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Tag Archives: Ohio
Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA
Fat Head’s Head Hunter
I’ve been trying to get my hands on this one for a while. With quite the cult following and many prestigious awards to back it up, here is Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA.
Pours incredibly crisp and clear with a sticky white head that won’t go away. Citrus and pine dominate the aroma, as expected. Lots and lots of hops here. Attractive lacing, too. At 87 IBUs, you’ll definitely feel the bitterness. Not much in the way of malt for balance, it’s a just a big bruiser. So if that’s your thing, you’ll love it!
Grade: A
Great Lakes Alchemy Hour DIPA
Great Lakes Alchemy Hour
Great Lakes is not known for big, hoppy brews. But if they keep pumping out gems like Alchemy Hour, that could change.
The extra hops are evident early in the aroma with overflowing grapefruit and sweet citrus. The citrus hops hit first, but the pine comes in at the end. Sweet malt and citrus balance with bitter hops brilliantly. With a combination of Mosaic, Nugget, and Cascade hops, I’ve never had a beer quite like this. At 80 IBUs and 9.4% ABV, this is quite a hefty beer, but it should be.
Another outstanding offering from Great Lakes
Grade: A
Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger
Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger
I like that Rye malt is a growing trend in craft beer. Here is the very cleverly named Rye of the Tiger from Great Lakes.
I expected the color to be more red, but this is a faint orange. Viscous head won’t let go of the glass. Spicy hops present in the aroma. Don’t be mislead by the Rye in the name, this is a full on IPA. And wow does this tiger attack. Clocking in at 92 IBUs, this is hugely bitter. That’s a full 12 IBUs more than Great Lakes’ new DIPA (which I will be getting to soon). The rye is there if you search for it, but this is all about the hops. It’s very interesting coming from Great Lakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Great Lakes, but most of their beers are not this aggressively hopped.
Hop heads will delight
Grade: A
Great Black Swamp Brewing Expands Distribution
From The Beer Blog
By Rick Armon Published: March 18, 2013
Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. is expanding its distribution into Northeast Ohio and Columbus. In Northeast Ohio, the Toledo brewery is available now exclusively at West Point Market in Akron. The grocery started carrying the brewery last week.
“At some point this year, we’re hoping to move into the Cleveland area and Columbus,” co-owner and brewer Paul Traver said.
Great Black Swamp launched in 2010 in Toledo. It distributes its beer both on draft and bottles.
Toledo isn’t all that far from me, but I’ve never seen any of their beers down here. I’ll have to keep an eye out!
The Brew Kettle One Eyed Jack Robust Porter
The Brew Kettle One Eyed Jack
It may not get the recognition as some of the other breweries in the area, such as Great Lakes and Thirsty Dog, but The Brew Kettle also makes some might fine beers in Northeast Ohio. Here is their porter, One Eyed Jack.
Color is nice. Almost no head. Very chocolatey aroma. Smooth and surprisingly light on the tongue. It’s got all the flavors you want in a porter. Bitter coffee, loads of chocolate, light smoke, some oak and vanilla.
The first couple sips didn’t do a lot for me, but now that it’s warmer, all the flavors are coming out more. Definitely give this some time to come up to temp. It’ll make a difference.
This is very good, but it’s a step below the elite porters I’ve had. But I couldn’t tell you what’s missing. Certainly not a disappointment.
Grade: B
Hoppin’ Frog Cafe Silk Porter
Hoppin’ Frog Cafe Silk Porter
I enjoyed Hoppin’ Frog’s Silk Porter quite a bit, even if I did find it a bit on the harsher and not silkier on the end of the porter spectrum, so I’m curious how the addition of more coffee will influence the flavor with Cafe Silk Porter.
From the first smell, the extra coffee is evident. In fact, that’s all I smell. Thankfully, there is enough going on in the flavor, including chocolate and toffee, to balance things out. The texture is quite smooth and creamy. Finishes dry and slightly bitter. I am surprised how much the other flavors come through considering how strong the coffee aroma is.
I actually like this better than the regular Silk Porter. The texture is smoother and the coffee flavor is wonderful.
Grade: A
Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale
Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog
With outstanding Christmas Ales such as the offerings from Great Lakes and Thirsty Dog already coming out of Northeast Ohio, how will Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog stand up?
Nearly no head on this. Pours on the brown side of amber. Warm pumpkin pie spices in the aroma. Tastes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel. Enough malt that the spices don’t get too wild. Body might be a little light. As it warms, the cinnamon become the most prevalent spice, but there are enough of the others to balance. Hefty booze at 8.6% ABV
Another amazing Winter Warmer from Ohio here. Wonderful!
Grade: A
Moerlein Barbarossa
Moerlein Barbarossa
Northeast Ohio seems to get most of the attention when it comes to craft beers, but there are plenty of great ones from other parts of the state. Including Cincinnati’s Christian Moerlein Barbarossa.
A double dark lager, also could be categorized as a Dunkel, it pours a deep brown with ruby edges. Sweet caramel and roasted malt dominate the aroma. Smooth and creamy, with caramel, roasted malt, and a bit of bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps a touch of smoke, too, but definitely not enough to make this a Schwarzbier.
Tasty and balanced, and with just 5% ABV, you can enjoy Barabarossa all day.
Grade: A
Eudora Brewing Coming to Kettering, Ohio
Read this article about Eudora Brewing coming soon to Kettering, Ohio, just outside Dayton. Looks like it’ll be a brewpub and will also be offering brew-on premise, which I think is a great idea. I’ll be planning a trip to Kettering once it’s open!
The Brew Kettle Winter Warmer
The Brew Kettle Winter Warmer
Surprising as it might be, some of the best Winter Warmers you’ll find are from Northeast Ohio with Great Lakes Christmas Ale and Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas. How does The Brew Kettle Winter Warmer stack up?
Color is on the darker side of amber. Aroma is more citrus and less spice than I anticipated. The taste leans on the citrus side, too. Lots of orange and even some lemon peel. Spices are noticeable in the background with cinnamon and fresh ginger. In this, the warmth comes not from the spices, but from the 8% ABV. The booze in this one will sneak up on you!
Haven’t had a Winter Warmer quite like this. Definitely citrus dominant rather than spice dominant, but it’s rather tasty.
Grade: B