CornerStone Brewing has now opened a second location. It’s a wonderful charming place on Main Street in the small town of Madison, across from the city park. It has two rooms, each with it’s own bar, plenty of seating inside and out, with a patio our front and deck in back. The same good beers (and menu) we’ve come to expect from the Berea location, but they will soon be brewing in Madison also. They have just installed a new 3-barrel system in the basement. While attending the opening, I met one of the owners and the brewer from Cellar Rats Brewing, also in Madison at the Debonne Vineyards. Two breweries in the heart of Ohio’s wine country; it’s worth a trip!
Another exciting opening happened on July 1 with Michael Symon, of Iron Chef and Food Network fame, opening Bar Symon in Avon Lake, featuring reasonably priced cuisine and craft beer. With 40 taps and 60 bottles to start, expect the selection to grow. They have an excellent selection of sour beers, lambics, and geuezes, and will be featuring Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin beers along with Ohio craft brews. Watch for special beer dinners and beer/food pairings from Bar Symon, and special releases such as the Jolly Pumpkin Lambic due to be unveiled after 5 years in the making.
On June 5, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. fetched a silver medal in the Belgian triple category for their Cerberus beer at the North American Beer Awards hosted by the North American Brewers Association in Idaho Falls Idaho. While dominated by western breweries, as the competition was held in conjunction with the Mountain Brewers Beer Fest, it is open to all North American breweries. Cerberus is available only on draft or in growlers from the brewery on Thirsty Thursdays (from 3-7 pm) until October, when it will be available in 4-packs at your local good beer store. I enjoyed it recently on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway “Ales on the Rails” beer-tasting train ride. There are three more beer-tasting trains scheduled this season; August 7, October 2, and November 6, and all feature one or more Thirsty Dog brews. The August 7 train is subtitled the “Thirsty Dog Days of Summer” and all beers will be from Thirsty Dog. For more information, check www.cvsr.com or call 800.468.4070.
Thirsty Dog has teamed up with The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway and the Ohio Craft Brewers Association to host the 1st annual Rails & Ales Harvest Fest on September 19-20 from 11 am – 6pm. You may take a train from Akron or Cleveland to event site at 7600 Canal Road. The $25 tickets include commemorative sample glass and 20 tasting tickets. Fall food will be provided by Winking Lizard Taverns, 356 Fighter Group and Russo’s. With the focus on fall seasonal harvest ales, there will be over 20 Ohio Breweries present.
Thirsty Dog will also be the featured glass of the month at all Winking Lizard locations in September with the return of Barktoberfest in a special commemorative 1/2 litre stein. The Barktoberfest will also be a featured beer on the October 3rd beer-tasting train. The Thirsty Dog Pumpkin Ale will also return in late September, but not any earlier as they use only fresh locally grown pumpkins and a variety of other squash including hubbard and butternut.
Hoppin’ Frog is releasing three new beers for August and September. They are a special new double IPA with a subtle Belgian character, a rich and spicy Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and another hoppy offering yet to be announced. Hoppin’ Frog’s newest beers, such as their Outta Kilter Red, a Scotch wee heavy, and bourbon barrel aged BORIS Stout are getting great reviews and are distributed throughout Ohio and 10 other states. These beers are quite popular and won’t be available all year, so get ‘em while you can!
At Kelleys Island Brewery the focus is on outdoor fun…and good beer to go with it! With the Venture resort across the street bringing reunions, weddings, and other vacationers to the island, they are having a busy summer. With numerous bands providing live music on the patio overlooking Lake Erie, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy a cold Anglers Ale (English bitter), Island Devil (Belgian-style dubbel), Dawg Bizkit Brown, Anniversary ale or Gale Force Ale (IPA). They are looking to add volleyball and tennis courts in the back. Doesn’t it make you want to get away from the city and have a little fun? Check their website for entertainment and event schedule: Homecoming, Kelleys Island Daze, Doggie Brunch, Oktoberfest… and more! (www.kelleyislandbrewpub.com)
Cleveland’s Indigo Imp Brewery is releasing a new beer in early September called Gatekeeper, which is their take on a Robust Porter. It is brewed with plenty of black and caramel malt and then allowed to do its thing in their open fermentation tanks.
There will be more in next issue on Cleveland Beer Week coming in October, but look for Indigo Imp to host as cask-conditioned ale and cheese tasting on Oct. 22 at their brewery as part of the CBW festivities. They will have at least three of their own beers on tap as well as some interesting guest beers that most people have probably never had in cask conditioned form. These beers will be paired with delicious cheeses from the folks at Heinen’s Fine foods.
The Buckeye Beer Engine continues to motor through the summer with a wonderful selection of rotating drafts, mouth-watering half-pound burgers, and special events. For the early birds, wakeup early Sunday, August 2nd, and partake in the tapping of one 5 gallon keg of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and one 5 gallon keg of Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout. In addition, the Beer Engine will be tapping one of its own house brews, an imperial porter recipe brewed by Tim McDonnell that includes a caffeinated twist. It is infused with the coffee beans from a neighboring business, Phoenix Coffee House. Get your jolt on August 2nd.
Beer and Food Dinner Pairings continue at the Engine. On Tuesday, August 11 at 7 pm, they will have New Holland Brewing Company as their featured brewery. Dinners are six courses served with six different beers, just $50, tax and gratuity included. September’s beer dinner will feature Southern Tier, in October, Stone Brewing, and in November, Buckeye Brewing.
On Wednesday, September 9, the Beer Engine will have a Stone Brewing Vertical Epic Ale Tasting. Not only is this the release of Stone’s 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale, but you will have the opportunity to taste all of the Vertical Epic’s starting with 03.03.03. Vintage Kegs may be on hand. The event costs $50 and takes place downstairs in the Engine Room.
Beer Engine’s annual ‘Oktoberfest Week’ kicks off Friday, September 25, and runs through the following weekend. Expect a quality selection of authentic German Oktoberfest beer. In addition, they will load the taps with craft renditions of the wonderful style. Their classic German food specials will run all week. Sign up for their email newsletters at www.buckeyebeerengine.com for updates.
Look for daily participation by the Beer Engine in the first annual Cleveland Beer Week, October 16-24. More in the next issue!
Weasel Boy Brewing Co’s 1800 sq. ft. expansion is now open. The additional space features works from various local artists and will be used as overflow seating space for taproom customers and for private events as well. Beginning in August, Weasel Boy will expand their taproom hours to five nights a week. Their new hours will be Tuesday through Friday 4 pm to midnight and Saturday 3 pm to midnight.
Also in the works are two “Seasonal Weasels” for the late summer and early fall. Feisty Fisher Amber Ale will weigh in at about 5.2% abv and should release sometime in August. Based loosely on a German-style alt bier, it will be firmly bitter from the use of German hops and feature a crisp, balancing malt backbone from imported malts. Making its return appearance after a highly successful release in 2008 is Blackfooted Porter. This dark brown beer which has distinctively porter-like qualities and clocks in at just under 6% abv. A high percentage of malted wheat in the recipe lightens the body and makes this dark gem lighter in body and deliciously drinkable during the warm weather. Weasel Boy continues to feature live local and regional music acts every Saturday night so be sure to call or check out their website for the current line-up of artists and times.
At the Roadhouse in Medina, brewer Mike Zoscak keeps seven house beers on tap, including Roadhouse Red, Pecos Bill’s IPA, and Wild Bill’s Spiced Ale. For guest beers, they are now pouring Fat Head’s Bushwacker Brown Ale. They are planning a beer tasting in late fall, but haven’t set the date as of this report.
Ohio Brewing is planning to move down the street, across from the Aeros stadium. The brewery will be separate and expand to include bottling capabilities. Owner Chris Verich wasn’t sure of the timing, but it may be happening by September. Meanwhile, stop by their current location and try their newest ALT Ernative Amber Ale or the Berrylicious Ale.
Jim Lieb at the Rocky River Brewing Co. will have a German Hefeweizen on tap for all or most all of August. Also a Scottish-style ale, a rye pale ale, an IPA, and an Octoberfest are planned for their summer offerings. The patio will be open through September weather permitting.