' Frog is pretty standard, however, they brew some badass beers. They are known for their imperial stouts and ipas, many of which are excellent. Tap list is updated daily on their website.

 

Mustard Seed markets in Akron are great for singles. While there hit up R. Shea Brewing. Always something interesting and good on tap.

 

Can confirm. 101 Bottles is the place in Kent. Haven't been to Ray's. Was way too crowded/difficult to find parking when I got there. (This is also from an out-of-towner not familiar with the area. There may be plenty of parking near there and I just couldn't adapt on the fly.)

Ohiovania is also 100% correct in hitting R.Shea Brewing, if you have the chance/head to Akron. Only been to HF Tasting Room once. If you're able, hit it on a Tuesday for their Tower Tuesday. Some interesting takes on their regular beers, most of which you should be able to find at the brewery or nearby, if they aren't available at the brewery/on tap.

 

While I was a student I never noticed the craft selection at Rays. Took me a visit back after graduation to recognize that they do a good job. Not that I had the money, but was a little pissed I missed out. Never once bought a craft beer at 101 either, but I see they do a good job via their twitter feed. Weekends are slow at Kent, you shouldn't have an issue finding a spot at a bar during the day unless it's college football season and the locals are out watching games.

 

Hoppin' Frog has never made a decent IPA IMO. Hell, Thirsty Dog makes better IPA's than HF's malt bombs and vanilla infused crap.

Better than HF IMO.

 

Not sure man, must be you. My particular quote referred to the fact that all of the bottles I see in shops around NE Ohio are either stouts or IPAs. That they've "never made a decent ipa" would suggest to me that you haven't tried many, especially in recent years. Every time I hit their tasting room, they've got a handful of quality IPAs on draft, including their newer test batches. I myself am not a fan of the "malt bomb" IPAs to which you refer. Personally, I've always found their hoppy beers to be particularly well-balanced. The scores below would tend to agree, they don't have a single IPA with a BA score below 85:

Hoppin to Heaven 86 Bros 90
Mean Manilishi DIPA 85
Gangster Frog 93
Hop Dam Triple IPA 88
Hopped Up Goose Juice 87
Hop Heathen Black IPA 91
Fresh Frog Raw Hop 88
Hop Master Belgian IPA 87