New to Ohio (2018)

Agreed, I know I've pretty much stopped going to bottle shops all together unless there is some pretty rare beer that I want. The grocery store is just much more convenient to buy beer from.

 

That’s big business strangling the little guy

 

Is a northeast Ohio only chain like Heinen's considered big business? I feel like I'm still supporting a local business when I choose to shop and buy bottles there. The single bottles at cost are also a nice perk.

 

I’m not trying to be a dick here or get political. All I’m saying is convenience now may have undesirable consequences in the future. I buy beer from GE, Heinens, and local shops. Just wish the distributors were able to get stuff to ALL the places that can move product, not just the big players

 

I didn’t take it as being a dick, I was just genuinely curious if other people looked at something like Heinen’s as a big business, or did they look at them like a local place.

 

I consider them a local chain, but they are in Illinois now, too. I would love the Middleburg store to raise their game

 

It seems the past few months in my area shops including GE got a massive drop of Bodhi at one time and it is too much to sell. Hence there is still 6/4 Bodhi sitting on the floor. Wanderer is a pain to find at all around here.

I agree with you, Mike. Spread the goods to the smaller shops and let that stuff sell quickly.

 

Dunno, haven't heard much of anything yet about BCBS other than rumors that Heinen's downtown won't be the "big release" again this year.

 

The GE by me always gets a ton of Bodhi, and the local shop might get a case. Is what it is, i guess

 

It's all relative. Several, NOT ALL (I repeat, NOT ALL), smaller shops will eschew core brands from breweries and only want the special stuff. Well guess what, breweries and distributors want to take care of good retail partners that sell everything. That likely influences, in part, why some places get less than others.

 

Hey we're in Canton/Wooster/Mansfield today-tomorrow, anywhere I can get some Insane Wanderer?

 

Hope that's not true. I thought the downtown Heinen's event was great last year, I had a fun time lining up and chatting with the folks around me despite the cold.

 

Yesterday, we decided to hit up two places in Cleveland that have yet to go… Jolly Scholar and Boss Dog. So for those who are curious outside of the common “hotness”, my short and sweet reviews are below…

Jolly had some really solid offerings across all the styles they did, which was nice to see. From English Mild and Porter to a peppered Helles and of course, fruited Berliners and NE IPA. The beers were clean and well done. Parking isn’t the easiest, being right on the Case campus, but we luckily found street parking right outside the building. I would gladly stop back here, when school is not in session… I’d imagine this place would be packed with students! Pricing is fantastic as well! 12 and 16oz pints for $3.99… Impressive.

Decided to head over to Boss Dog to check them out, knowing almost nothing about them… The space is quite nice with a wonderful outdoor patio section you can bring your furry friend with you… We sampled 8 of their beers and was really surprised overall, especially with “Punch Out” their new NE IPA on tap. It was legit… We both agreed it’s better than what we have had out of Masthead thus far, if that means anything. Potent aroma/flavor, not overly sweet and just fantastic all around. Probably the best I’ve had in CLE for that particular style. Didn’t expect that!

The Pilsner was ok, although a bit under-attenuated. But the WC Session IPA was a standout, along with their Imperial Stout which was great… No frills and to style. They also had brown/amber ales and other “less hip” styles, which I appreciate. Overall, middle of the road stuff with a few notable exceptions.

Between these two, Jolly was a bit more impressive overall, but Boss Dog’s Punch Out was probably the best beer we had (with Jolly’s Peppered Helles right behind, but I’m a sucker for that stuff…).

Both worth stopping in if in the area!

 

I was just at Jolly Scholar a few days ago as well. That POG berliner was unreal. It tasted like sour tropical pop. I just wish they had bigger to go formats than a 16 ounce crowler.

 

Jolly Scholar does crowlers??

 

Only 16 ounces, but yes they do.

 

Columbus rolling out Cowboy Bernie Imperial IPA this week.

“Giddy up! Cowboy Bernie is a friend and a truly unique character. This limited Imperial India Pale is deep golden in color with a refreshing, firm bitterness and aromas of orange, orchard fruit, pineapple, and spice. Prominently featuring the experimental Bru-1 hops from Brulotte Farms in Yakima, Washington.”

Can’t wait to try it. So psyched that Columbus is firing off interesting (and delicious) beers left and right!!

 

Now they just need to can their brut and NEIPAs

 

I’m willing to accept their regular IPA in a can...baby steps are ok here

 

Um, no. They CAN just keep doing what they’re doing.