Fun series of tweets from a NY beer blogger who was just in Cleveland to check out the local breweries: https://twitter.com/brew_york

 

Love it!! One of my most favorite things is hearing out of towners digging CLE.

Honestly, I liked their old logo more.

 

^^ At first I thought you were saying "Love it!!" regarding the new Great Lakes label. I was puzzled until I figured out that wasn't the case, because it's really bland. They did nothing to shed their image of being a craft beer dinosaur.

 

^ I agree. Why even "upgrade" if you're going to be so conservative about it?

Chiming in, the new label looks terrible in comparison to the original.

They got it right by pairing down the hops and water references, but the typeface mashup... not working for me. They've switched from Times New Roman (severely horizontally scaled) to Birch (and tweaked some of the elements) which isn't a bad font, but as natininja pointed out, it's not enough of a departure to read as "NEW AND IMPROVED!". And it's too early for me to figure out the san serif font but it's not the best match for Birch. Ah well, I *still* love Burning River Pale Ale and as long as they leave that alone, it's all good.

 

EDIT: And crap, now I need to update my avatar after how many friggin' years?!?  :roll:

I do think there will be a bubble burst, where it's no longer feasible to start a brewery and instantly boom just because you're a novelty. However, beer consumption will continue to be more like wine consumption has been forever. Most people who drink wine are very promiscuous with their consumption habits, between vintners and styles (though someone might exclusively drink reds or whites, they are open to a lot of variation within these broad boundaries).

 

Well Barrelhouse opened around 1998 or 1999 in Over-the-Rhine where the Art Academy is now and closed around 2003.  Exact same concept and probably just about the exact same beer as what people now go nuts over and speak about with complete seriousness.  I think in the 90s people didn't really want to spend more money for beer than they already were, even if it was "better", and even if the money was staying a bit more local. 

 

The difference between 1990s microbreweries and 2010's microbreweries is that the ones from the 90s took their style cues from the Olde Spaghetti Factory whereas today's look more like Chipotle.  Again, marketing.

 

I don't really think this is the case for a couple of reasons:

 

First by analogy: independent coffee houses blew up in the 90's and then there was a great winnowing.  While a lot of those places didn't survive they did get people used to paying a lot of money for a coffee, and then Starbucks turned the whole phenomenon into a fast food experience, so now there is nothing particularly crazy about it.  Once the market stabilized and better coffee stopped being a fad, more local coffee shops sprang up again, to the point where the location of a Starbucks or a Brueggers will actually encourage independent coffee shops to spring up around it.  In my mind a place like the Barrelhouse was part of that initial explosion of interest in craft beer that crashed, and we are now experiencing the second iteration, which is less faddish and has a more stable customer base.

 

Second through law:  Within the past two years or so Ohio law has changed so that breweries can have tap rooms.  I believe Rheingeist started production right after that law came into effect, and Mad Tree was actually built prior to it, so they had to add a tap room.  What the tap room does is allow the brewer to sell their beer directly to the public without distribution, so basically they can make money immediately without actually having to do barely any marketing, and the brewer can take his time without locking himself into distributing contracts which are nearly impossible to get out of in Ohio.

 

So I think it is a little more complex than just "good marketing".  And the beer you can get now really is far far better than what was out there fifteen or so odd years ago, just like the coffee people drink is better, just like people now regularly eat fish in Cincinnati unlike twenty years ago when pretty much the only fish people ate was fried cod.

They got it right by pairing down the hops and water references, but the typeface mashup... not working for me. They've switched from Baskerville to Birch (and tweaked some of the elements) which isn't a bad font, but as natininja pointed out, it's not enough of a departure to read as "NEW AND IMPROVED!". And it's too early for me to figure out the san serif font but it's not the best match for Birch. Ah well, I *still* love Burning River Pale Ale and as long as they leave that alone, it's all good.

 

EDIT: And crap, now I need to update my avatar after how many friggin' years?!?  :roll:

 

Well since they released the Edmund Fitzgerald ice cream to the Mitchell's stores, they remain solidly in the positive for recent changes.

^ very interesting article so far!

 

 

Yeah I read that last week.  The article confirms what I've been saying all along -- that the beer resurgence is all about marketing, not the beer itself. 

 

The way beer drinking habits have changed in the past five years makes no sense.  In the past a regular beer drinker had 3 or 4 beers that he rotated between. Over ten years that core group of beers might shift to another, but it was a gradual process. Now there are over 100 local brews in each city and people are constantly trying the newest one.  They're not really sticking with any particular type.  It's total chaos. 

 

 

 

all about marketing? yeah. i think ken grossman, paul camusi and fritz maytag would have a bone to pick with koch being considered any founder of craft brewing by homer bostonmagazine. in the late 70s and early 80s sierra nevada and anchor steam were about the only craft brews, well before sam adams. it was big news as they came to ohio. sierra is the true founder of modern craft beer movement.

 

as for unloyal current drinking habits with all the variety available today, i don't see that as a bad thing at all. its hardly reflective of good marketing if craft beer has exploded in popularity and there is so much variety that nobody sticks with anything. i don't see the 100s of brews in every city thing sustaining itself either, its clearly a trend, but i am enjoying it while it lasts.

People don't remember that the rise of coffee houses was caused by the drinking age being raised in the late 80s.  Suddenly 16 year-olds couldn't sneak into bars as easily and eventually the bars did really clamp down on age 21.  I remember being served as a teenager after the drinking age had been changed to 21 because the narc units weren't out there hitting bars and bartenders with $2500 fines like they do now. 

 

Long story short teenagers and college kids need somewhere to hang out besides Perkin's and so coffee houses appeared to fill that need.  More recently the hookah bar is doing the same thing.  I remember some punk bands refusing to play in coffee houses because the whole pretense of a coffee house was so pretentious it couldn't possibly mesh with people whose primary activity was sniffing out faux-authenticity.  I recorded on VHS a pretty fantastic anti-coffee house rant by one of my friends in 1994 or 1995.  I know I have that tape somewhere.   

In both of these instances you're conflating the coffee shop/tap room boom with the rise in appreciation for better coffee/beer. People are buying better coffee and beer for home consumption, too. In fact the preference for better coffee has outlasted the coffee shop boom, and the preference for better beer will outlive the boom of breweries and tap rooms.

 

Honestly, I think if anyone is being duped by the craft beer boom it's people investing a ton of money in "me too" breweries, which certainly isn't benefiting anyone else. So the idea that it's all a marketing ploy is ridiculous. If you think the quality of beer being produced today is the same as was being produced in the '90s, you just fundamentally don't get what's happened in the industry. Today is to beer as the late-'60s/early-'70s were to music. The underground has bubbled into the overground and creativity is at an unprecedented peak.

^ yeah i don't think some uo people are old enough to remember what it was like before the initial craft beer explosion in the early 1990s. imagine nothing but budweiser. thats what it was like. at least there were no gmo's in the wheat and barley, so i guess that is something, but otherwise forget it, there was almost no choice at all.

 

this sort of secondary craft beer explosion we have going on today with all the microbreweries is really a good thing, even if it doesn't last. i totally agree that after the trend runs its course and many of these micros close there will still remain a much higher general level of quality beer (and spirits too, same thing is happening with all that).

^Ahem, Budweiser and mediocre imported beer.  There was a time when ordering Heineken or Bass was a yuppie statement. We have indeed come very far.

im not going to hate on these large commercial brewers too much though. when its 95 degrees out i don't want craft beer i want icy pbr!

 

^ yeah i don't think some uo people are old enough to remember what it was like before the initial craft beer explosion in the early 1990s. imagine nothing but budweiser. thats what it was like. at least there were no gmo's in the wheat and barley, so i guess that is something, but otherwise forget it, there was almost no choice at all.

 

Early 90's shoutout to Saranac Brewing Co. and Petes Wicked Ale.

 

(and some lesser props to Michelob Dark, Killians and Honey Brown which, while not anywhere near amazing, they certainly helped break the ice a bit)

When it's 95 degrees out, I still want a craft beer, preferably served below freezing.

 

On the older "icebreakers" in the protostar stage of the craft beer evolution, Honey Brown was actually a very serviceable, nonthreatening option for serving to people who had previously never gone beyond Bud Light ... people that I would never suggest go straight to an Arrogant Bastard (much less the current grand wizard of the hop cult, Pliny the Elder, which I admit I've never even tried myself).

^ why would you drink a craft beer served below freezing temps? most are supposed to be served room temp. this is exactly the problem that ruined guinness a few years ago. they got on chilling their beer and now everyone complains it has no flavor. and its true. chilled guinness is gross.

^Ahem, Budweiser and mediocre imported beer.  There was a time when ordering Heineken or Bass was a yuppie statement. We have indeed come very far.

 

The big difference is that most bars had two or four beers on tap and a cooler full of bottles.  Anything beyond about ten or twelve beers on tap was unheard of outside of maybe NYC.  When Guinness appeared in the late 90s it was a big deal. Nothing that has appeared since, foreign or domestic, compares to the shock of the introduction of Guinness.  Murphy's was also introduced in the U.S. in the 90s but I don't think it ever caught on outside of the Northeast because they didn't advertise and had a boring name.  We used to drink it all the time when I lived in Boston since it was usually 50 cents cheaper than Guinness and basically tasted the exact same. 

 

I bring up Guinness because it alone created a focus on drought beer that didn't exist previously.  All previous imports like Heinekin or Warsteiner or Beck's were not considered to be much different in a bottle or on tap.  Having Guinness on tap in the late 90s was a signifier of a more sophisticated bar than the place next door that didn't have it.  I suppose Sam Adams had that quality as well, but again Sam Adams didn't have the steep drop-off in taste when bottled that Guinness had and still has. 

^ yeah i don't think some uo people are old enough to remember what it was like before the initial craft beer explosion in the early 1990s. imagine nothing but budweiser. thats what it was like. at least there were no gmo's in the wheat and barley, so i guess that is something, but otherwise forget it, there was almost no choice at all.

 

Early 90's shoutout to Saranac Brewing Co. and Petes Wicked Ale.

 

(and some lesser props to Michelob Dark, Killians and Honey Brown which, while not anywhere near amazing, they certainly helped break the ice a bit)

 

Pete's Summer Brew was my first favorite flavored beer.  We have a picture of my niece at age about 18 months pulling a bottle out of a six pack.  Thanks for picking next week's "TBT" Facebook pic for me. :-)

In both of these instances you're conflating the coffee shop/tap room boom with the rise in appreciation for better coffee/beer. People are buying better coffee and beer for home consumption, too. In fact the preference for better coffee has outlasted the coffee shop boom, and the preference for better beer will outlive the boom of breweries and tap rooms.

 

Honestly, I think if anyone is being duped by the craft beer boom it's people investing a ton of money in "me too" breweries, which certainly isn't benefiting anyone else. So the idea that it's all a marketing ploy is ridiculous. If you think the quality of beer being produced today is the same as was being produced in the '90s, you just fundamentally don't get what's happened in the industry. Today is to beer as the late-'60s/early-'70s were to music. The underground has bubbled into the overground and creativity is at an unprecedented peak.

 

While the popularity of coffee shops rose in the 90's, it was mostly (as Jake said) to have a place to hang out, not about the actual coffee. Though most of these places serve coffee that's better than a gas station or diner, they are on par with Starbucks (roast their coffee to death, focus on super-sweet drinks with flavored syrups). It wasn't until about 2 or 3 years ago that Cincinnati started to get some really, truly excellent coffee shops that have higher quality beans and simply prepare basic coffee and espresso drinks really well.

 

A similar situation will probably play out with craft beer. Although I think the rising popularity of craft beer has a lot more to do with the re-discovering of higher quality food and drinks that I've talked about in other threads. For years, my parents' generation were only familiar with the concept of "beer", which was a watery product interchangeably brewed by Miller or Coors or Budweiser or whatever. The concept that you can actually have beers that have different styles and different flavors is relatively new in the U.S., and so the younger generations are rediscovering that.

I really see the current microbrew explosion as less of a fad and more as a return to a more natural order of things- many market participants with an attention to the quality of their products, constantly innovating and refining in order to create a product that succeeds based on value.  The mid-20th century model of an oligopoly creating a mostly indistinguishable product and using huge ad campaigns to marginally shift the market back and forth between 3 players was pretty ridiculous, when you think about it.  Prohibition and the expense and complicated nature of modern production and distribution technology wiped out a lot of breweries in the early 20th Century, and the massive ad campaigns further consolidated marketshare into a few very well promoted brands.  We're not going to have Prohibition reinstated anytime soon, and small brewers have figured out the newer brewing technologies and incorporated them into their business model.  The big guys still have their advertising campaigns, but the combined word of mouth that the microbrewery business is generating really lays bare how vacuous those campaigns are. 

 

Where's Bud Light's innovation?  "Up For Whatever" messages on the bottles?  Miller?  "Vortex Necks"-are you kidding me?  Coors?  The Mountains turn blue when it's cold?  I have a way to know when my beer is cold already, I touch the bottle.  I'm already in the fridge at this point, I can touch the bottle almost as soon as I can see it.  It hasn't kept me from having to get off the couch.  Maybe if the bottle texted me when it got cold enough that I can't taste it anymore (that is the reason this beer is served ice cold, buy the way) I would be impressed.

 

These idiots are toast.

^ yeah i don't think some uo people are old enough to remember what it was like before the initial craft beer explosion in the early 1990s. imagine nothing but budweiser. thats what it was like. at least there were no gmo's in the wheat and barley, so i guess that is something, but otherwise forget it, there was almost no choice at all.

 

Early 90's shoutout to Saranac Brewing Co. and Petes Wicked Ale.

 

(and some lesser props to Michelob Dark, Killians and Honey Brown which, while not anywhere near amazing, they certainly helped break the ice a bit)

 

Pete's Summer Brew was my first favorite flavored beer.  We have a picture of my niece at age about 18 months pulling a bottle out of a six pack.  Thanks for picking next week's "TBT" Facebook pic for me. :-)

 

Get 'em started young haha.

^Ahem, Budweiser and mediocre imported beer.  There was a time when ordering Heineken or Bass was a yuppie statement. We have indeed come very far.

 

The big difference is that most bars had two or four beers on tap and a cooler full of bottles.  Anything beyond about ten or twelve beers on tap was unheard of outside of maybe NYC.  When Guinness appeared in the late 90s it was a big deal. Nothing that has appeared since, foreign or domestic, compares to the shock of the introduction of Guinness.  Murphy's was also introduced in the U.S. in the 90s but I don't think it ever caught on outside of the Northeast because they didn't advertise and had a boring name.  We used to drink it all the time when I lived in Boston since it was usually 50 cents cheaper than Guinness and basically tasted the exact same. 

 

I bring up Guinness because it alone created a focus on drought beer that didn't exist previously.  All previous imports like Heinekin or Warsteiner or Beck's were not considered to be much different in a bottle or on tap.  Having Guinness on tap in the late 90s was a signifier of a more sophisticated bar than the place next door that didn't have it.  I suppose Sam Adams had that quality as well, but again Sam Adams didn't have the steep drop-off in taste when bottled that Guinness had and still has.

 

My recollection is that all these statements are true.  The bar that I frequented in the late 90's in DC had Murphy's but no Guinness.  It was definitely the Pepsi of stouts.  I never noticed any difference.

 

Also there was this bar called the Brickskeller that was famous for having a ton of imported bottle beers.  It's funny to think about and remember how much of a unique selling point that was back then; now it isn't particularly special at all.  Also those beers were pretty old and tended to be skunked.

 

There was also this trend back at that time when local breweries would brew for bars and let the bars call the beer by the bar name, as if it were the local house brand.  I suppose the idea was that people wouldn't buy a beer they didn't now but would consider buying one that was associated with they bar they went to.  I doubt any craft brewer is doing that anymore.

 

Finally, I've never understood the desire for a super cold beer.  The bar I started drinking beer at had some pretty bad technology, so the drafts were never that cold, probably just slightly below room temp.  Also there was no air conditioning in the place and it was DC, so it was pretty swampy in there for about a third of the year.  Since that time I've always been of the opinion that super cold beer really deadens the flavor.

^ I enjoyed the Brickskeller when I went in 2005. At that time, it was still an oddity.

It depends on the style, but I like a lot of my beer chilled but not ice cold. If you have to drink it ice cold, it's crappy beer.

No beer should ever be colder than 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the run of the mill stuff like Coors Light should be this temperature. Most refrigerators are set to 35-40 degrees or so, with 40 being the high end for food safety reasons. A bar that has coolers specifically for beer should never have them set below 44, though. Lagers should be a maximum of 48 degrees, ales 52, stouts 55, and some specialty beers at room temperature.

 

If I keep beer at home I typically pour it into the correct type of glassware, and let it sit a minute before drinking. Even if you start a beer that is about 35 degrees out of the fridge, it will warm significantly within the first few minutes of being poured into a glass. 

 

If you’re drinking a 33 degree Coors Light, you’re not getting very much of the already limited flavor out of it. Though, for a beer that doesn’t taste good that may be the intent. Drink it before you can taste it and you’ll have one fewer thing to regret that night.

 

OK beer snobs, time to recognize the best beer city in America because Conde' Nast has spoken. And we listen... Time to come together and build a Keystone like pipeline from Cle downstate so y'all can enjoy the magic of Christmas Ale.

America's best Beer cities

by Amy Plitt, Condé Nast Traveler

 

1. Cleveland, Ohio

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-nast-traveler/americas-best-beer-cities_b_6488826.html

 

 

No beer should ever be colder than 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the run of the mill stuff like Coors Light should be this temperature. Most refrigerators are set to 35-40 degrees or so, with 40 being the high end for food safety reasons. A bar that has coolers specifically for beer should never have them set below 44, though. Lagers should be a maximum of 48 degrees, ales 52, stouts 55, and some specialty beers at room temperature.

 

If I keep beer at home I typically pour it into the correct type of glassware, and let it sit a minute before drinking. Even if you start a beer that is about 35 degrees out of the fridge, it will warm significantly within the first few minutes of being poured into a glass. 

 

If youre drinking a 33 degree Coors Light, youre not getting very much of the already limited flavor out of it. Though, for a beer that doesnt taste good that may be the intent. Drink it before you can taste it and youll have one fewer thing to regret that night.

 

 

I used to be in the Beer Cave business.  Specifically I did spec drawings for the doors that separate the Beer Cave from the rest of the gas station.  Even with that intimidate knowledge, I don't know what temperature is maintained in a modern Beer Cave. 

OK beer snobs, time to recognize the best beer city in America because Conde' Nast has spoken. And we listen... Time to come together and build a Keystone like pipeline from Cle downstate so y'all can enjoy the magic of Christmas Ale.

America's best Beer cities

by Amy Plitt, Condé Nast Traveler

 

1. Cleveland, Ohio

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-nast-traveler/americas-best-beer-cities_b_6488826.html

 

 

 

nice and cork city aka hoboken's best craft beer bar certainly agrees. great lakes is holding 3 taps at the moment, more than any other brewery, which is typical for them and impressive as nj is outside of the distribution range:

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

OK beer snobs, time to recognize the best beer city in America because Conde' Nast has spoken. And we listen... Time to come together and build a Keystone like pipeline from Cle downstate so y'all can enjoy the magic of Christmas Ale.

America's best Beer cities

by Amy Plitt, Condé Nast Traveler

 

1. Cleveland, Ohio

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-nast-traveler/americas-best-beer-cities_b_6488826.html

 

 

 

nice and cork city aka hoboken's best craft beer bar certainly agrees. great lakes is holding 3 taps at the moment, more than any other brewery, which is typical for them and impressive as nj is outside of the distribution range:

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

 

What's really impressive is the three don't include either the "main" beer or the current iconic one.

OK beer snobs, time to recognize the best beer city in America because Conde' Nast has spoken. And we listen... Time to come together and build a Keystone like pipeline from Cle downstate so y'all can enjoy the magic of Christmas Ale.

America's best Beer cities

by Amy Plitt, Condé Nast Traveler

 

1. Cleveland, Ohio

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-nast-traveler/americas-best-beer-cities_b_6488826.html

 

 

 

nice and cork city aka hoboken's best craft beer bar certainly agrees. great lakes is holding 3 taps at the moment, more than any other brewery, which is typical for them and impressive as nj is outside of the distribution range:

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

 

I counted 6 from Victory Brewing.

OK beer snobs, time to recognize the best beer city in America because Conde' Nast has spoken. And we listen... Time to come together and build a Keystone like pipeline from Cle downstate so y'all can enjoy the magic of Christmas Ale.

America's best Beer cities

by Amy Plitt, Condé Nast Traveler

 

1. Cleveland, Ohio

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-nast-traveler/americas-best-beer-cities_b_6488826.html

 

Ha, did you notice all photos are credited to Platform Brewing Company?

 

Perhaps they are diversifying their business plan to becoming the next Getty Images.

Draft Magazine put out their 100 best beer bars list. The cover picture and only Ohio choice was Half Cut in OTR.

 

http://draftmag.com/americas-100-best-beer-bars-2015/

 

I was very surprised that the place in Cleveland near the Westside Market didn't make it.

 

Half Cut probably ended up on the cover because that was the best photograph they had.  Looking at their other covers on a Google image search, you will see that they usually feature an individual on the cover.  It's surprisingly difficult to take good photos in bars with a lot of people in them because there's always somebody somewhere with an arm in front of another person's face or another photo no-no.  And outside bars?  This simple photograph is surprisingly effective. 

One man's tour of the rapidly growing local beer scene in Cincinnati.  http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/012715-taproom-tourist-craft-beer-survey-coston.aspx

Apropos of nothing, a look back at 1990s beer advertising:

 

 

The end of an era.  The new ones look pretty cool although largely unchanged.

 

Great Lakes Brewing Co. unveils new labels

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A sneak peek at five redesigned labels for Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s year-round brews is out.

 

The brewery recently announced a change to its logo, redesigned by Brokaw Inc. in Cleveland. The labels are being done by Canadian artist Darren Booth. The updated designs keep a more pronounced, art-deco-like look:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2015/02/great_lakes_brewing_co_unveils_1.html#incart_river

I think they look pretty good. A nice updated look. Not a huge fan of the "dort" though.

As I said there, I liked the old labels a lot better, and why show the river on fire with the modern skyline?

 

As someone else said, why not a local artist?

As I said there, I liked the old labels a lot better, and why show the river on fire with the modern skyline?

 

As someone else said, why not a local artist?

 

 

Marc Bona, Northeast Ohio Media Group 6 hours ago

@erocc now that you mention it, that's a good point ...

Not a fan of the new labels.  It's like they're trying to imitate the style of an iPhone app button.

As I said there, I liked the old labels a lot better, and why show the river on fire with the modern skyline?

 

As someone else said, why not a local artist?

 

 

Marc Bona, Northeast Ohio Media Group 6 hours ago

@erocc now that you mention it, that's a good point ...

 

I also said it on the GLBC Facebook page, and they pointed out that the current label also has the "new" skyline.

 

I clickbait article declaring the end of craft beer:

http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/craft-beer-is-dead-gose-ruined-craft-beer

By the way, Chillwave from Great Lakes Brewery will be tapped today at their restaurant. General availability next week. Been waiting for this for a while.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/73/90156/

BA SCORE  95 world-class

THE BROS 90 outstanding

 

https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/news/hold-on-to-your-boards-here-comes-chillwave

Hold On to Your Boards: Here Comes Chillwave!

 

Posted February 18, 2015

 

Winter temperatures are still dropping, but that means it’s time to raise a glass for the return of our March seasonal, Chillwave Double IPA! This hop-forward brew has the bold citrus and tropical fruit flavors of the Mosaic hop with a smooth, slightly sweet body from a touch of honey malt.

 

Chillwave Double IPA will go on tap in our brewpub on Thursday, February 26. 4-packs and cases will go on sale in our gift shop on Friday, February 27 at 5PM.

 

On March 2 you'll start catching Chillwave Double IPA throughout our distribution markets.

 

Keep an eye on our Area Events page and follow your local rep on Twitter to find out when Chillwave surfs into your neighborhood.

 

I will announce that I've been had, and serve fair warning here of probably the most overrated beer I have tried in years: Brooklyn K is for Kriek.

 

I like many Brooklyn beers and most fruit beers, and my favorite beer place in Akron (Lockview) very seldom lets me down, so when I heard they had a limited release bomber available, I splurged and paid the $32 (yes, I know) at Lockview for the bottle.

 

Blech.

 

Yick.

 

Ugh.

 

Lockview has enough cred with me that I'll definitely keep going there.  Brooklyn has enough cred with me that I'll keep trying their wares on occasion, but man that was a flop.  I gave it a scathing review on Untappd and it still didn't sate my need to rant about that mouthwash/molten Jolly Rancher swill.  So I figured I'd come here and rant instead.  You're welcome, Internet.

 

Carry on.

By the way, Chillwave from Great Lakes Brewery will be tapped today at their restaurant. General availability next week. Been waiting for this for a while.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/73/90156/

BA SCORE  95 world-class

THE BROS 90 outstanding

 

https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/news/hold-on-to-your-boards-here-comes-chillwave

Hold On to Your Boards: Here Comes Chillwave!

 

Posted February 18, 2015

 

Winter temperatures are still dropping, but that means it’s time to raise a glass for the return of our March seasonal, Chillwave Double IPA! This hop-forward brew has the bold citrus and tropical fruit flavors of the Mosaic hop with a smooth, slightly sweet body from a touch of honey malt.

 

Chillwave Double IPA will go on tap in our brewpub on Thursday, February 26. 4-packs and cases will go on sale in our gift shop on Friday, February 27 at 5PM.

 

On March 2 you'll start catching Chillwave Double IPA throughout our distribution markets.

 

Keep an eye on our Area Events page and follow your local rep on Twitter to find out when Chillwave surfs into your neighborhood.

 

 

IPAs have become my favorite type of beer and despite the lame name, Chillwave is my favorite.    Though I just tried Buckeye's Cleveland IPA and it's up there.

 

It's GLBC's strongest beer, at 9.1% ABV.

^ i never tried that one - sounds good!

 

 

here is something unusual. distilled beer. i guess they have a program where they make cocktails out of them and serve them paired with the beer they were distilled from:

 

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2015/02/distilled_beers_at_the_owl_farm_in_park_slope.php

 

Chillwave is my number 1 favorite beer of all time. They are starting to sell 4 packs in the GLBC gift shop today as well.

^ i never tried that one - sounds good!

 

Used to be called "Alchemy Hour" but someone owned the trademark.  I preferred "Surfin' Cleveland" for when it runs out....

Chillwave is a Double IPA and is very good.

I haven't seen this posted anywhere yet.

 

New brewery, Darkness Brewing, planned for Bellevue

 

Though as the brewery's name implies, they'll focus on dark beers — stouts, porters and browns, but also some less expected offerings, such as a dark beer that tastes light — they'll also offer other beers, such as a wheat. They'll start with five or six styles to sell in-house only and expand from there. [...]

 

They've just signed a lease on the Fairfield Avenue space, under contingency that their licensing goes through and that code issues can be addressed. The 4,200-square-foot space was originally a car lot and showroom. (Bosler has seen a photo of cars parked on the roof; the long-term plan is to put a beer garden up there, but that likely won't happen for quite some time.)

 

I think JYP[/member] and I once played a concert on the rooftop of this building!