There are alcohol restrictions in Athens County?

 

The title of the image says "or have municipalities within them that are dry". So I would imagine there are laws prohibiting alcohol in a portion of the county.

 

...or this cartographer has zero familiarity with Athens County whatsoever. 

 

 

 

The beer capitol Wisconsin is all blue, yet you cannot buy anything after 9 pm at a store...only carry out at bars. In Indiana (also blue), at least near Chicago, large stores cannot sell beer cold, but I think small liquor stores can. Ohio has always seemed way more liberal in alcohol sales than its neighbors IMO.

since fall is here, whats a good pumpkin beer? i saw somebody drinking a bottle of harpoon ufo pumpkin ale yesterday, is that any good? i dont realy like this kind of stuff, but i kind of want to try one for the sake of the season.

 

Shipyard makes a great pumpkin ale - a while back there was a good one by Crooked River, but it was on draft and I haven't seen it in years.

Pumking by Southern Tier is probably the most popular, but it's pretty pumpkiny if you're not into the strong pumpkin taste.

I've really been enjoying Rivertown's Pumpkin ale this year.  It's pumpkin-y, spicy, and full bodied without being over the top sweet or high in alcohol.  I second Pumking, and also Spooky Tooth by Fathead, though those are both more like "Imperial" pumpkin ales with more sweetness and 8%+ ABV.

^Agree about Rivertown this year. It is excellent. On the other hand, I feel Madtree's Pumpcan is not as good as last years; rather bland.

 

Another interesting one is Jack-O-Traveler Shandy by Traveler Beer Co.

I didn't suggest Rivertown because I figured mrnyc couldn't get it in NYC or Cleveland (it's made in Cincinnati), but it is possibly my favorite pumpkin beer. Always a more subtle pumpkin taste than some like Pumking (though I like that as well).

Oops, I didn't figure in his location.  There goes Fatheads, too.  And I won't even mention Hoppin' Frog's Frog's Hollow.  Sam Adam's Fatjack double pumpkin is excellent, though I haven't had this year's batch.

Fat Head's is opening a brewery in Portland soon...

 

http://fatheadsportland.com/

I didn't suggest Rivertown because I figured mrnyc couldn't get it in NYC or Cleveland (it's made in Cincinnati), but it is possibly my favorite pumpkin beer. Always a more subtle pumpkin taste than some like Pumking (though I like that as well).

 

I've purchased Rivertown locally in Akron--I forget if it was at Acme or West Point, but it was here.  And both my wife and I agree it's a very solid contender, welcome in our fridge any day of the week.

 

I'm excited to see how Thirsty Dog's comes out this year; I think they're releasing theirs this week, if they haven't already.

^On the other hand, I feel Madtree's Pumpcan is not as good as last years; rather bland.

 

I would never want to bash a local brewery, especially one less than a mile from my house, but I think MadTree might just be expanding too quickly.  I can't compare Pumpcan to last year since I haven't had either, but I can say I wasn't as hot on Galaxy High recently compared to awhile ago.  I wonder if scaling up as fast as they have is not working for some of their recipes.

 

That said, they're jam-packed ALL THE TIME and just added a sixth day of taproom hours.  So maybe I'm the variable here.

People are getting sick of traditional sports bars, especially chains like BW3's and Quaker Steak.  These tap rooms are something new and by law can't be chains.  They have a less contrived feel to them, even a place like Mad Tree which is in a completely unremarkable building.  A 1980s or 90s microbrewery like Rock Bottom looks dated compared to these because it's too slick.  It's like an Applebee's that brews its own beer whereas a place like Madtree looks like a place started by some guys who figured out how to brew beer as a hobby and who are trying to turn it into a viable small business, because that's what it is.   

 

Shipyard makes a great pumpkin ale - a while back there was a good one by Crooked River, but it was on draft and I haven't seen it in years.

 

Blue Moon's isn't bad, I think it's the only bottle beer not brewed on Market Avenue I've drank in months.  (Wish "they" would come out with one).

People are getting sick of traditional sports bars, especially chains like BW3's and Quaker Steak.  These tap rooms are something new and by law can't be chains.  They have a less contrived feel to them, even a place like Mad Tree which is in a completely unremarkable building.  A 1980s or 90s microbrewery like Rock Bottom looks dated compared to these because it's too slick.  It's like an Applebee's that brews its own beer whereas a place like Madtree looks like a place started by some guys who figured out how to brew beer as a hobby and who are trying to turn it into a viable small business, because that's what it is.   

 

Ha, that's pretty accurate. Even though the quality of food at the Moerlein Lager House is good, and they do try to add a few unique German-themed items, I think they suffer from having too big of a menu that gives them a generic sort of feel. The best food that I'd seen at a brewpub was at Deschutes.

The BEER Thread?!

 

I was looking on these forums for a place to live then found this  :clap:

 

After 20 years of being moved around by the military we're finally coming home to Ohio! For the last 6 years we were stationed in German. Prior to that I wasn't much of a beer drinker at all but now.....

 

I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread for any good news about good beers. I imagine Ohio has a lot of great microbrews to offer.

Welcome home, and thanks for your service!  Cleveland has a lot of new microbreweries to check out, so you've got some fun catching up to do in that regard.

http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/beer/pair-of-cincinnati-brewers-take-home-bronze-from-great-american-beer-festival

 

DENVER -- Two Cincinnati brewers will be heading home Sunday with some bling from Denver.

 

Listermann won in the Specialty Beer category for its Nutcase Peanut Butter Porter.

 

Ei8ht Ball placed third in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer category for its Reintarnation ale.

 

From Indianapolis, Sun King Brewery won silver and gold in the Wood and Barrel-aged Strong Beer category and Bier Brewing won silver in the Belgian style Abbey Ale category.

 

Back in Ohio, Columbus Brewing won bronze in American-style India Pale Ales and gold for its Imperial India Pale Ale.

 

Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon won gold for its German-style Wheat Ale and JAFB Wooster Brewery won silver for its Foreign-style Stout.

 

Overall, 234 breweries won medals for beers in 90 categories. Organizers said the parity in the entries this year was astounding and proved that quality runs far and wide in American craft beer.

^ Congrats Cincy, Cleveland and ......WOOSTER!

 

FYI You can get thos JAFB beers in Cleveland at Toast Wine Bar in Gordon Square.

holy cow! one of my favorite places, because they normally have great lakes on tap, cork city pub in hoboken, currently has a whole patch of pumpkin beers on draft --

 

i gotta get over there this weekend, but i dk what to try??? any suggestions? thx (also, just for fun & seasonal inspiration):

 

 

http://www.corkcitypub.com/bluto/sites/club/draught.asp

 

 

Jacko Shandy

The Travel Beer Company Burlington, VT

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 4% abv

 

Pumking Ale

Southern Tier Brewing Co Lakewood, NY

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 9% abv

 

Smutty Pumpkin

Smuttynose Brewing Co Portsmouth, NH

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 5% abv

 

PumpkinHead Ale

Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland, ME

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 6% abv

 

Schlafly Pumpkin

Schlafly Tap Room St. Louis, MO

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 8% abv

 

Wilhelm Screams

Magic Hat South Burlington, VT

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 5% abv

 

Long Trail Imperial

Long Trail Brewing Co Bridgewater, VT

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 8% abv

 

KY Barrel Aged

Lexington Brewing CO Lexington, KY

Pumpkin Ale

10oz Draught 10% abv

 

Country Pumpkin

Ithaca Beer Co. Ithaca, NY

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 6% abv

 

UFO Pumpkin

Harpoon Brewery Boston, MA

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 6% abv

 

The Fear Imperial

Flying Dog Brewery Frederick, MD

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 9% abv

 

Devious Pumpkin

Fegley's Breworks Allentown, PA

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 9% abv

 

31 Pumpkin Lager

DuClaw Brewing Company Baltimore, MD

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 5% abv

 

Punkin Ale

Dogfishhead Brewery Lewes, DE

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 7% abv

 

Pumple Drumkin

Cisco Brewers Nantucket, MA

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 7% abv

 

Post Road Pumpkin

Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn, NY

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 6% abv

 

Fat Jack Double

Boston Beer Company Boston, MA

Pumpkin Ale

12oz Draught 9% abv

I would try the Flying Dog. I don’t think I’ve had that particular one, but  I’m going to be looking for it around Cincy now that I know it exists. I drink maybe 2 pumpkin beers a year because I just don't like the pumpkin flavor that is in absolutely everything every fall.

^ thx for the tip. i am the same, i will try a couple there and that will be it. have you seen the ky barrel aged from lexington around cinci? i thought somebody might know that one or at least that brewery's brews?

^I've seen (and consumed) the non-pumpkin Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale in various places on the east coast and quite like it, so imagine that pumpkin one would be worth a try.  If nothing else, the bourbon nose would differentiate it from some of the others (in a good way).

 

Overall that brewery line up looks really great.

When does this thread turn into a pumpkin?

^ thx for the tip. i am the same, i will try a couple there and that will be it. have you seen the ky barrel aged from lexington around cinci? i thought somebody might know that one or at least that brewery's brews?

 

I'm pretty sure I did see the KY Barrel Aged pumpkin beer somewhere last weekend, but I can't recall where it was. I didn't try it, but I don't really like their standard Bourbon barrel ale, anyway. I usually only drink IPAs and Belgian styles, though I actually prefer the American (and Canadian) knockoff Belgian style beers over actual Belgian's, partly because of price and partly because of flavor.

 

Kona Brewing Company is hosting beach parties at Jungle Jim’s Eastgate and The Party Source on Halloween and Nov. 2, respectively, to introduce three new beers to the contiguous 48 states.

Kua Bay IPA, Lavaman Red and Black Lava Lager will be poured at those parties. It will be the first time the beers are sampled off of the islands. Other Kona beers are already available in Greater Cincinnati

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/10/13/hawaiian-craft-brewer-chooses-cincinnati-to-make.html

Jackie O's in Athens sustained major fire damage today...they supply a few bars in Cincinnati including Half Cut:

^ Oh no!!! :-(

We stock them, too.  Love their Chomolungma.  Hope they can get up and running again quick.

Was in Athens for the Paw Paw festival last year. Stopped by Jackie O's and the bartender overheard my buddies talking about unique beers. So he calls us into the brewing room and has us try a small batch concoction he's been working on - lunch meat beer. Just like it sounds, beer with deli meat spices. Yes it sounds terrible, but really it was absolutely great.

This is a real tragedy for Athens.  About five longtime business have been damaged, perhaps beyond repair.  That includes The Union, which would be like Cincinnati losing Arnold's or the Blind Lemon.  It's just sort of hard to imagine those places not existing. 

Well that is their brewpub not their production facility. Hopefully there wasn't too much damage. It looks like it was upper floors from the video.

Mad Elf (which will kick you in the dupa and laugh at you) seems to be gaining traction.  Two years ago it was tough to find.  Last year they had it at Heinen's and the Lizards (though they would not sell a large draft).  This year:  the corner beverage store stocks it.

Christmas beers are getting very popular, and are some of my favorite. If you like Mad Elf, give N'Ice Chouffe a try if you can find it. It's tough to drink very many of these types of beer, but I guess at 10% + you're not really supposed to. Though you can still tell yourself you're not binge drinking because you only had 4 beers.

Bill to up the allowable ABV of beer to 21% in Ohio not likely any time soon. It’s a shame that this has been held up for over a year now. There are a handful of beers that I have to travel over to the great state of Kentucky to get. The bill seems to have bipartisan support, but isn’t a priority for anyone.

now this was an interesting seasonal craft beer i had on draft recently. it's from a queens brewery that just opened in may.

local beers are just now getting better around here. this crew likes to use unusual ingredients. it was pretty good.

i'd like to try more of their products, something i don't think i have ever said about a local nyc brewery before lol:

 

 

Finback Autumnator 5.7

 

This American Sour ale is brewed with Soon's Orchards apple cider in New Hampton, NY. It's a tart fall sour with some farm fresh funk. Fermented with a combination of saison and farmhouse yeasts, it's layered and complex.

 

more:

http://www.finbackbrewery.com/ales.html

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2014/12/great_lakes_to_change_logo_201.html

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2014/12/great_lakes_to_change_logo_201.html

 

those releases look great as usual, but given their interest in local history i am surprised great lakes does not make a bock beer for late winter/spring, especially as poc, erinbrew, schmidts and black label all did. in fact seasonal bock was thee only readily available craft style beer available at all in the big commercial brewing dominated days. it's kind of a lost style, it seems to have never taken off with any modern craft brewers.

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2014/12/great_lakes_to_change_logo_201.html

 

those releases look great as usual, but given their interest in local history i am surprised great lakes does not make a bock beer for late winter/spring, especially as poc, erinbrew, schmidts and black label all did. in fact seasonal bock was thee only readily available craft style beer available at all in the big commercial brewing dominated days. it's kind of a lost style, it seems to have never taken off with any modern craft brewers.

 

Bocks are big down in Cincy, with almost every local craft brewery making one. We also have a "Bockfest" parade and weekend-long celebration, if you're ever up for a weekend trip. It's actually the only two days a year I am willing to drink bocks - I'm just not a fan of the style.

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2014/12/great_lakes_to_change_logo_201.html

 

those releases look great as usual, but given their interest in local history i am surprised great lakes does not make a bock beer for late winter/spring, especially as poc, erinbrew, schmidts and black label all did. in fact seasonal bock was thee only readily available craft style beer available at all in the big commercial brewing dominated days. it's kind of a lost style, it seems to have never taken off with any modern craft brewers.

 

Bocks are big down in Cincy, with almost every local craft brewery making one. We also have a "Bockfest" parade and weekend-long celebration, if you're ever up for a weekend trip. It's actually the only two days a year I am willing to drink bocks - I'm just not a fan of the style.

 

yeah i know about bock beer and cinci, it's always been that way, but thats like the only place left that still cares. i notice you get every other style of beer under the sun nowadays, but bock seems to have been left behind during the rise of craft brewing.

There aren't as many bocks being brewed as I would hope either, but there are certainly other styles that haven't gotten the attention they deserve from the microbrew world.  Just about any style of lager besides pilsners, I'd say.  How many dunkels, vienna's, schwartzbiers, dortmunders or helles do you see, really?  Sure, I know Dortmunder Gold is huge here in Cleveland, but most people think "dortmunder" just the name of the beer, not that it's a style.

 

For bocks (I assume you're including doppelbocks), I lovelovelove Treog's Treogenator. 

A couple of German breweries make incredible doppelbocks (my personal favorite style).

 

Ayinger Celebrator

Spaten Optimator

 

The Christian Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock is also really good.

 

Overall I would say craft breweries skip over the bock style, though. It makes me kind of made when breweries-to-remain-nameless have released 8 different pale ales but haven't made a bock beer.

It's not a very popular style with Americans. I think a lot of brewers figure they'll let Europe brew those. But milds were in a similar boat until recently, when session ales became all the rage and people stopped going as nuts for everything high ABV.

 

Many people who started getting into craft beer early in the wave feel their tastes have evolved beyond all the hop bombs (IPA, DIPA, and a crazy amount of hops thrown into whatever style wouldn't normally get it) popular these days. I'm still a hop fiend, but I do feel a little bit of boredom creeping in. Many of them have transitioned to Belgian styles, notably sours, etc. Perhaps ales will go out of style a bit soon, and lagers will pick up. One of my favorite breweries these days is Jack's Abby out of Massachusetts. They exclusively brew lagers, though their most popular beers seem to be (unsurprisingly) their "India Pale Lagers."

 

Edit: I think ales came to be dominant in the craft brewing scene as a reaction against bland American-style lagers which were synonymous with "beer" for too long. People haven't started exploring the richness of variety lagers have to offer. Ales are also a lot easier to brew at home, without a lot of temperature controlling equipment, so it's what many people who went on to open commercial breweries were used to brewing in their homebrew days.

It's not a very popular style with Americans.

 

^ thats just it, it not popular today, but it once was. in fact bock beer was a popular american style even just prior to the craft beer explosion, which started in the very late 1980s. seasonal bock was the only thing all the big commercial breweries ever put out aside from their normal product. outside of cinci, it just died off completely as a style when the budweisers and millers were made irrelevant by the craft brewers. not that i'm complaining, its just seems weird that even craft brewers haven't picked it up at all, especially when some are even doing way out there brews, like carton brewing does for example:

 

Batch# 136 4/13/2014: Sap Beer

 

Batch# 135 4/6/2014: Pale Ale with Tomatoes, Cucumbers and salt

 

Batch# 134 4/2/2014: Savor Saison 2 with Saffron & Chili

 

Batch# 133 4/2/2014: Savor Saison 1 with Green peppercorns & Honeysuckle

 

Batch# 132 3/30/2014: Hop Pun with less salts, added Nelson Sauvin to WP, Irish Yeast

 

 

http://cartonbrewing.com/#!/tippy

 

Stay away from Carton's Rickey. Blech.

Anyone else think all craft/homebrew beers taste the same, kind of like how all quadcopter footage looks the same? 

Anyone else think all craft/homebrew beers taste the same, kind of like how all quadcopter footage looks the same? 

 

jmeck...Does all crack taste the same?

Now there is an idea for a show. Bobby Brown and Woody Harrelson taste testing crack.

 

But about the beer. A lot of the home brew ends up tasting yeasty but it's been a good 4 or 5 years since I've ran across a craft that does including bottled primed beers. There is a lot of information out there now for starting brewers.

Anyone else think all craft/homebrew beers taste the same, kind of like how all quadcopter footage looks the same? 

 

it does after like two of them. your taste buds can only handle so much. just like trying to pick a cologne, you have to take it easy and spread it out over multiple visits. might as well drink the pbr after two craft beers at once, or one if its a hop heavy ipa. now those really fry the tastebuds. i'm glad that west coast ipa fad finally died off.

You can hide a lot of carelessness behind a strong hop profile.