2012 Off to A Great Start for Columbus Brewing Company

It is safe to say that Columbus Brewing Company is having a very good 2012 so far.  First, Eric Bean (head brewer at CBC) has been elected the new president of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association.  Eric's main goal during his term as president is to get more brewers across the state involved to make promoting Ohio beers easier and more effective.  Eric said he would like to be able to organize a large-scale Ohio beer event in Columbus.  Multiple breweries are popping up in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton which should help "spread the wealth" instead of there being such a large concentration in Northeast Ohio.  Second, CBC is officially expanding their distribution into Northeast Ohio as of this month.  They will be starting out with draft beer at various locations and ideally move to bottles by the Spring.  To commemorate the move, CBC is going to have a few launch parties around the area.  Tuesday, February 7 at 6:00pm at Lizardville in Bedford Heights, Wednesday the 8th at 6:00pm at 101 Bottles in Kent, and Thursday the 9th at 6:00pm at Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood.  Congratulation Eric Bean and Columbus Brewing Company!

Cheers!

Events! Events!

Many events have been added.  Check them out here.

 Cheers!

The Bottle House: Cleveland's Next Brew-On-Prem

First, let me apologize for not positing in a while.  Things have been quite busy lately so the blog got put on the back burner temporarily.  Expect more frequency from this point forward.

Anyway...

I had the opportunity to visit The Bottle House a few weeks ago.  Set to (ideally) open in Spring of this year in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, owners Brian and Dave took a break from their work to share some information about the upcoming brewery/brew-on-prem.  Neighbors who became friends, Brian and Dave brainstormed the idea after visiting The Brew Kettle in Strongsville, Ohio (about 20 minutes southwest of Cleveland).  Witnessing The Brew Kettle's success and subsequent long waiting list, they decided it only makes sense to have a brew-on-prem on the other side of the city for all those folks who normally make the 40-45 minute drive to The Brew Kettle from the east side.

Since then, the idea has really transformed into what is becoming a very unique, cool place.  Will it be a brew-on-prem where aspiring brewers can come brew beer?  Yes. But why not a space for a chess tournament on a Sunday afternoon?  Or perhaps a place where people can come discover local musicians?  Heck, why not a temporary space for a fellow local business owner to do a special event?  Or maybe just a place to have a beer and relax on a couch for a few hours.  Brian and Dave truly envision The Bottle House as a community space and the possibilities are endless.  You will not find Sportscenter or CNN rolling all day or even a television for that matter.  This will be a place for people to come and actually interact with each other over some well made beer.

The brewery is located on Lee Road just North of Cedar Road.  They took a space that was once used by Zagara's Marketplace as cold storage.  The steel floors that supported the weight of forklifts are now being reused for the bar counter.  They will eventually have house beers on tap, various local selections, and some locally made snacks to munch on.  First things first, however, they want to get the brew-on-prem up and running.  Although there will be an official opening day, Brian and Dave see The Bottle House continuing to develop to full completion well after the first patrons brew their own beer.

Being that I live on the east side of Cleveland, would I be excited for any brewery to open on the near east side?  Of course.  But because of Brian and Dave's philosophy and approach, I am particularly excited for The Bottle House. 

L'Chayim!

Moerlein Lager House Beer Tokens

Remember the days when a token was as good as cash to get you a pint at your local saloon?  Of course you don't because none of us were alive when such things went on, until now.  As part of its continued campaign to get folks excited about the opening in February, Moerlein Lager House is selling commemorative beer token that will be redeemable for drafts.  $25 will get you 5 beer tokens (that's $5 per beer for those who flunked out of math) and a nifty little Moerlein Lager House patch to hold them in.  If that alone is not cool enough, the coins were minted by Osborne Coinage (the oldest private mint in America) conveniently located right in Cincinnati.  You can get your tokens here.

Prost!

Barrel Aged 12 Dogs of Christmas!?

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company will be releasing a limited amount of Barrel Aged 12 Dogs of Christmas starting the day after Thanksgiving.  There will be 999 1.5 liter bottles available and all will be hand numbered by a Thirsty Dog brewer.  It clocks in at 10% ABV and will set you back $40.  The limited edition beer will be sold at Lizardville in Bedford Heights, Riverside Wine and Imports in Kent, 101 Bottles in Kent, Heinen’s, Acme Fresh Market, West Point Market in Akron, Chalet Premier in North Lima and Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Boardman.

New Events added:
2012 Beer School Dates (Great Lakes)
Blind Christmas Ale Tasting at Vintage Estates (Various)
Nose to Tail Beer Dinner (Market Garden)

L'chaim!

Vote for Your Favorite Northeast Ohio Brewpub

Fox 8 Hotlist has 10 brewpubs from around northeast Ohio vying for title of the Best Brewpub 2011.  You have until midnight on Friday, December 9th to vote, but you should probably just do it now by clicking here before you forget.

Also, new Events added:
Christmas Ale Fest (Fat Heads)
St. Nikolaus Beer Dinner (Fat Heads and Penn Brewery)

Cheers!

Beer Barons Hall of Fame to Open In Cincinnati

Being that the Beer Barons Hall of Fame is being created and housed at the soon-to-open Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, it comes at no surprise that the first inductee is Christian Morelein himself. Morelein was a Bavarian immigrant who established the brewery in Cincinnati in 1853.

The plan is to induct two classes of beer barons annually. Plaques commemorating each honoree will be housed in a Hall of Fame banquet and conference room, seating 125, on the third floor of the Lager House at Main Street and Mehring Way, Hardman said. The hall also will house a temporary memorabilia display after each induction.The plan is to invite heirs and descendants of the inductees for a ceremony and plaque presentation and brew a special beer commemorating each inductee in the Lager House's brew pub, Hardman said. 

This sounds like a very cool idea with a lot of potential. Most of the major cities in Ohio have a rich brewing history, so any way to remember, commemorate, and honor the roots of that history will do wonders for the current beer market. Read the whole article about the Hall of Fame here

Side Note: New events have been added so you should go check them out

Prost!