The Muse of
Brews
October/November
2007 Column
Have you gotten you tickets yet for the upcoming Microbrew Extravaganza? Friday, November 9 is the tenth annual event. Once again it will be held at Massimo da Milano, 1440 West 25th Street, Cleveland, from 7 p.m. until midnight. Seven area breweries will be represented, and there will be live music by Punch the Clown band. This is a charity even benefiting the Free Medical Clinic of Cleveland. It has always been a fun event, and they always have lots of raffle baskets you can win. Tickets are still $50 in advance and $55 at the door. This year you can get them online at www.thefreeclinic.org or by calling 216-707-3405.
It might not be too late to head for Denver, Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival on October 11-13. I’ll be attending for the first time this year. Seven Ohio breweries will have booths at the event: Cleveland Chophouse & Brewery, Elevator Brewing Company, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company, Rock Bottom Brewery, Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, and Willoughby Brewing Company. In addition, others will be submitting their beers for judging. Watch for the next issue to see how many medals they win!
My travels took me to southern Ohio recently, and I visited Portsmouth Brewing Company (in Portsmouth, Ohio) for the first time. It’s in an interesting old building that they say is the oldest microbrewery in the Midwest, originally established in 1843. It closed in 1920 and didn’t reopen as a brewery again until 1997. Now owned by the Mault brothers it’s sometimes referred to as Mault’s Brew Pub. Brewer Tony Thompson gave me a brief tour of the brewery, including the basement where the beer used to be brewed, that they hope to turn into another bar area. I tasted all six beers on tap and particularly liked the Pale Ale, the Dopplebock, and a very interesting Maple Brown Ale.
I also recently visited the Brew Keeper for the first time since their move to North Ridgeville. Although they had an impressive array of beers on tap, both their own and a good selection of guest taps, I only had time to try the IPA. I was not disappointed! They will release their XXX-mas holiday ale just prior to Thanksgiving, and then will begin a series of Anniversary ales. These anniversary ales will be available only once and at the Brew Keeper only. They have begun distribution of some of their other beers under the Mad Brewer brand. Stop in for their annual Oktoberfest from October 5-7, complete with a bratwurst eating contest on Saturday. For $20 you get a t-shirt, a 22 oz draft of your choice and all the brats you can eat! Oh, and if you win, you get a free brew session.
Here is what’s hoppining at Rocky River Brewing Company. Back after almost a year is the return of Zeus Juice. This Belgian strong ale gains its unique character from a free rise fermentation which imparts complex spiciness including clove, bubblegum, banana, and a slight fruitiness. A new beer will be a single hop IPA which utilizes lots and lots of Simcoe hops. Voodoovator Weizenbock will return in the fall. Rockport Red is an American Alt beer brewed to achieve a balance of toasted malt and delicate American Liberty and Mt. Hood hops. Last, but definitely not least, is the return of the Monster Mash pumpkin ale. This is one of their fastest selling beers, so hurry so you don’t miss it! Enjoy their beers on the patio into the cool fall nights, as the patio is heated.
I stumbled upon what I thought was a new brewery in Columbus a few weeks ago. On Polaris Parkway, north of Columbus near I-71 is a new BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. With ten of their own brews on tap, six guest taps, along with cider and root beer, there is no shortage of choices. They’ve been open about 6 or 7 months. As part of a large chain, their beer is actually brewed in Reno, Nevada and shipped here every three days. They have plans for more in this part of the country, such as Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and/or Louisville, with plans for one of them to be an actual brewery. Gravitating to the IPA, as usual, I found theirs well balanced with a very nice strong hop aroma. I also sampled one of the guest beers from Ohio’s own Hoster Brewing Company, their Gold Top Ale, a Dortmunder style beer. So while not technically an Ohio brewery, BJ’s is one more place to find good beer….and there’s quite an impressive selection of food on their menu, too.
At the Hoppin' Frog Brewery, they’ve just released two new fruit beers, the Smashing Berry Blonde and Smashing Berry Dark. These very flavorful beers are well balanced, and each has an abundance of fresh, natural fruit character. Brewer Fred Karm says they get this superior fruit taste from using very high grade fruit juice that has been delicately removed from the fruit by centrifuging instead of pressing or squeezing, to avoid the skin character of the fruit. Most fruit beers include the whole fruit, but the skin doesn't taste as good. This beer is already selling well from the brewery, and is currently only available from the brewery. Hoppin’ Frog’s other beers are now available in four states now. To taste the newest additions, however, you need to stop by the brewery. Call for times and directions to brewery in Akron at (330) 352-4578.
Lastly, I heard a rumor that the good beer bar, 69 Taps, (with locations now in Akron and Medina) is planning to add a new location in Wadsworth.