Cleveland Food and Brews-CraftBeer

Winter Warmer 2013 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:09:00 +0000

On Saturday, February 23rd, my wife and I attended the 7th Annual Winter Warmer Fest at Windows on the River. This year the space was spread out to three different areas, two indoor and one outdoor. This allowed the event to not feel as crowded as in years past. The two indoor areas contained 25 different craft breweries from Ohio, while the outside area was set up for the cask ales.
Overall, the event was very fun and ran pretty smoothly. I have to give lots of credit to the Ohio Craft Brewers who took this event seriously and brought some truly unique and tasty beer. There were many different beers that I had never tried, so I took this opportunity to seek them out. Some of my favorites were the Columbus Brewing Creeper, Willloughby Supernova, Fat Heads IBusive, and Great Lakes Alchemy Hour. These hop forward brews were delicious and I urge you to seek them out while they are still around town! Outside of the hoppy beer, I also really enjoyed some delicious cask beer. My favorites were Columbus Habanero Bodhi, Fat Heads "No Jolokia" Imperial Stout, and the Great Lakes Phoenix Coffee Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. These ones are a little rarer to find, but keep your eyes peeled because you never know when they are going to have a special firkin at the brewery!

In addition to some really great craft beer, there was wonderful live music by Austin Walkin' Cane, and a deli lunch was provided with your ticket. Although the lunch was included, myself and many others found it to be less than pleasing, and in fact, they even ran out of food. Luckily the Fired Up Taco Truck was parked right outside the cask area. The Chicken and Beef tacos we ordered were simply delicious! The only problem was they were not prepared for the number of people that they would be serving because they ran out of food well before the event was over. Next year I hope that the included food idea is changed. Instead of providing us with food, simply invite several food trucks and then give everyone a $5.00 voucher that they could spend at whichever truck they choose.

If you also attended Winter Warmer I'd love for you to share your thoughts on the event. What was your favorite beer? What did you think of the food? What would you change/improve to make next year even better? Cheers!!

7th Annual Winter Warmer Fest Info/Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:37:00 +0000

On Saturday, February 23rd from 2-6pm the Ohio Craft Brewers Association will be putting on the 7th Annual Winter Warmer Fest at Windows on the River. The fest will feature breweries from all over Ohio. This fest always brings out some of the tastiest cask, winter and big beers that our Ohio brewers have to offer. You'll also have a chance to meet and talk with many of the Brewers themselves at this event.

This year there are some positive changes happening that I think you'll all be pleased with. First, the event will be taking up a larger amount of space this year which will allow the fest to grow in size, but also offer more room for attendees to walk around. Next, for the first time ever, the event will feature an indoor/outdoor set up. The outdoor set up will feature a Cask Area. Many of those brews are still TBA, but we do know which breweries have committed to the fest. Here is a list of what we know so far, I'll update it as I get more information.

CASK Area
Brew Kettle: TBA
Buckeye: Liquid Foodie Truck Stop
Cellar Rats: BBA Rye Rat
Columbus: TBA
Cornerstone: Basil IPA
Elevator: Coffee Infused Double Oatmeal Stout
Fat Heads: "No Jolokia" Imperial Stout
Great Lakes: Phoenix Coffee Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Hoppin' Frog: Barrel Aged BORIS the Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Thirsty Dog: Coffee Infused Dry Irish Stout
Willoughby: Dry-Hopped Supernova Double IPA

For the indoor portion, here is the brewery list so far, I'll update this as I get new information!

Participating Breweries

Black Box: ReHive Ale, Cleveland's Own Christmas Ale, 2012 IPA, Plummer's Crack
Brew Kettle: Dark Helmet Imperial Schwarzbier, MacDaddy Scotch Ale, White Rajah, 4th beer TBA
Buckeye: Warm Fuzzy, 76 IPA, Nighty Night, Cleveland Porter
Cellar Rats: Rat Rampage, Black Rat Imperial Stout
Chardon BrewWorks: Pride of Geauga Maple Porter, Chocolate Pomegranate Milk Stout, Belgian Lace Belgian IPA, Ironworker IPA
Columbus: Bodhi, Creeper
Cornerstone: Evil Entity X, Rowan Scotch Ale, 7 IPA
Elevator: Winter Warmer, Horny Goat Barrel Aged Porter, "Big Vic" Imperial Mogabi Wheat IPA, Chipotle Nut Brown
Fat Heads: Hippy Sippy Imperial Stout, IBUsive Experimental IPA, Head Hunter IPA, Sorceror Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Great Black Swamp: Equinox Imperial Red
Great Lakes: BBA Blackout Stout, Alberta Clipper Raspberry Chocolate Porter, Alchemy Hour, GLBC/Fulton Baltic Porter Collaboration, Tripel Dog Dare, Loch Erie Scotch Ale
Hoppin' Frog: DORIS the Destroyer Double Imperial Stout, Hopped-Up Goose Juice Rye IPA, Hop Heathen Black IPA, Cafe Silk Porter, Karminator Imperial Dopplebock, Natasha Rocks America Collaboration Imperial Stout
Indigo Imp: Blonde Bombshell, Winter Soul, Gatekeeper, Dragon
Jackie O's: Brick Kiln Barleywine
Lager Heads: Wild Banshee Barleywine, Savage Stout, Bed Head Red, Tyranny, Barnburner
Market Garden: Market Centennial Extra IPA, Wallace Tavern Scotch Ale
Nano Brew Cleveland: Citramax IPA, Namber Ale
Neil House: Cranberry Cider
Ohio: Verich Gold, O'Hoppy Ale, Double Irish Red, Steel Valley Stout
Portside: Double IPA, Imperial Maple Stout, Hops Session Ale
Rocky River: McConick's Export Ale, Old Man River
Sam Adams: Double Agent IPL (India Pale Lager), Chocolate Squirrel (Chocolate Nut Brown Ale)
Thirsty Dog: Citra Dog IPA, BBA Siberian Night, Hoppus Maximus, Smoked Black Lager, Raspberry Ale
Weasel Boy: Bitter Sable Imperial Black IPA, War Dance Wheat IPA, Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout (2012 GABF Gold Medal Winner!)
Willoughby: Supernova Double IPA, Cosmic IPA, Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter, Little Dipper Extra Pale Ale

Tickets prices are $35 each and include a tasting glass, 20 4 oz samples, 1 deli lunch ticket and live entertainment with Austin Walkin' Cane. Designated Driver tickets are also available for $12 each and include 1 deli lunch ticket and non-alcoholic beverages. There will also be 2 food trucks in the Cask Area that you can also buy food from.

Now for the Giveaway! I have 2 tickets to the event to give away to one lucky person!

And we have a winner...Random.org has picked comment #30 which was left by Lee M! Congrats!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me who you are and what beer from the list you are most looking forward to trying.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5hq5

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I love #Ohio #CraftBeer & want to win 2 tickets to the Winter Warmer Fest from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5hq5

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, February 8th 2013 at 11:59pm EST to enter.

--Comments that do not include a way to identify the poster will not be eligible , examples--Unknown and Anonymous entries do not count.

--The winner will be picked at random using Random.org.
--Only comments with links left on this post will count. If you tweet, facebook or enter in any other way be sure to leave a comment here telling me you did it with the link to that post.
--You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each Entry, otherwise your entry will only count once.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.

Voodoo Brewing in Meadville, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:13:00 +0000

Just about an hour and a half away from Cleveland is a small town called Meadville, PA where you'll find Voodoo Brewery. The brewpub didn't catch our eye from the street, but when you enter and have a few beers you'll understand what Voodoo is all about! Thanks to a very good social media presence, we knew ahead of time what beers would be on tap when we arrived. Six different year round brews and four different seasonal brews were on the menu for the day. In order to try all of the different brews we decided to do a sampler of all 10.
First, we started with the six year round brews (which you can see in the picture to the right). My wife's favorite of the six was Wynona's Big Brown Ale, which had a mild body with well-balanced sweetness. My favorite of the six was between two different brews. I really enjoyed the 4 Season's IPA, which was not overly bitter, but very refreshing. I had this once before, but here at the brewpub the freshness of the hops really made this one stand out. My other favorite was the Gran Met, which was a well-rounded Belgian tripel. After trying the first six, we were really impressed that all brews were very good with no off flavors.
We then moved on to the four seasonal brews. My wife's favorite was the Big Black Voodoo Daddy, which was a big, bold imperial stout. I also really liked that beer, but to me the super simcoe hopped Ergot was my favorite at the pub. This crystal rye pale malted brew was super hopped with nearly 22lbs of simcoe hops and both the nose and flavor were outstanding. Again, these 4 beers were super clean with no off flavors, which made Voodoo have a perfect 10/10 beers on tap that were all very tasty. After chatting with several of the employees throughout the afternoon/evening at Voodoo, we learned just how much they care about their beer, especially the cleanliness of their lines and kegs. This attention to detail is what really can potentially make or break the beer.

Seasonal Sampler

Big Black Voodoo Daddy

All of this chatting lead to one of the bartenders offering us up a little sample of something that they had just bottled, Pappy Van Winkle Big Black Voodoo Daddy. The bottles will be released sometime in the spring at a major bottle release party. Although it was a little oxidized because it was in a growler, the beer was simply out of this world. The balance of the Pappy with the bold flavor of Voodoo Daddy was truly something special. When I get more information on the bottle release party I'll be sure to pass it along!

On a takeout note, Voodoo offers 4 packs of most year round beers, and 22oz versions of select year round beers. They also offered 22oz bottles of the Big Black Voodoo Daddy too (no growler fills of this one). If you are looking to take home any of the other pub only brews though, bring your growler because they also do growler fills.

Voodoo Brewery is not only about beer, but they are also about high quality locally sourced food. The pizza we ordered was made with spent grains and topped with grilled chicken, spinach, house made marinara, feta, tomato, and a thick balsamic dressing. The thick balsamic dressing was simply outstanding when combined with the spinach and feta cheese. The spent grain crust was cooked perfectly and had a great crispy bottom. This was the best tasting pizza I've had in probably the past year! If the other food on the menu is this good, Voodoo has something really amazing going on with the great food and beer they are offering!

I was so excited to eat this I took a bite before I remembered to take a picture!

If you are looking for a weekend away from Cleveland, but you don't want to travel too far, I urge you to make the drive due east to Meadville Pennsylvania to Voodoo Brewing. They are open Thursday & Friday: 3PM–12AM and Saturday & Sunday: 12PM–12AM. You'll find updates on their facebook page about what the beer and food offerings are for each week too!

Here are some more pictures we took while at the Brewpub/Brewery!

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 in Review Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:43:00 +0000

If you didn't have a chance to read my 2012 Cleveland Beer Week in Review Part 1, please check it out! It recaps Friday the 19th through Tuesday the 23rd!

Now, on to the last 4 day of Cleveland Beer Week 2012!

Wednesday the 24th--Columbus Brewing Night at Taphouse and Bells Black Note at Edison's Pub
We kicked off Wednesday with a trip to the Tremont Taphouse for Columbus Brewing night. One of the best beer people you'll find, Tony Corder of Columbus Brewing was coming to town and bringing some really cool brews with him. First, they had a Double Dry-Hopped Cask version of their Bodhi Double IPA. The cask version of this didn't come through as good for me as the regular version. The carbonation in regular Bodhi really helps the hops to pop more than on cask. There was also a Bodhi with Habanero that was pretty impressive. It had a very nice balance of heat and pepper that didn't overshadow the DIPA portion of the beer. The last Columbus brew I had was the Sohio Stout. With a bit more body on this beer, it would have been outstanding. Tony told us they were going to up the body on this beer, so I'm looking forward to trying it again because the flavor was delicious!

Bodhi on Cask

After spending some quality time at the Taphouse a large group of us made our way to Edison's Pub for a very rare tapping of Bell's Black Note! Bell's words about Black Note: "One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell's history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months." I don't think there was one person at Edision's that night that didn't love this beer. In fact, I liked it so much I had to have a couple!

A double pour of Black Note!

Thursday the 25th--Fat Head's and Stone Beer Dinner

Myself, Mitch Steele and Matt Cole

With Mitch Steele, the head brewer of Stone Brewing, coming to town for this beer dinner there wasn't a chance we were missing it! One of the highlights of my week, in fact, was getting the chance to talk with Jason Armstrong of Stone, Mitch Steele of Stone and Matt Cole of Fat Head's. These guys sure do love what they do, and it shows with the passion they have when they are talking about beer and brewing. If meeting them and having a few beers with them wasn't enough, we had one of the best beer dinners I've ever been to, with only a $60 price tag per person. I'll quickly run through each course, each of which was flavorful, well plated and large in portion size! In addition to the food, each course came with a large portion of a beer...far more than a 4-6oz sample that you get at most beer dinners!
Our Aperitif was a full glass of Fat Head's Starlight Lager, which was a perfect light beer to enjoy while getting to know the people around us. Our first bite was a bit more than just a bite! Scallop, Veal Sweetbreads, Fried Grits, Bacon Creamed Corn all paired with Stone Enjoy By 11/9/12 IPA. The scallop was cooked perfectly, the sweetbreads had a great texture contrast of crispy on the outside and soft inside, and the bacon-creamed corn was amazing. Oh, the Enjoy By was pretty good too!

Course 2 featured Pumpkin bisque with Ohio City Pasta pumpkin sage gnocchi, duck confit and creme fraiche paired with Fat Head's Spooky Tooth Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Rich, silky and full of nutmeg, cinnamon, and even a hint of cayenne, the bisque was amazing by itself. Add to that duck confit and amazing pumpkin gnocchi, I could have eaten this all day long! The pairing of the Imperial Pumpkin to me was good, but I think the beer got lost a bit because the bisque was so rich with flavor.

Course 3 featured a frisee salad with apples, walnuts, prosciutto, and whole grain vinaigrette. It was paired with a full glass of Stone Cali Belgique which is a Belgian style IPA. I loved this course because it lightened things up a bit...I was already starting to get full! The food and beer pairing here were outstanding. The Belgian IPA and the vinaigrette were a perfect complement to each other. The salad with apples, walnuts, and a good amount of prosciutto all worked so well together in terms of flavor contrasts.

As I mentioned, I was starting to get a little full thanks to the 3 large portions of food and beer. Course 4 was big enough to be an entree at any restaurant. It came with roasted venison tenderloin, sweet potato risotto, smoked mushroom strudel, and a fig demi-glace. It was paired with Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard. Wow, what a course. The Venison was melt in your mouth tender, the risotto was outstanding, and although I didn't eat the strudel because I don't like mushrooms too much, I heard it was outstanding too! I only wish I had more room in my stomach because I just couldn't finish it all. The Oaked Bastard complemented the venison perfect. I love a big, oaked strong ale with meat, such a good combination!

Our 5th course, the cheese course, was a very interesting take on blue cheese and a cherry tart with a balsamic reduction. It was paired with Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine. The beer was excellent but the blue cheese and cheery tart was just too tart and rich for me. A few bites was all I could handle. I didn't mind because I honestly was 95% full, and knew we still had dessert coming!

Our 6th food course was dessert and a take-on smores. It was paired with Stone Imperial Stout. I'm sure glad I didn't eat much of the tart because the smores was delicious. Rich chocolate, graham cracker crust, and slightly burnt marshmallows have never tasted so good. The pairing of an imperial stout was a no brainier and we loved every bite of this course!

If all of that food and drink wasn't enough we were also given a glass of Stone Epic Vertical 10-10-10 as our digestif! Great food, great beer, and large portions made this beer dinner a homerun in my opinion!

Friday the 26th--Rozi's Troegs Night and Lizard Lanes Big Lebowski Bowling!
Friday night started out with a Troegs Tap Takeover at Rozi's in Lakewood. For $15 we had the chance to sample two different Scratch Beers, Scratch 78 Fresh Hop IPA, the other was Scratch 76 Special Hops Imperial Red. There was also several other offerings including a very tasty Barley Wine called Flying Mouflan, an IPA called Perpetual, JavaHead Stout, Troegenator Doublebock, and Dream Weaver Wheat. This was a pretty laid back experience with some very tasty brews.

The Real Big Lebowski

The fun really picked up once we drove down the street to the Lakewood Winking Lizard. A group of us decided to attend the Big Lebowski Night at Lizard Lanes and I am sure glad we did. Fun wise, it didn't get better than this all week! Between the costumes, great friends, awesome bowling, and some very tasty Lagunitas beers...we simply had a blast! Some of us even talked about making this a monthly event because we all had such a good time! My favorite beer of the night was the Lagunitas Daytime Fractional IPA. This session IPA weighs in under 5% abv, but has the hoppy flavor of something much larger.

Please be a strike!

Saturday the 26th--Brewzilla
Every year the entire craft beer community in Cleveland gets very excited for BREWzilla. This is the time where Cleveland can and should shine as a leader in the craft beer forefront. I'll keep this review short and to the point in list style.

The Good:

Both the Brewer's Circle and the General Admission food was good.
The band this year was much quieter, which was a welcomed change. The music they played was enjoyable for the event and the venue. We could actually be near them and still talk to each other. In years past, the bands were so loud you couldn't even communicate with the person next to you.
Actual Brewers were present to talk with the public and were very engaging. This is always a major plus at any beer event!
Having separate entrances for the Brewer's Circle and the General Admission was great. Lines were short, check in was quick and people were off to have fun.
$3 Parking at the Galleria really made it easy.

Ways to Improve:

Publish a complete brewery and beer list when tickets go on sale. People should know what is going to be offered if they are going to be spending any amount of money for an event. Ticket buyers will understand if a few beers have to be removed from the list because of certain brewery reasons. I talked with too many people at the event that felt cheated (their words) because the list posted on 10/10 said "More To Come." Yet, the final list for the Brewer's Circle was exactly the same and the General Admission list had only a handful of additions. This is an important improvement that I feel can be done, and has to be done.
I think a package deal should be offered when tickets go on sale. Ticket + Hotel + Parking all together for one discounted package deal. It would increase ticket sales initially, and make getting a hotel room less of a hassle since rooms sold out very quickly!
Beer Offerings: This year the Brewer's Circle was a letdown for me and many others. The rare and exclusive beers that you can't find around Cleveland just were not there. Most of the beers in that room can be found easily around Cleveland. Brewer's Circle is the ultimate time to showcase craft beer in Cleveland and to justify the $75 ticket cost. I felt like many of the unique tappings went to area bars during the week, instead of BREWzilla like in years past. Also, the Brewer's Circle should include the Collaboration Beers as a way to celebrate the accomplishment of our great local brewers.

I had fun this year at BREWzilla because of the great community of friends that showed up at the event. I literally couldn't turn a corner without seeing someone I knew! As a craft beer lover, I want to see this event grow. I want to see better beer offerings that would take BREWzilla to the level a GABF session. I don't think we are that far off considering we have great beer offerings that come into our state daily, and we have a collection of amazing local brewers. Yes, I do know this event is for charity. So here is an idea, we can give up the "free" t-shirt and/or some of the food offerings in exchange for the same ticket prices we get a better beer line-up.

What are your thoughts on BREWzilla? Please comment on here and let me know!

1. Did you attend BREWzilla?

2. What did think of the event?

3. How else would you improve the event?

Wow...2012 Cleveland Beer Week came and went quickly. I had such a great time hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones. Cleveland Beer Week isn't about just one event. It is about going out and supporting craft beer with your friends. You shouldn't wait until Cleveland Beer Week next year to do that. Go out now and support our great local brewers! For more information on craft beer in Cleveland and to chat with other craft beer enthusiasts join our Cleveland Craft Beer Community Facebook Page. Also, you can follow me on twitter @CleFoodandBrews and on my Facebook Page. Cheers!!

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 in Review Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Wow...what a week, and by week I mean 9 days! When Cleveland Beer Week rolls around, I come up with a plan for each and every night. In this "Part 1" post, I plan to share with you what events I took part in during the first 5 days and my thoughts about the events. I hope you enjoyed your Cleveland Beer Week as much as I did!

Friday the 19th--Winking Lizard Bedford and the Tremont Collaboration Crawl
Cleveland Beer Week started out for us with a very quick stop at Winking Lizard Bedford for a few pints of the Founders Harvest Ale cask! This beer is so tasty when fresh, I have never had the cask version before, and it was every bit as good, if not better than the bottle!

Founders Harvest Ale Cask

Some CCBC Members getting ready to Crawl!

After this quick stop, we attended the Tremont Collaboration Crawl with many other craft beer lovers from the Cleveland Craft Beer Community. The event led us to Southside to start, and we had a chance to try two of the collaboration beers. The first collaboration beer was from Fat Head's and Chardon and was called CuyaHawga Smoked Maple Bacon Stout. This beer was ok because it was not overly smoky, but it lacked the body that I would attribute to a stout. The Maple portion of it really didn't come through though as much as I would have liked.

The left overs of Tall Boy

The next brew we had was made by Market Garden, Indigo Imp, and Rocky River called Tallboy Wet-Hopped Brown Ale. Unfortunately, this beer was past its prime and the Wet-Hopped portion of this beer was not fresh. Many of us left our beers at Southside and then proceed on to our next stop, which was Fat Cats. At Fat Cats we had the Thirsty Dog, Cornerstone, and Lager Heads Belgian style Dubble with plums. I found this beer to be good, just not my favorite of the night. After Fat Cats, we took a stroll down to Edison's Pub where we had the Buckeye Brewing, Ohio Brewing, and Black Box Nut Brown Ale with Maple Syrup. Unfortunately, a large group of us didn't care for this one either due to a slight cardboard flavor, so off to Flying Monkey we went! At Flying Monkey we had the chance to try the Great Lakes and Cellar Rats Wet-Hopped Pale Ale. I personally thought this was the best beer of the night, and many of the people I asked about it agreed! The beer had a very fresh hoppy flavor and was well balanced with no hint of the ABV. Our last stop of the night landed us at the Tremont Taphouse for the Brew Kettle and Willoughby Brewing: Reinheits Kaput!, a hoppy hellesbock. This beer was clean and very easy to drink and came in a close 2nd in my book. The best part about this evening, besides the beers, was by far the fun we had as a large group bar hopping around Tremont. The social nature of this event really made it fun, even despite a few poor brews and some rainy weather! Also, Cheers to the Cleveland Beer Week organizers for making a feature event around our great area craft brewers. This was a suggestion I made last year because I felt by only having them at BREWzilla, they sort of got lost in the shuffle. I thought, and so did many others, that this was a great improvement!
As fun as it was, there were some areas that should be improved next year. First, the crowd. Having this event on a Friday night meant normally busy bars were now absurdly packed with people. The first 3 stops on our trip took forever to get beers and were so packed you could not move without bumping someone and spilling your beer. I feel as if the bars were not prepared for the abnormally large crowd. If this event happens on a Friday next year, I think a good way to fix this problem would be to designate an area of the bar for ticket holders to stand and be served. This would eliminate both of the previously mentioned issues. Three hours sounds like a long time to get 6 beers, but honestly we had to rush at the last two stops just to complete the crawl in the 3 hour time frame!

View from the back of the bar at Southside...PACKED!

View of Downtown from Fat Cats Patio

Saturday the 20th--Fat Heads Brunch, Lizardville Rocky River, and The Brew Kettle
After a long night on Friday, we slept in a bit before heading to Fat Head's for the Victory Brunch. While at Fat Head's, we had the chance to meet the head Brewer for Victory Beer, Bill Covaleski! The Victory/Fat Heads Collaboration beer called United was simply great. The style of beer was very interesting too, a wet hopped pilsner. It was great to have a chance to talk with Matt Cole of Fat Heads and Bill from Victory about how they worked together to brew this very tasty beer! They explained how they had to really compromise with each other since Matt is a huge hop head and Bill knows pilsners like the back of his hand! If you see this brew around town still, give it a try on a fresh palate.

Fat Heads & Victory United

After a very tasty brunch (I had waffle and sausage sliders which were delicious by the way) and beers at Fat Heads we headed over to Lizardville in Rocky River for the first time. We kept it pretty simple and had a few sour brews with friends before heading to our final stop for the day/night, The Brew Kettle. At 5pm they tapped an amazingly tasty keg of 2010 Bell's Expedition Stout. It was so tasty I just had to have two pours with our good friends Bill and Renee! At this point we decided to head home a bit early since Friday night was rough, and I knew we had an early start on Sunday.

A tasty sour at Lizardville Rocky River

2010 Bells Expedition Stout

Sunday the 21st--Tremont Tap House and Culture Yourself
One of my favorite Cleveland Beer Week rituals is attending the Victory Browns Watch Party! We arrived at The Tremont Taphouse around 11am and proceeded to have some Victory Brews such as the fresh Harvest Pilsner, and the D-town Brown which was on cask. After having a few brews, we had to depart to head to an event I was really looking forward to, Culture Yourself.

The 2011 Culture Yourself was held at Market Garden in one session. Long story short, the event was way over crowded and it made the event impossible for me to enjoy. The 2012 Cleveland Beer Week organizers decided to make some changes. First, they moved the event to Great Lakes Brewing. Second, they broke the event up into two sessions. Upon entering the event, it was clear that the space was larger than the previous year. The entire time we were there, 2-4 pm, we never felt cramped or even had to wait more than a few second to get a beer and cheese sample. The smaller crowd and bigger environment allowed us the chance to talk with both the cheese and beer servers. This educational experience was excellent and I have to say, this was the best premier event of the entire week. I really appreciated how every brewery had some sort of representation as did the cheese-mongers Also, Cheers again to the Cleveland Beer Week Organizers for listening to the feedback that myself and many others gave about last years event. This year was a vast improvement! That being said, if I had to make one change, I would have the beer and cheese pairings actually together at one station, rather than having all of the beer around the outskirts and the cheese in the center. This would enable the beer reps and the cheese reps to work together more effectively together. It would also allow them to collaborate on other suggestions around the room more easily.

Culture Yourself

So, what did I like? I had too many cheese and beer pairings to list every single one, so my top five favorites were:

Hoppin' Frog Cafe Silk Porter with Oregon Blue by Rogue Creamery
Brew Kettle White Rajah with Heinen's Hand Selected Cheddar by Maple Leaf Cheese
Market Garden Centennial IPA with SarVecchio Parmesan by Sartori (The Centennial was the best I've ever had it!)
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot with Beemster XO
Bells Oarsman with Cognac Fig from Mackenzie

Brew Kettle White Rajah with Maple Leaf Cheddar

Market Garden Cententiall IPA with SarvVecchio Parmesan

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot with Beemster XO

Monday the 21st--Oskar Blues and Sensory Evaluation Night at Willoughby Brewing

On Monday we made our way up to Willoughby Brewing around 6 pm for Oskar Blues tapping. I feel this was an important event for our craft beer market because it would be the first time that Oskar Blues was officially distributed and tapped in Ohio! On top of that, the head brewer, Dave Chichura, would be in the house to officially kick off the event. He took the time to talk with many of the people in attendance was very excited to be in Ohio. In the picture to your right, you will see the six different brews that were on tap, and that will be on shelves in Ohio from now on when available! (Ten Fidy is a seasonal imperial stout, and is amazing fresh and with age on it!) I had a chance to sample all 6 beers quickly before I had to move on to the next event, the Sensory Evaluation Night. For this event, I asked to take on a different role since I attended as a participant last year. Rick Seibt, Head of Brewing at Willoughby Brewing, was kind enough to let me help with the event. It was fun to watch a packed room of participants taste and learn about off flavors in beer. In addition to learning about off flavors, BJCP National Beer Judge Paul Shick and BJCP Certified Beer Judge and Certified Cicerone Rick Seibt walked participants through the process of tasting beer and how to use all of your senses when trying a beer. Don't worry, they also encouraged pulling up a chair to a bar and just enjoying a tasty brew too! I highly encourage anyone looking to learn more about beer tasting and judging to attend this event next year.

From left to right: Dales Pale Ale, Yella Pils, Old Chub Scotch Ale, Ten Fidy Impy Stout, G'Knight Impy Red, and Deviant Dales IPA

On the Left: Rick Seibt of Willoughby, on the Right: Dave Chichura of Oskar Blues

Tuesday the 22nd--Willoughby Brewing Cask Night
Last year during Cleveland Beer week we also attended Cask Night at Willoughby Brewing with a group of friends. This year, those same great friends decided we wanted to do it again since we had a blast last year...oh, and the beers were amazing too! This year on cask there was a Dry Hoped Cosmic IPA with Galaxy Hops, Cosmic IPA with Habanero, Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter with Cocoa Nibs, and a Double Dry Hopped Aramis Pale Ale. First, the Dry Hopped Cosmic was outstanding. This beer just won 1st place at the Fat Heads IPA fest for a reason, and the cask version was amazing. The habanero version was tasty, but the heat of the peppers didn't come through enough for my tastes. The PBCP with Cocoa Nibs was out of this world, and probably one of the best beers I had during the entire Cleveland Beer Week. The standard pub version of this beer is outstanding, but this cask version with the cocoa took the flavors up another notch. The bold cocoa and coffee flavors was abundant and very much welcomed by everyone who tried it. Next year you should put this event on your must attend list!

If you also attended any of these events please share your thoughts on them.

1. What did you like?

2. What would you improve?

Well, the first 5 days of my 2012 Cleveland Beer Week are in the books! I had an amazing time. Just wait until you read about my final 4 days! Part 2 is now up live! It includes a recap of events such as Columbus Brewing Night at the Taphouse, Bell's Black Note at Edison's, Fat Heads Beer dinner with Stone and Mitch Steele, Big Lebowski Bowling at Lizard Lanes, and finally my thoughts on BREWzilla!

For more information on craft beer in Cleveland and to chat with other craft beer enthusiasts join our Cleveland Craft Beer Community Facebook Page. Also, you can follow me on twitter @CleFoodandBrews and on my Facebook Page. Cheers!!

My Cleveland Beer Week BREWzilla Beer Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Each and every time I go to a beer event like BREWzilla I have to come up with a plan. Today I'm going to give you a couple lists that will hopefully guide you around while you are at BREWzilla.

If are you are attending with a Brewer's Circle pass, most of the options in there are "can't miss", but there are a few notable standouts

Brewer's Circle Beers I won't miss:

Alesmith: Old Numbskull Barley Wine
Bell’s: This One Goes to 11
Buckeye: Aquarius
Cellar Rats: Barrel Aged Sour
Great Lakes: Big Black Smoke
Jolly Pumpkin: De Viente
Sierra Nevada: Wine Barrel Aged Oliva Dubble
Stone: Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout
Victory: Saison du Buff
Weyerbacher: 17 Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Grand Cru

The General Admission beer list is pretty staggering. Since there are just a few hours left until BREWzilla kicks off, I'm going to just list what I see as the best of the bunch, most unique, or what is new to our area. Cheers!

Atwater: Dirty Blonde, Vanilla Mocha Porter, Grand Circus IPA (These are newly distributed to Ohio)
Avery: Kaiser Imperial Octoberfest
Ballast Point: Sculpin IPA
Buckeye: CBW 2012
Cellar Rats: Barrel Aged Black Rat Stout
Columbus: IPA, Bohdi, Sohio Stout, Fresh Hop IPA
Dark Horse: Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock
Dogfish Head: Bitches Brew, 75 Minute
Finches: IPA (New to Ohio)
Flying Dog: Gonzo Imperial Porter
Founders: Breakfast Stout
Great Lakes: Nosferatu
Green Flash: West Coast IPA
Hoppin’ Frog: Hopped-Up Goose Juice Rye IPA, Café Silk Porter, Natasha Rocks America
Magic Hat: Heart of Darkness
Oskar Blues: Dales Pale Ale, Mamas Little Yellow Pils, Old Chub, G’Knight, Ten Fidy, Deviant (These are newly distributed to Ohio)
Samuel Smith: Organic Chocolate Stout
Sierra Nevada: Gnarwall Russian Imperial Stout
Stone: Enjoy By IPA
Weyerbacher: Heresy Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Willoughby: Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter, Cosmic IPA, Pumpkinhead Ale, Aramis Pale Ale

Also, join a large group of us at 8pm for the Cleveland Craft Beer Community Meet-Up. We will be getting together at 8pm by the East 9th Street entrance for a group picture and for some more fun!

If you need more information just send me a tweet at: @CleFoodandBrews

Cleveland Beer Week Giveaway--Brauhaus in a Beer Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:05:00 +0000

First, Cleveland Beer Week has gotten off to a great start. We had a blast doing the Collaboration Crawl on Friday night (more details on that to come), and yesterday we bounced around the west side all day! We managed to hit Fat Head's for the Victory Beer Brunch, and the United brew that Matt and Bill from Victory made was excellent, and so was the brunch food. Afterwords, we went to Lizardville in Rocky River for a few sour brews with our friends, then ended our night at Brew Kettle for the tapping of 2010 Expedition Stout. This beer was well worth the trip, simply outstanding! Today we are heading to the Tremont Tap House for a bit of the Browns game with Victory Brewing, then we are off to Culture Yourself at 2pm...Can't wait! I will have a more in depth write up done about the opening weekend coming soon, in the meantime, get out and enjoy some great craft beer around Cleveland! Not sure where to go, check out my Guide to Beer Week!

Now...on to the Brauhaus in the Beer Garden Ticket Giveaway!

I have two tickets to giveaway to this Brick and Mortor Pop-Up event at the Greenhouse Tavern on Thursday, October 25th at 6:30pm!

The menu:

Laugenbrezel mit Obatzda -soft pretzel, Bavarian cheese spread, salted white radishe
Stopfleberwurst - Foie Gras Liverwurst, pickled black grapes, rye bread
Kalbsbries Schnitzel -Sweetbread Schnitzel, quail egg, anchovy-caper vinaigrette, buckwheat spätzle
Entenbratwurst mit Sauerkraut - Duck & Smoked Barley Malt Sausage, savoy cabbage sauerkraut, spicy beer mustard
Himmel und Äd - "Heaven and Earth", Blood sausage, celery root-apple puree, Tavern beer vinegar gastrique

Tickets are $48 each and includes food, tax & gratuity.

Jeremy Nolen is the executive chef at Brauhaus Schmitz, Philadelphia’s only authentic German restaurant and beer hall. The restaurant was opened to rave reviews from magazines, newspapers, online food blogs, and repeat guests. He achieved this through a philosophy of taking fresh raw ingredients and creating modern renditions of authentic German cuisine. Jeremy is constantly imparting his love of food preservation through curing, smoking, drying and salting.

Random.org has spoken once again and picked comment number 10 as the winner. Congrats Thom, enjoy the tasty treats at the Greenhouse Tavern!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me who you are and that you would like to win tickets.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5c8h

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I love @ClevelandBeerWk & want to win 2 tickets to Brauhaus in a Beer Garden at @TheGreenhouse from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5c8h

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Comments that do not include a way to identify the poster will not be eligible , examples--Unknown and Anonymous entries do not count.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.
Disclosure: I was offered two tickets for myself and two tickets to giveaway for the event. I am unable to attend this event, but I am still doing the giveaway of the two tickets.

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 Giveaway #4 - Brewzilla

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:58:00 +0000

First, Have you checked out my Guide to Cleveland Beer Week Yet?

Second, This is the granddaddy of them all...the BREWzilla Brewer's Circle Ticket giveaway! BREWzilla will take place on Saturday, October 27th from 6-10pm at the Galleria at Erieview in Downtown Cleveland.

With 111 entries to win, this is one of the biggest giveaways ever! With my wife watching, Random.org has picked comment #72 by Chris. Congrats!

CLEVELAND BEER WEEK concludes with this monster celebration featuring more than 70 breweries, a special “Ohio Brewery” area with various beers from local breweries, and tasty appetizers that pair well with craft brews.

General Admission tickets are $50 and include 3 oz. tasting glass, 25 tasting tickets, and complimentary food by Winking Lizard Tavern. Buy 10 or more General Admission tickets and save $5 each!All proceeds benefit Malone Scholarship Fund. Must be 21 years of age. No children admitted.
Brewer’s Circle tickets are $75 and include expedited VIP entrance, tastes of rare/exclusive brews and food pairings in the Brewer’s Circle Lounge open all evening, 3 oz. tasting glass, 25 tasting tickets, a commemorative t-shirt, and access to all General Admission beers/food.

Brewer's Circle Beers as of 10/10/12:

Alesmith: Old Numbskull Barley Wine

Bell’s: This One Goes to 11

Buckeye: Aquarius

Cellar Rats: Barrel Aged Sour

Elevator: Barrel Aged Wicked Goat

Great Lakes: Big Black Smoke

Jolly Pumpkin: De Viente

Rodenbach: Grand Cru

Sierra Nevada: Wine Barrel Aged Oliva Dubble

Stone: Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout

Thirsty Dog: Mixed Breed Sour

Vicaris: Tripel Geuze

Victory: Helles Fire

Weyerbacher: 17 Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Grand Cru

Widmer: South X NorthWest Ale

General Admission beers:

21^st Amendment: Brew Free or Die IPA, Back in Black IPA, Monk’s Blood

Abita: Purple Haze, Pecan Harvest, Satsuma Wit, Turbodog

Adnams: SSB, Broadside

Alltech: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Aged, Light, Ale

Anderson Valley: El Stinber, Heelch O’ Hops, Winter Ale, Boont Amber

Atwater: Dirty Blonde, Vanilla Mocha Porter, Grand Circus IPA

Avery: Hog Heaven Barleywine, Reverend Quadruple, Salvation Golden, Kaiser Imperial Octoberfest

Ayinger: Celebrator, Ur Weiss

Ballast Point: Sculpin IPA, Calico Amber, Pale Ale, Big Eye IPA

Bell’s: Amber, Midwest Pale, Third Coast Beer, Two Hearted

Black Box: 2012 IPA, Erie Nights Pumpkin Ale

Black Diamond: Jagged Edge IPA, Blonde, Rampage Imperial IPA, Wheat Whacker IPA

Breckenridge: Autumn Ale, 471, Agave Wheat, Vanilla Porter

Brewery Ommegang: BPA, Witte, Adoration

Brooklyn: Fiat Luxe, Post Road Pumpkin, Sorachi Ace, E India Pale Ale

Buckeye: CBW 2012, Cleveland IPA, Paw Paw, Cleveland Porter, Martian Lager, Spiced Bush

Cellar Rats: Barrel Aged Black Rat Stout, Piper’s IPA, POC Pilsner

Chardon Brew Works: Pride of Geauga Maple Porter, Hopominable Snow Monster XX IPA, Honey Cranberry Kolsch

Charles Wells: Banana Bread Beer

Chimay: Red, White, Blue

Chouffe: La Chouffe, MC, Houblon, Nice

Cleveland Chophouse: Bohemian Pilsner, Pumpkin Ale

Columbus: IPA, Bohdi, Sohio Stout, Fresh Hop IPA

Conniston: Blue Bird Bitter, Timothy Taylors Landlord

Dark Horse: Crooked Tree IPA, Raspberry Ale, Scotty Karate Scotch Ale, Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

De Dolle: Dulle Teve, Export Stout

De Glazen Toren: Cuvee Angelique, Saison de Erpe Mere

De Konninck: Amber

Dogfish Head: Bitches Brew, Namaste, 75 Minute, Sah Tea

Duvel: Duvel, Duvel Single

Elevator: Mogabi, Winter Warmer Ale

Epic: Sant Cruz IBA, Straight Up Saison, Brainless Belgian Golden, Brainless on Peaches

Erie: Railbender, Derailed Black Cherry

Fat Heads:

Finch’s: Blonde, IPA

Flying Dog: Raging Bitch, Doggie Style Pale Ale, Underdog Alantic Lager, Gonzo Imperial Porter

Founders: Red’s Rye, Centennial IPA, Dirty Bastard Scotch, Breakfast Stout

Frankenmuth: Pilsener, Batch 69 IPA, Oktoberfest

Franziskaner: HW

Full Sail: Session Red and Black Lager, Black Lager, Weiss Brewer’s Share

Fuller’s: London Pride, Vintage

Global Beer Network: Piraat, Gulden Draak, Gulden Draak 9000, Monks Café

Goose Island: Imperial IPA, Sofie, Juliet

Gordon Biersch: Czech Pils, Marzen, Hefeweizen, Schwartz

Great Divide: Wolfgang Dopple Bock, Titan, Hibernation, Claymore Scotch Ale

Great Lakes: Dortmunder Gold, Commadore Perry, Edmund Fitzgerald, Nosferatu, Imperial Dortmunder

Green Flash: West Coast IPA, Belgian Style Trippel, Le Freak, Barleywine

Griffin Cider: Griffin Original

Harpoon: IPA, Oktoberfest

Hofbrau: Original, Dunkel

Hoppin’ Frog: Hopped-Up Goose Juice Rye IPA, Hoppin’ Frog Oktoberfest, Café Silk Porter, Natasha Rocks America

Horny Goat: Hopped Up, Corpia Pumpkin Ale

Indigo Imp: Firebrand, Candyman Belgian Double, Winter Soul, Indigo 26 Degree Tropical Stout

Ithaca: Apricot Wheat, Casca Zilla, Pumpkin

John Smith’s: Extra Smooth Ale

Jolly Pumpkin: Luciernaga, Oro de Calabaza

Lager Heads: Winter Mischief, Tyranny Pale Ale, Bed Head Red, Barnburner Lager

Lagunitas: IPA, Hop Stoopid, Dogtown Pale, Pils

Latis: Palm, Steenbrugge Triple, Rodenbach, Boon Kriek

Left Hand: Polestar, Sawtooth, Milk Stout, Stranger

Liefmans: Furitesse, Cuvee Brut, Goudenband

Lost Coast: Tangerine Wheat, Indica IPA

Luk: Dore, Rose

Magic Hat: Single Chair, Heart of Darkness

Mardseous: Blonde, Bruin, Triple

Mt. Carmel: Amber Ale, Wintertime Ale, Nut Brown Ale

Murphy’s: Irish Stout

New Holland: Dragon’s Milk, Poet Oatmeal Stout, Mad Hatter IPA, Ichabod Pumpkin

North Coast: Brother Thelonious, Pranqster, Le Merle, Rasputin

North Peak: Diabolical IPA, Vicious Wheat IPA, Majestic Wheat, Siren Amber Ale

O’Hara’s: Irish Stout

Ohio Brewing: Verich Gold, Cardinal Ale, O’Hoppy Ale IPA, Jingle Bell Ale

Oskar Blues: Dales Pale Ale, Mamas Little Yellow Pils, Old Chub, G’Knight, Ten Fidy, Deviant

Paulaner: Premium Lager, Hefeweizen

Penn: Kaiser Pils, St. Nikolaus Bock

Pyramid: Outburst

Rivertown: Hop Baron, Roebling Porter, Pumpkin, WAR

Rochefort: Rochefort 6

Rogue: Brutal IPA, Chatoe Single Malt, Juniper Pale Ale, Dead Guy

Rust Belt: Old Man Hopper IPA, Coke Oven Stout, Peacemaker

Samuel Adams: New World Tripel, Tasman Red, Hazel Brown, Winter Lager, Whitewater IPA

Samuel Smith: Organic Cider, Organic Chocolate Stout

Sierra Nevada: Torpedo IPA, Gnarwall Russian Imperial Stout, Northern Hemisphere Harvest

Smuttynose: Finest Kind IPA, Homunculus, Shoals Pale Ale, Old Brown Dog

Southern Tier: 2X Stout, Phin and Matt’s, Pumpking, UnEarthly IPA

Spaten: Oktoberfest

Stone: Sublimely, Old Guardian, Epic 11, Enjoy By IPA

Thirsty Dog: Old Druid Saison, 330 Summit IPA, Hoppus Maximus, Cerberus

Timmerman’s: Strawberry Lambic, Pumpkin Lambic

Troegs: Troegenator Dopplebock, Hopback Amber, Dead Reckoning Porter, Perpetual Pale Ale

Two Brothers: Outlaw IPA, Ebels Weiss, French Country Ale, Bitter End

Unibroue: 17 Grand Reserve, Blanche de Chambly, Eau Brnite, La Fin du Monde

Vanberg and DeWulf: Witkap Pater, LambickX, LambickX De Troch, Lambrucha

Victory: Hop Devil, Golden Monkey, Prima Pils, Headwaters

Weyerbacher: Blithering Idiot Barleywine, Heresy Oak Aged Imperial Stout, Blasphemy Oak Aged Quad, Merry Monks

Widmer: Marionberry Hibiscus Gose, Russian Raspberry Imperial Stout, Old Embalmer Barleywine

Willoughby: Peanut Buter Cup Coffee Porter, Cosmic IPA, Pumpkinhead Ale, Aramis Pale Ale

Woodchuck: Fall, Pumpkin, Farmhouse, Amber

Wooden Shoe: Wooden Shoe, Canoe Pale Ale, Lager, Bock, Oktoberfest

Youngs: Double Chocolate Can

Zatec: Dark

Brewer's Circle menu courtesy of Heinen's:

Soups: Quinoa Chili, New England Clam Chowder, Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque

Thinly sliced roasted garlic and rosemary pork loin with carmelized onion, arugula and grainy mustard dressing on a pretzel roll

Thinly sliced corned beef with sauerkraut, shredded swiss and dressing on a rye roll

Gourmet cheese selection

Gourmet brownies

General Admission menu courtesy of Winking Lizard:

Beef Burger: 6 oz. Angus ground beef patty served on gourmet pretzel bun with baby bella beer sauce and melted Havarti cheese.

Roasted Vegetable Wrap: roasted zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, red onion, Havarti cheese and spinach dip stuffed into a warm flour tortilla.

Up for grabs are two Brewer's Circle Tickets to BREWzilla.

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me who you are and that you would like to win tickets.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5c66

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to @ClevelandBeerWk BREWzilla from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5c66 #CraftBeer #CleBeerWk

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Comments that do not include a way to identify the poster will not be eligible , examples--Unknown and Anonymous entries.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.

Disclosure: For helping to promote CBW, my wife and I are being granted media passes to attend and cover Brewzilla.

My Guide to Cleveland Beer Week 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:59:00 +0000

With so many different Cleveland Beer Week options to choose from in 2012 it can be very hard to pick which events to go to. I'm going to try to make your life a little easier because I'm going to give you my opinion on what I think are the best of the best on a nightly basis. These are by no means the only events going on during the week, so if you want to check out the entire list of Cleveland Beer Week events, just click here! Chances are you'll see me attending one of the events listed below each night! (This list will be updated from now until Cleveland Beer Week is over!) Updated 10/19/12

Friday the 19th

This is an easy one for me, the Collaboration Crawls are simply the place to be! Cleveland Beer Week's official opening ceremony, the Collaboration Kickoffs will feature 5 retail locations per neighborhood (East 4th, Lakewood, Tremont, Ohio City, Coventry) pouring collaboration beers specially brewed by NEO breweries for Cleveland Beer Week. These are small-batch brews and will not be bottled. Taste all brews here while you can; they will only be available in very limited supply elsewhere during CBW! Participating breweries are (1) Great Lakes and Cellar Rats: Wet-Hopped Pale Ale, (2) Market Garden , Rocky River Brewing and Indigo Imp: Tallboy, a wet-hopped brown ale, (3) Brew Kettle and Willoughby Brewing: Hoppy Hellesbock, (4) Buckeye Brewing, Ohio Brewing and Black Box: Nut Brown Ale with Maple Syrup, (5) Fat Heads and Chardon BrewWorks: Smoked Maple Imperial Bacon Stout, and (6) Thirsty Dog, Cornerstone Brewing, and LagerHeads: Belgian Style Dubble with Plums.

The Cleveland Craft Beer Community will be having our meet up at the Tremont location...more details on that to follow!

Saturday the 20th

10am to 2pm at Fat Heads Brewery and Saloon--Victory and Fat Heads's Brunch. Today, we pull the wraps off of the collaboration between Matt Cole of Fat Head's Brewery and Bill Covaleski of Victory Brewing Company! Come experience the result of two world class breweries ganging up and combining forces. A la Carte Brunch menu paired with a variety of Victory rarities, and the food is just as amazing as the beers!
12pm to 7pm at Lilly Handmade Chocolates--Bazinga! Come celebrate your love for Sheldon, Leonard, Howard & Raj along with your love of North Peak brews! We've created 4 special truffles that are inspired by the 4 main characters & paired them with 4 of North peak's beers! limited availability, first come, first served!) $18 per flight, limit one per person.
12pm to 5pm at Rozi's--17th Annual Beer and Wine Extravaganza Featuring over 60 Beers from around the world. We will have beers from North Coast Brewing out of Fort Bragg California and their brewery rep John Bisson. So come on out for a great Saturday afternoon! $25 admission covers food and beverage.
7pm to 10pm at Greenhouse Tavern--Victory Beer Dinner. Bill Covaleski, Owner of Victory Brewing Company, and Chef Jonathon Sawyer team up to pair award winning brews with award winning food. Come experience this amazing opportunity in person, you don't want to be the one hearing second hand about this! Very limited seats so be sure to grab them while you can. $65.00 per person.
9pm to close at Stampers--Bell's Jazz Night. Come by Stampers and enjoy live Jazz music while you try some exclusive beers from Bell's Jazz Series that features three interpretations on the French Biere de Garde style. Kegs will be tapped at 9:00pm. Le Batteur has a distinctive yeast aromatic character mixed with light bready notes that is noticably dry with crisp, mild refreshing acidity. Le Pianiste starts as a malt forward beer, combining biscuity, breadcrust notes with a light caramel flavor that is noticebly dry and finishes with a crisp, lively acidity. Le Contrebassiste blends roasted & lightly smoked malts, is fermented with a special French ale yeast which lends its own distinctive aromatic notes, and The Double Bass offers a deep, rich flavor.

Sunday the 21st

10am to 12pm at Beer Engine--Stout and Brunch. It's a tradition at BEER ENGINE. Breakfast food and breakfast stout. Walk in, no pre-sale. Special BEER ENGINE coffee mug, special bottles of aged Stouts. Some of the beers: Beer Engine Coffee Stout, Southern Tier Jahva Imperial Coffee Stout, Southern Tier Choklat, Southern Tier Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout, Founders Breakfast Stout, Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Alltech Lexington Brewing Company Kentucky Bourbon Coffee Stout, Thirsty Dog Siberian Nights, Stone Russian Imperial Stout and a special BEER ENGINE Coffee Stout brewed by Mike Yingling. Some of the food: Steak and Eggs, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, spent grain French toast with orange syrup, oats and fruit. We'll have a special menu for this event. EXAMPLE: Pick two entrees get four samples and the BEER ENGINE coffee mug. The brunch will run until we sell out.
12pm to close at Lizardville Bedford--Cleveland Crusher Tapping. What is the Hoppin Frog Cleveland Crusher? Well Hop In and find out! Lizardville Miles Road will be tapping a keg of this special version of the legandary Boris the Crusher Stout brewed with all Belgian Chocolate Malt. This one is sure to be smooth and delicious.
12pm to 4:30pm at Tremont TapHouse--Cleveland Browns Watch Party with Victory. If you are a Browns fan, love craft beer, enjoy great atmosphere and amazing food, this is the event for you. Will the Browns get a Victory over the Colts? It's a guarantee YOU can, as Victory beer will be in the house and be pouring a few surprises. Come to Tremont Tap House and join Cameron Russell, Sales Rep for Victory, as he will have brewery related giveaways and be cheering on his beloved Browns in the hopes that they can pull off the win versus the Colts.
2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm at Great Lakes Brewing--Culture Yourself. The Premier Beer and Cheese Tasting. Join us for a night of obsessive beer and cheese pairings, featuring brews from 12 top breweries and over 30 artisanal, locally produced cheeses.
2pm to 4pm at Rozi's--Goose Island Tap Takeover. Goose Island Brewer Patrick Reisch will be on hand to talk consumers through the special brews. Special beer guests include (all draft) Matilda, Sofie, Pere Jacques, Fleur, Lolita, Juliet, Madame Rose and Big John. Tickets are only $20 and will include chef-prepared food as well.

Monday the 22nd

5pm to 10pm at Deagan's Kitchen--3Floyds Prix Fixe Menu. Stop in for dinner and enjoy a prix fixe menu paired with some of the most sought after beers in the area, 3 Floyds! We will be pouring three of their beers; Moloko Stout, Artic Panzer Wolf, and Robert The Bruce!
5pm to 10pm at SOHO--SOHO, Momocho, and Goose Island Prix Fixe Beer Dinner. Soho and Momocho of Ohio City are teaming up with Goose Island Beer Company for a pre-fix beer dinner/tasting menu for Monday night of beer week! Chefs from both restaurants will be teaming up to create a latin themed menu to entice your taste buds. Goose Island Beer Company special beer guest for this event is Marisol, a Chicago exclusive beer coming in just for beer week.
5pm to close at Southside--Dogfish Night. We are pouring a mother load of Dogfish Head speciality drafts. All year long this event is fermented in the Southside cellars. Vintage aged kegs of Burton Baton, Paulo Santo, Sahtea, Black and Blue, Red and White, Bitches Brew and more will be on tap. Also look for a keg of the highly sought after Punkin, and the ever popular house-poured 75 minute blend of 60 and 90 minute IPA.
5pm to close at area B-Spot's--Founders Breakfast for Dinner. Join Founder's at B Spot and kickoff Stout Season with a Founder's Breakfast Stout! This double chocolate, double Coffee Oatmeal Stout is reason to stop out, but if that isn't enough we are also tapping a keg of Founder's Harvest Ale! Harvest Ale is an extremely limited wet hop beer that is sure to please the hop heads out there.
6pm to close at Willoughby Brewing--Oskar Blues Tapping. Dale's Pale Ale, Deviant Dales DIPA, Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, G'Knight Imperial Red, Old Chub Scotch Ale, Mama's Little Yella Pils and a special FIRKIN!!
7pm to 9pm at Willoughby Brewing--Beer Sensory Evaluation Class. Join BJCP National Beer Judge Paul Shick and BJCP Certified Beer Judge and Certified Cicerone Rick Seibt for an evening of beer sensory evaluation. You'll learn the basic concepts of beer evaluation, how to properly evaluate beer for it's elemental flavors as well as how to detect simple off flavors. This course is a must for anyone who regularly evaluates beer, for the homebrewer looking to make better beer, and for prospective beer judge candidates. What you'll learn: (1) proper environment, equipment and presentation of beers to be evaluated; (2) basic tasting technique; (3) flavor detection; (4) off-flavor detection including: diacetyl, isoamyl acetate, DMS, acetaldehyde, trans-2-nonel, infection. Who would benefit from attending: anyone interested in refining their beer evaluation techniques and candidates interested in taking Beer Judge Certification and/or Cicerone exams You must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Tuesday the 23rd

5pm to close at City Tap--Bell's Black Note and Golden Rye tapping. Greg Pilch will be in town from Bell's Brewery to answer all your questions. Come out for Happy hour and try a vast array of Bell's beers including Two Hearted Ale, Amber Ale and Oarsman Ale. We will be tapping one of the last Oberon Kegs of the year as Baseball Season closes out. We will also be tapping two very special beers: Bell's Golden Rye Tapped at 5:00pm and Black Note Tapped at 6:00pm.
6pm to 9:30pm at Brew Kettle--New Holland Beer Dinner. A special 5 course dinner paired with offerings from New Holland and The Brew Kettle. The menu will include Chef Ryans famous Gumbo. But, this time we will be changing it up to include Key West Pink Shrimp, Duck and New Orleans Andouille. Chef Charlie will be presenting a spinach salad with toasted pecans, crumbled goat cheese and a vinegrette of roasted beets. A venison stew with pumpkin flan. Sweet potato fettucini with smoked trout and oyster mushrooms topped with a light maple cream sauce. And a Chocolate Molten cake for dessert. We will also have some cocktails on hand from New Hollands distillery including a chance to taste the rare Hopquila! Tickets are $45.
6pm to close at Willoughby Brewing--Cask Night. The 2nd annual Cask Night at Willoughby Brewing Company will feature multiple cask tappings from our cellar with special pricing and some surprise one-time beers.
6:30 to 9:30pm at Greenhouse Tavern--Heavy Metal Dinner featuring Left Hand and 3Floyds, beers to include Gorch Fock, Zombie Dust, Fade to Black, Barrel Aged Wake Up Dead.

Wednesday the 24th

11am to close at Winking Lizard Bedford--Ohio Brewery Bash. Find out what's brewing at some of Ohio's breweries. We'll have 7 of them represented on tap while they last: GLBC Nosferatu, Brew Kettle Black Rajah, Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, Columbus Brewing IPA, Cellar Rats POC Pilsner, Buckeye Hippie IPA, and Fat Head's Sorcerer.
4pm to 6pm at Lizardville Bedford--Green Flash Night. It's a Green Flash Draft Night and Meet & Greet! Stop in and enjoy a Green Flash/St. Feuillien collaboration Friendship Brew and more as we fill the taps with Green Flash drafts. Come by, meet the crew, and find out what's happening at the Green Flash brewery!
4pm to close at Tremond Tap House--Columbus Brewing Night. Join us as we tap: Sohio Stout, an American stout brewed with locally roasted coffee beans, a cask of dry hopped Bodhi and a cask of habenero Bodhi. Be there when we open for these limited available brews!
5pm to 7pm at Winking Lizard Independence--Troegs Scratch and Splinter. We did this event in 2010 and it's back in 2012! A special tapping of beers from Troegs Scratch Series, the small experimental batches of beer where they work with non-traditional ingredients and new brewing techniques. Usually only available at the Troegs tasting room Scratch Fresh Hop Ale and Scratch Fest Beer on will be on tap and we'll have a very limited amount of Splinter Black (Russian Imperial Stout aged in oak barrels) bottles available. Our friend Mike Watters from Troegs Brewery returns to Scratch and Splinter the Lizard!
6pm to 9:30pm at Crop Bistro--Ommegang Beer Dinner. Crop Bistro Welcomes Mathew Rhode of Brewery Ommegang. Please Join Us for a 6-Course Dinner Paired with Signature and Limited Release Beers from Ommegang Brewery! Welcome reception at 6 pm followed by dinner at 6:30. $50/person, includes dinner and take-home glassware! For reservations, call 216-696-2767.
7pm to 9pm at Deagan's Kitchen--Founders Brewing Beer Dinner. Great food paired with great beer is an understatement. Come check out what Founders and Deagan's can do. Beer List: Centennial, Red's Rye, Dirty Bastard, Backwoods Bastard, Breakfast Stout, KBS! Plus bottles of Frangelic Mt. Brown and Curmudgeons Better Half for sale at the bar.
8:15pm to close at Edison's Pub--Bell's Black Note Tapping.

Thursday the 25th

5pm to 8pm at Crop Bistro--Fat Head's Happy Hour. Come and visit Brian Kelley from Fat Heads Brewery for a tasting of Fat Heads beers. $5 Flights will be available for tasting the stellar lineup that includes the untamed Headhunter IPA, friendly Bumbleberrry Blue Berry Wheat, elusive Spooky Tooth Pumpkin Ale, and two other secret beverages. Special $3 happy hour prices on bottles and drafts untill 8pm. Happy hour Get Cropped food goes till 7pm.
6pm to 9pm at Fat Head's--Stone and Fat Head's Beer Dinner. Aperitif: Starlight Lager, Fat Head’s Brewery and Saloon. First Bite: Scallop, Veal Sweetbreads, Fried Grits, Bacon Creamed Corn Enjoy By IPA, Stone Brewing Company. Second Course: Pumpkin Bisque, OCP Pumpkin sage Gnocchi, Duck Confit, Crème Fraiche . Spooky Tooth Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Fat Head’s Brewery and Saloon. Third Course: Frisee Salad, Apples, Walnuts, Prosciutto, Whole Grain Vinaigrette. Cali Belgique, Stone Brewing Company. Fourth Course: Roasted Venison Tenderloin, Sweet Potato Risotto, Smoked Mushroom Strudel, Fig Demi Glace. Oaked Arrogant Bastard.Cheese Course: Blue Cheese and Cherry Tart Balsamic reduction Old Guardian Barley wine Stone Brewing Company. Dessert “SMORES” Imperial Stout, Stone Brewing Company. Digestif: Vintage Vertical Epic 10-10-10, Stone Brewing Company. $60 Per Person Plus Tax Gratuity is included.
7pm to close at Deagan's Kitchen--Columbus Brewing Night. Join us starting at 7 pm as we tap and enjoy these excellent beers from one of Ohio's best breweries: Bodhi, Fresh Hop IPA, Sohio Stout and Barrel Aged Uncle Rusty. Come Early there, will be some collectible glassware in limited supply!

Friday the 26th

3pm to close at Lizardville Bedford--Fat Head's Night. We're featuring Fat Head's Brewery on tap starting at 3pm! The draft list is being lined up, check back soon for what's on tap! Meet Brian Kelley from Fat Head's Brewery at 6pm!
3pm to close at Lizardville Rocky River--Mythical Creature Night! There's been a yeti spotting in Rocky River and it's brought friends along with it! Join us for a Mythical Creature-named draft night. On tap will be: Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Espresso, Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Chocolate, New Holland Dragon's Milk, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, La Chouffe and Thirsty Dog Cerberus.
4pm to close at Tremont TapHouse--3Floyds Prix Fixe Dinner. Available all night until it's gone! Come enjoy a 5 course dinner paired along with special releases from 3 Floyds Brewery.
6pm to 9pm at Rozi's--Troegs Tap Takeover. Come visit Mike Watters of Troegs Brewing as we will be pouring 7 different Troegs beers. There will be a couple "Scratch Beers" on tap, Flying Mouflan and other tasty beer. There might even be a surprise or two. Addmission is $15.
6:30pm to 9:30pm--Ales on Rails. FLAGSHIP CBW EVENT! Heidelberg Distributing hosts this delightful ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad that includes a scrumptious boxed supper courtesy of Winking Lizard and 7 delicious craft brews TBA. Advance tickets are required and range from $45-$80 depending on car selection.

Saturday the 27th

Need I say more than BREWzilla? From 6-10pm Cleveland Beer Week concludes with this monster celebration featuring more than 80 breweries, a special "Ohio Brewery" area with various beers from local breweries, and tasty appetizers that pair well with craft brews. Brewer's Circle tickets are $75 and include tastes of rare/exclusive brews and Heinen's food pairings in the Brewer's Circle Lounge open all evening, 3 oz. tasting glass, 25 tasting tickets, a commemorative t-shirt, and access to all General Admission beers/food. General Admission tickets are $50 and include 3 oz. tasting glass, 25 tasting tickets, and complimentary food by Winking Lizard Tavern. For more information on the beers at Brewzilla watch for my Guide to Brewzilla coming soon!!

In addition to everything I listed, your local Heinen's and select Giant Eagles will be having small events on a nightly basis during Cleveland Beer Week. Check the Cleveland Beer Week website or your local store for more details on these events.

Finally, I'll be updating this list with new events or changes to events from now until Cleveland Beer Week is over. Be safe, drink responsibly, and most of all, have fun! Cheers! Updated 10/10/12

If you have any questions about beers or events during Cleveland Beer Week I'd be happy answer them.
Contact Me at:

Twitter: @CleFoodAndBrews

Facebook: Cleveland Food and Brews Page

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 Giveaway #3 - Culture Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:01:00 +0000

For my 3rd Cleveland Beer Week Giveaway I have 2 tickets to the Culture Yourself event at Great Lakes Brewing on Sunday, October 21 from 6-8pm.

Here is the press release from Cleveland Beer Week about the event: Beer and cheese are an age-old union. Both are fermented products that start originally from grain, one more directly than the other but both dependent on it.

Join us as 14 top breweries pour beers that have been carefully paired with artisanal cheeses. Learn what cheeses showcase best with popular beer styles and why, including IPA, weisse/wheat, pilsner, imperial IPA, Oktoberfest, Belgian golden and Belgian tripel. Meet the brewers and cheesemakers, and enjoy this interactive, educational, walk-around tasting event while discovering your favorites and creating some pairings of your own!

Advance tickets are required at $35/person and include 25 two-ounce beer samples with cheese pairings. All proceeds benefit Malone Scholarship Fund. Must be 21 years of age. No children admitted. Sponsored by Great Lakes Brewing Company, Heinen's, Bells Brewery and Culture Magazine.

Featured Breweries:

Bell's Brewery: Best Brown Ale, Two Hearted Pale Ale, Oarsman, Midwestner Pale Ale
Great Lakes Brewing Company: The Wright Pils, Commodore Perry IPA, Oktoberfest, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Dortmuner Gold, Burning River Pale Ale
The Brew Kettle Production Works: Strangeville Pumpkin Ale, Oktofest Oktoberfest, Old 21 Imperial IPA, White Rajah IPA
Hoppin' Frog: Hopped-Up Goose Juice Rye IPA, Hoppin' Frog Oktoberfest, Cafe Silk Porter (release date Oct 19!), Barrel-Aged Frogs Hollow Double Pumpkin IPA
Indigo Imp: Blonde Bombshell, Jester, Fiend, Dragon
Buckeye Brewing: Paw Paw, Spicebush Wheat, Aquarius Imperial IPA, Cleveland Beer Week 2012
Market Garden Brewery: Pearl Street Wheat, Market Centennial Extra IPA, Progress Pilsner, Fall Porter
Samuel Adams: New World Tripel, Thirteenth Hour Stout, Tasman Red, Norse Legent
Goose Island: Matilda, Sofie, Pere Jacques, Pepe Nero
North Coast: Le Merle Farmhouse Saison, Old Stock Ale, Red Seal Ale, Brother Theloniuos Belgian Style Abbey Ale
Sierra Nevada: Pale Ale, Torpedo IPA, Big Foot Barley Wine, Ovila Dubbel
Troeg's: Mad Elf, Troegenator, Java Head Stout, Troegs Pale Ale
Lagunitas: IPA, Little Sumpin Sumpin, PILS, Wilco Tango Foxtrot
Smuttynose: Finestkind IPA, Old Brown Dog, Robust Porter, Vunderbar Pilsner

Featured Creameries (various selections from each will be featured):

Mapleleaf Farms, WI
Mackenzie Creamery, OH
Rogue Creamery, OR:
Vermont & Cheese Creamery, VT
Sartori Cheese, WI
Emmi-Roth Kase, WI
Cypress Grove, CA
Beemster, Holland
Beecher's Handmade Cheese, NY
St. Angel, France

In addition, learn from cheese experts how they match flavors to beers while you taste these carefully selected pairings:

Great Lakes Oktoberfest with Heinen's Surchoix Gruyere

The Brew Kettle White Rajah with Heinen's Hand Selected Cheddar

Hoppin' Frog Cafe Silk Porter with Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue

Indigo Imp Blonde Bombshell with Vermont Creamery Coupole

Buckeye Brewing Spicebush Wheat with Mackenzie Creamery Chevre

Market Garden Centennial Extra IPA with Sartori SarVecchio Parmesan

Samuel Adams New World Tripel with Cypress Grove Midnight Moon

Goose Island Matilda with Taleggio

Bell's Brewery Best Brown Ale with Beemster Vlaskaas

North Coast Le Merle with St. Angel Triple Creme

Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barley Wine with Beemster XO

Troeg's Mad Elf with Sartori Bellavitano

Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin with Beecher's Flagship

Smuttynose Vunderbar Pilsner with Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper

And the Winner is....Comment #20 from Scott, Congrats!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me that you would like to win tickets and which beer/cheese pairing you are most excited about.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5c49

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to @ClevelandBeerWk Culture Yourself from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5c49 #CraftBeer #CleBeerWk

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, October 12th, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.

Disclosure: For helping to promote CBW, my wife and I are being granted media passes to attend and cover Brewzilla.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Calvados Barrel Edition -- Craft Beer Review #167

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:03:00 +0000

About this Beer:

So what makes this beer unique enough to spend $15 on an 8oz bottle? Poop! Yes, I said Poop. This beer is made with Kopi Luwak which is the most expensive coffee in the world, $160 a pound. First, they feed the berries to Asian Palm Civet, which look like this:

The berries pass through the digestive system of the Civet and are pooped out, then washed, sun dried and finally roasted. The digestive system of the civet slightly breaks down the coffee and it helps produce a less bitter brew. On top of that the beer is aged in Calvados Barrels, Seriously, how could you NOT try this beer after hearing all that?

Appearance: The beer poured very dark black with a slight brown head that diminished very quickly. The appearance was everything I expected from an imperial stout.

Smell: The smell was wonderful. Coffee at first sniff followed by a bit of booze, dark malt and a hint of roasty caramel. The smell was very inviting and really made you want to take a sip.

Taste: I only had 4oz to judge this on, I shared with my wife! Good news, the 4oz was plenty to tell the story of taste. Rich coffee, dark malt, chocolate and a bit of apple come through thanks to the barrel aging. I enjoyed the bit of booze that hit my palate, it was balanced with all of the other flavors.

Mouthfeel: This beer had a very rich full creamy body and a bit heat came through in the end along with a bit of dryness.

Drinkability: At $15 for 8oz it is hard to say this beer is truly "drinkable". That being said I'm glad I tried it and I wouldn't hesitate having another one if I have a few extra bucks next time I see it.

Serving Type: 8oz bottle

My Rating: Overall 88/100

Look:5 | Smell:4.5 | Taste:4.5 | MouthFeel:4.5 | Drinkability:3.5

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 Giveaway #2 -- Ales on Rails

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:54:00 +0000

I can hardly believe that October is right around the corner! Where did the summer go? The good news about October's arrival is that it signals Cleveland Beer Week is right around the corner. For my 2nd giveaway I have 2 tickets to the Ales on Rails event which takes you on a train ride via the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad!

The event will take place on Friday, October 26 from 6:30-9:30pm. You will meet at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad which is located at the Rockside Station 7900 Old Rockside Road, Independence 4413. Your tickets will get you access to the Coach Car. During the ride you will be served a boxed supper courtesy of Winking Lizard and 7 delicious craft brews. (List to be announced closer to the event.). Your boxed supper options are: (both include an apple and brownie): Turkey & Bacon Avocado Sub or Roasted Vegetable & Hummus Sub. Advance tickets are required and range from $45-$80 depending on car selection. All proceeds benefit Malone Scholarship Fund. Must be 21 years of age. No children admitted.

And the Winner is....Comment #4 from Crystal! Congrats and enjoy Ales on Rails!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me that you would like to win tickets to Ales on Rails.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5byl

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to @ClevelandBeerWk Ales on Rails from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5byl #CraftBeer #CleBeerWk

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Monday, October 1st, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.

Disclosure: For helping to promote CBW, my wife and I are being granted media passes to attend and cover Brewzilla.

Fat Head's IPA Fest 2012 Info and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:37:00 +0000

On a blog related note, I know I have taken a good while off rating beers. Honestly, I got tired of rating and just felt like enjoying a beer without having to take notes and write it up. My plan going forward is simple, I plan to write up 1-2 beer reviews a month. I want to balance my reviews between beers that are available locally and beers that are not sold in Ohio that you should look for/try to trade for. If you have suggestions for local beers you'd like me to review, feel free to email, tweet, or facebook me what beer you'd like me to review. Cheers

Now...On to Fat Head's IPA Fest on October 6th!

Tickets are currently on sale now for $30 in advance and for $35 at the door.

Your ticket includes: Event Entry, 5oz Souvenir Tasting Glass, 15 sample tickets and Live Music. During the event you will have a chance to vote for People’s Choice award while certified beer judges will determine who gets the Gold Medals for Best IPA, Best Imperial/Double IPA, and Best In Show. There will also be T-shirts, and Food available at an additional cost.

So far the Brewery/Beer list looks like this: UPDATED 10-2-12

Columbus Brewing Bohdi Double IPA, Fools Gold Dry Hopped American Wheat
Market Garden Brewery Centennial Extra IPA
Nano Brew Particle Accelerator
Thirsty Dog 330 Summit IPA, Citra Dog IPA
Willoughby Brewing Co. Cosmic IPA, Aramis Pale Ale
Ohio Brewing O'Hoppy Ale IPA
Cornerstone Brewing "Seven" IPA
Hoppin' Frog: Goose Juice Rye IPA, Hop Heathen
Lagerhead's Tyranny IPA
Stone 16th Anniversary IPA, Ruination IPA
Three Floyd's Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Just added to the list!

Fat Head's Head Hunter, Hopstalker, Hop JuJu & Sunshine Daydream
Avery Dugana
Bear Republic Racer 5
Brew Kettle White Rajah
Elevator Brewing Barrel Aged Wicked Goat, Big Vic Mogabi Wheat IPA
Helltown Idle Hands
East End Big Hop Harvest IPA
Oskar Blues Deviant Dale's
Full Pint Chinookie
Great Lakes Commodore Perry
Ballast Point Sculpin
Bell's "This One Goes to 11"

As I get more information on the brewery/beer commitments I'll update this post, but as of right now this looks pretty darn good!!

Up for grabs in the Giveaway are 2 tickets to either the day session or the evening session.

And the winner is....Comment #7 from Ryan! Congrats and enjoy the IPA Fest!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me that you would like to win, and which beer from the list you are most looking forward to drinking.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5bw4

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the @FatHeadsBeer IPA Fest from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5bw4 #CraftBeer
Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Saturday September 29th, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be held at the door for the winner.

Disclosure: I've been granted access to the event to taste beers and to review the event.

Cleveland Beer Week 2012 Giveaway #1

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:58:00 +0000

In the weeks leading up to Cleveland Beer Week 2012 I'll be running a series of giveaways to help promote Cleveland Beer Week (CBW)! If you are unfamiliar with CBW, here is a very quick rundown of what to expect. The fourth annual CBW will take place from October 19-27, 2012, and will feature hundreds of craft beer tastings, dinners, demonstrations, leisure activities, educational programs, and specials at bars, restaurants, and grocers throughout Cuyahoga County. Established in 2009 as the first event of its kind in northeast Ohio, CBW is a not-for-profit, collaborative celebration that raises awareness of the strong craft beer industry while promoting patronage at local establishments and energizing the region’s retail economy. The feature events that I'll be giving tickets away for donate some, if not all, of the proceeds to the Malone Scholarship Fund!

Now on to my first giveaway. I have 2 tickets to give to one lucky reader to the Magic Hat 2nd Annual Liquid Scavenger Hunt! This event will take place on Saturday, October 20 from 5-9 p.m., and will begin at Market in Rocky River. At Market you will receive your liquid passport and start the "liquid hunt." You will then proceed on foot to Riverwood, Jammy Buggars, Plank Road Tavern, and Winking Lizard Lakewood . The event includes your liquid passport, t-shirt, pint glass, beer samples at all 5 locations, food at Winking Lizard, and transportation back to Market after the hunt. Tickets for the event can be purchased here, and cost $20 per person.

And the winner is...Comment #3 as selected by Random.org.
Congrats John!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me that you would like to win tickets to the Magic Hat Liquid Scavenger Hunt

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/5bp4

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2tickets to the @MagicHat Liquid Scavenger Hunt during @ClevelandBeerWk from @CleFoodandBrews http://hops.me/5bp4 #CraftBeer
Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Monday, September 17th, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be emailed to the winner.

Disclosure: For helping to promote CBW, my wife and I are being granted media passes to attend and cover Brewzilla.

Blues and Brews 2012 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:21:00 +0000

On Saturday, July 28th, my wife and I attended and volunteered at Blues and Brews in Akron. We were very lucky to attend the first 2 hours of the event and then we had the opportunity to volunteer and pour at a station during last 3-4 hours. It just so happens we got to pour for one of our favorite breweries, Fat Head's!

To keep things simple, I'm going to break down the event into the positive aspects and then areas in which the event could improve.

The Positive:

The quality of the Beers: I have to hand it to many of the Brewers who showed up with some seriously tasty brews. Jackie O's for instance had an amazing Black IPA, and new to the scene JAFB Brewery from Wooster really brought their A-Game to what was their first ever beer event! The Cream Ale, Stout, and the Pale Ale were all very good. Blues and Brew's always puts on a good show in terms of beer quality, and this year was no different.
The Food: Winking Lizard kept it simple, but did it very well. I had a sausage and peppers sandwich which really hit the spot. They also offered burgers, veggie burgers, and pulled chicken sandwiches too. At a beer event I don't need anything crazy, just something tasty and Winking Lizard delivered that again.
Brewer Representation: Something I always look for and appreciate at a beer event is having someone knowledgeable about the beer behind the table. Many of the beers I tasted had brewers in attendance yesterday and I found that very helpful, especially with some of the new to the area breweries.
The People: I had a blast yesterday hanging out with many of friends and other beer fanatics. Talking about the brews and sharing laughs always makes for a great afternoon. From the volunteer side, I found everyone was having a great time and enjoying the event. I love that people are there for the right reason, and not just to see how much they can drink in 6 hours. I had great conversations about the Fat Head's beers we were pouring, but I also had fun giving suggestions of other beers to try that were in our tent or even some of the other tents.

Overall, I had a blast at this event and would recommend this event to any craft beer lover. That being said, there were some areas that could be improved that would lead to an even better experience.

Areas to Improve:

The Brewery/Beer List: The Brewery List for events like this should be published 3-4 weeks before the event. The specific beer list isn't necessary until closer to the event, but I do feel consumers should know about a month in advance which Breweries have at least committed to the event. This would allow people to make an educated choice on if they are going to attend and what session to attend. For instance, someone could make the choice to attend the Brewer's Circle or general admission, instead of relying on the hope that their favorite brewery might be there.
The Lay Out: A very large tent was dedicated to the Ohio Brewers, which I loved. The only problem, Breweries like Willoughby, The Brew Kettle, Jackie O's, and JAFB-Wooster were nowhere to be found in that tent. Instead, they were spread around in two other tents that were mixed with Ohio and other U.S. breweries on the other side of the stage. I hope that next year all of the Ohio Brewers can find a way to be under one tent, or at least next to each other and not spread all around.
Labeling: Instead of only having table numbers hung up, it would have made finding the beers easier if each station was labeled more specifically. A sign with the brewery name and the beers they are offering could have been hung in addition to the table number sign. This would have made life a lot easier, especially since the Brewer's Circle Beers were spread out in 7 different areas.

The good news about the areas to improve is they are all simple fixes. If these areas are addressed next year Blues and Brews has the potential to be a near perfect event.

A Side Note for future Beer Events....Don't try to hold an open water bottle between your legs while trying to drink beer and Untappd. Bad things happen...

Disclosure: For helping to set up before the event and for volunteering during the event my wife and I were allowed to attend the Brewers Circle Session from 12-2.

Blues and Brews 2012 Beer Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Whenever I attend a large scale craft beer event, I always like to look over the list ahead of time. I do this so I can come up with some sort of game plan for the day. The brewery and beer list for Blues and Brews came out really late this year and the list is still not complete as of today. That being said, we know that Blues an Brews will end up having over 200 different beers available. So, I do have to be picky about what I drink because I can't try them all! This list is not a "best of", but more of my personal plan for the day based on the information we have! If more beers and breweries are added after I post this, I'll try to update the list up to the day of the event! Cheers!

**Updated at 3:05pm on 7-25 when the complete beer list was finished.

Brewer's Circle:

Columbus: Barrel Aged Uncle Rusty
Elevator: Bully Goat Barrel Aged Red Ale
Jolly Pumpkin: Luciernaga
Nogne O: Terrapin Rye Porter
Ohio: Barrel Aged Twice Bitten
Thirsty Dog: Barrel Aged Orthus, Barrel Aged Wee Heavy with Habanero, Mixed Breed Sour, 24-month-old Barrel Aged 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale
Victory: The surprise beer!
Willoughby: Cask Conditioned Wenceslas Christmas Ale

Featured Ohio Brewer's:

Columbus: Big Frank Belgian IPA
Fat Heads: Sunshine Daydream
Jackie O's: Hop Ryot, Meigs County Black, Java the Stout
The Brew Kettle: Red Eyes Double Red IPA
Thirsty Dog: Barrel Aged Siberian Night, Barrel Aged Cerberus, Barrel Aged Wee Heavy, cask conditioned Whippet Wheat featuring Raspberry, Mango, Cherry, Pineapple and Chocolate, Cask Conditioned Coffee Porter
Willoughby: Wenceslas Christmas Ale, Hazy Days American Wheat
Wooster: Wooster Paver Pale Ale, Wayne County Cream Ale, Foreign Stout, Wooster Red

The "Other Brewer's" Category is a tough one because I've already tried most of what is on the list, so I don't see myself spending a ton of time in that area. Some notable brews that I saw on that list were:

Other Breweries:

Bruery: Mischief, 4 Calling Birds
Dogfish Head: Burton Baton Oak Aged IPA
Freigeist: Abraxxxas Smoked Sour Wheat, Hoppeditz
Goose Island: Lolita
Jolly Pumpkin: Calabaza Blanca, Bam, Oro de Calabaza
Widmer: Russian Raspberry Imperial Stout

Again, I left a lot of great beers off of my list today simply because I've had them before and can easily get them again around town. The focus of this list is to try "New to Me" brews and also the ones that we can't get as easy around Cleveland.

Blues and Brews at Lock 3 in Akron July 28th

Brewer's Circle Admission: 12-6pm $60 Advance Purchase $65 At Door Brewer's Circle Ticket Includes: Lunch, Special Bourbon Barrel Beers and Specialty Brews From Selected Brewers

General Admission: 2-6pm $40 Advance Purchase $45 At Door

Designated Driver Admission: 2-6pm $15 At Door Includes Lunch

If you are interested in buying tickets to the event just Click Here!

Great Lakes Burning River Fest July 21-22, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!! I'm happy to report that my wife and I had an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii and I'll be reporting on that experience very soon. In the mean time I wanted to get a quick promo and giveaway up for the Great Lakes Burning River Fest. A winner will be picked tomorrow morning at 9am, so hurry and enter for your chance to win two weekend passes to the event.

Good Cheer. Good Cause. Good Beer

Since 2001, folks from all over the Great Lakes region have come together to remember the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River and celebrate the renewed sense of eco-consciousness the infamous fire sparked. The annual Burning River Fest features educational exhibits from area environmental groups, fresh food from local farms and eateries, live music and a special appearance by Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale! Help celebrate the “Spirit of Giving” and spark a new level of environmental awareness.

What To Expect At This Year’s Fest: Over 30 musicians and bands on three stages ranging from funk to blues to eclectic Great Lakes Brewing Company fish fry and craft beers, and other local restaurants and chefs adding to the flavor with fresh food offerings and demonstrations Local environmental groups featuring interactive and educational displays for all ages The most spectacular nighttime views of Cleveland from a wonderful greenspace right in the heart of Cleveland’s industry!

When: Saturday, July 21, 2011: 6-11PM and Sunday, July 22, 2011: 1-6PM Rain or Shine!

Where: Historic Coast Guard Station (located at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River on Whiskey Island)

Cost: One-Day Pass: $10 / VIP Pass: $125 (NEW!) / Fundraiser Package (NEW! 20 One-Day Passes + VIP Ticket): $200
Visit burningriverfoundation.org for complete ticket information.

Proceeds benefit The Burning River Foundation, whose purpose through grants, donations and community involvement is to provide extensive education and resources for the Ecological Conservation / Environmental Protection / Scientific Exploration / Historic Preservation and Sustainable Future of our waterways.

And the winner is Comment #40 as selected by random.org. Cheers!

Giveaway

The good news is that I have two Weekend Passes to give away to one lucky reader.
To enter the giveaway just follow the instructions below:

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

*You must leave a separate comment on this post for each Entry!*

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me would like to win.

2. Click "Like" on my Facebook Page and post this on your Facebook Wall:

Check out the Giveaway that Cleveland Food and Brews is doing for free passes to the Great Lakes Burning River Fest Certificate at: http://hops.me/56vz

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following:

Check out the @GLBCBRFest ticket giveaway that @clefoodandbrews is doing at: http://hops.me/56vz #craftbeer

Rules:

--You have until Thursday, July 19th 2011 at 9am EST to enter.

--The winner will be picked at random using Random.org.

--Only comments left on this post will count. If you tweet, facebook or enter in any other way be sure to leave a comment here telling me you did it.

--You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each Entry, otherwise your entry will only count once.

--Each separate comment is numbered in the order they are posted. The comment that matches the Random.org number wins!!

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Each comment must have a way for me to know who you are...examples: name, email, twitter handle ect.

Disclosure: I have been given two sets of tickets to giveaway on my site, as well as two tickets to attend the event in exchange for helping to promote the event.

Big News From Fat Head's Brewery!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Fat Head’s Brewery to hit markets week of Monday, June 18^th

Award Winning Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA hits production!

From the Fat Head's Press Release: In response to a huge demand from craft beer enthusiasts, Fat Head’s Brewery is proud to announce the release of Head Hunter IPA in draft and bottles in Ohio and Western PA. Head Hunter is a perennial award winner in the toughest category at the most prestigious events like the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. Production will not be limited to Head Hunter but will include Sunshine Daydream Session IPA, Bumble Berry Ale, Güdenhoppy Pilsner and a slew of ales, lagers, Belgian-Style ales, seasonal brews and some barrel-aging as well. Until now Fat Head’s beers were produced at their brewpub, which opened in 2009 in N. Olmsted, OH but the success and demand of these award winning ales and lagers led to this expansion. Fat Head’s production facility currently has the capacity to produce 12,000 barrels annually.

My simple thoughts: I'm excited about this information for a few reasons. First, I now can have Head Hunter in my fridge year round. Second, I'm excited for others around the country to get a chance to experience some of the best beers produced anywhere. Lastly, I'll be able to have my favorite beer, HeadHunter, at my wedding in just a few weeks! Cheers to you Fat Heads Beer!!

2012 FatHead's Heavyweight Brewers Brawl Info and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Saturday, June 9th, 2012 marks the return of the Heavyweight Brewers Brawl!

There will a day session from 1-4pm and an evening session from 6-9pm with some of the country's finest brewers with some of their biggest beers! Last year, the 2011 Brewers Brawl was a blast!

Here is a list of the Breweries participating so far:
Bear Republic Brewing: Hop Rod Rye and Heritage Ale
Bells Brewery: Third Coast Ale
Buckeye Brewing
Cellar Rats Brewery
Columbus Brewing
Cornerstone Brewing
Dogfish Head Brewing: Burton Baton and Urkontinent
Fat Head's Brewery: Gudenhoppy Keller Pils, Sunshine Daydream IPA, Head Hunter IPA, and Sorcerer
Founder's Brewing: Double Trouble and Dry Hopped Pale Ale
Great Lakes Brewing: Lake Erie Monster and Commodore Perry
Lagerhead's Brewing
Market Garden Brewery
Penn Brewery
Stone Brewing: 11.11.11 and Ruination
The Brew Kettle
Thirsty Dog Brewing
Three Floyds Brewing: BlackHeart and Alpha King
Troeg's Brewing: Javahead and Troegenator
Victory Brewing: Sasion Du Buff
Willoughby Brewing
As soon as more beers are confirmed, I'll be sure to update this post.

Tickets are $30 in advance and there will be an afternoon and evening session.

Get your Tickets today by calling 440-801-1001
Or

Enter my giveaway of 2 tickets that are good for either session!

And the winner is....Comment #23 from Thom, Cheers!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me what Brewery you are most excited about trying a beer from.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/541a

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the @FatHeadsBeer Brewers Brawl from @CleFoodandBrews: http://hops.me/541a #CraftBeer #Beer
The come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--Tickets will be held for you to be picked up at Fat Heads the day of the event.

Disclosure: For promoting the event I was given two tickets to giveaway on my blog. I will also be attending the event to review the event.

2012 International Beer Fest Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:50:00 +0000

The 2012 International Beer Fest for my fiancée and I started during the Friday session as Volunteers at the Real Ale Bar. After attending the event in 2011, we both knew we wanted to give back to the craft beer community by volunteering. We learned early on that the 2012 event would once again feature a Cask Ale style station and we just knew we had to work it. Thanks to Rick Seibt of Willoughby Brewing we had that opportunity and it was a blast! During our session there were 8 Cask Ales that were tapped and coincidentally 8 volunteers to work the station. The hit beers of the evening were the Great Lakes Cherry Vanilla Edmund Fitzgerald, the Columbus Double Dry Hopped IPA, Fat Heads Head Hunter, Buckeye Brewing Liquid Foodie Truck, and Willoughby Hop Jam. Besides having the best line up of beers at the fest, the cask ale station gave me and the other knowledgeable volunteers a chance to share our passion for craft beer with other beer lovers. It was fun to answer all kinds of questions about craft beer, and the crowd around the station seemed to be very happy that the wait was only around a minute to get a brew (unless it was the Great Lakes Brew which was in super high demand). Our four hour shift absolutely flew by and we are already looking forward to hopefully volunteering again at the Real Ale Bar again next year!

On Saturday evening we had the chance to come back to the IX-Center and attend session three for fun. When we arrived at session three we found out who won some of the awards that were given out in session 2. I’m proud to say that the Cleveland Area Brewers really did well at this event! Here are some of the big winners from the event: Fat Heads brought home 5 medals, Great Lakes: 4 medals, Willoughby Brewing Company: 4 medals, The Brew Kettle: 4 medals, Market Garden: 4 medals, and Hoppin Frog: 4 medals! For a complete list of all the winners just click here.

For the Saturday recap I’m going to list the positive aspects of the event first, followed by some suggestions for improvement.

The Pluses

The Real Ale Bar: The Real Ale Bar to me was the rock star of the event. The 8 cask ales on tap Friday was amazing, but the 22 on tap during the final session was just mind blowing. There were 22 taps because there were some left over casks from the first two sessions. How could they let those go to waste, right? It was hard pull myself away from the station because there were so many amazing brews available. Some of my favorites were: Buckeye Liquid Foodie Truck Stop, Columbus Double Dry Hopped IPA, Fat Heads Head Hunter and Hop JuJu, Willoughby Brewing Hop Jam, Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter with Cocoa Nibs, and Hopnotic, Brew Kettle Tunguska, and Hoppin Frog BORIS. All of these brews were excellent out of the cask!
The Event Set Up and Organization: The set up of the event once again was excellent. The hanging banners made it easy to find each section, and the space between for people to walk in was very large which made maneuvering a breeze. I also really enjoyed how feature event sections were also spread out and provided an easy arena for the public to listen and learn!

The General Admission Craft Beer Selection: For the most part I tried to seek out “new to me” brews and there were plenty of them. Some of my favorites were: Hoppin Frog Cafe Barrel Aged BORIS, Rockmill Cask Aged Tripel, Neil House Milk Stout, and Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter. I also had a great time visiting the local brewery stations. I enjoyed that the local breweries all had great representation. I always love seeing the brewers themselves interacting with the public.

Food! Not only were Noodle Cat and Greenhouse Tavern chefs present for some awesome food and beer pairings, but the food truck force was out in full effect. Having good food to go with your beer is always a plus in my book!

Areas to Improve

VIP Room: The biggest let down for me was the VIP room. The workers behind the bar were all paid to work the event, not knowledgeable volunteers. When I inquired about a few of the brews, I was told by several people that they didn’t like beer, and they had no idea what the beer even was past its name. This to me just cannot happen in a VIP room at a Beer Fest. To improve the VIP experience I suggest they recruit knowledgeable volunteers who could engage the VIP patrons. I know that many members of the Cleveland Craft Beer Community would be glad to volunteer. Also in my opinion, Yuengling Bock and Budweiser Platinum really have no place in a VIP room at a craft beer event.
Beer List: The beer lists must be published sooner. When an event is going to have three session and only offer specific beers during specific session (VIP, Real Ale Bar), the consumer has to know what is being offered during each session. Not everyone wants to, or can afford to, attend all three sessions. It is important for people to know what will be offered so they can make an informed decision on what session they want to purchase tickets for. I understand that sometimes a brewery will have to back out on a commitment, but it is it better to know 80% of the list than 0% when making your ticket and hotel purchase. If the event is held around the same time next year, I hope all of the beer lineups will be out at least 1 month in advance.

Overall we had a blast during the two sessions we attended. Volunteering was rewarding and fun, and attending for pleasure was also a blast. If you missed out on the International Beer Fest this year, you should strongly consider attending or volunteering for at least one session next year. Each year the event improves and I have no doubt that the event will be even better next year!

Here are a few more pictures we took during the event:

Disclosure: I was given a pair of tickets to giveaway on my site along with a pair of media passes to cover the event. Volunteering for the event was our own personal choice.

Big Sky Brewing IPA - Craft Beer Review #166

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Here is what the Brewer says:

In Montana, many classic memories are made right after someone says, “Hold my beer and watch this.” These bold, assertive moments deserve a bold, assertive beer – Big Sky IPA. A distinct hop presence and malty backbone will leave you refreshed and ready for your moment of glory. Hang on tight and enjoy the ride. Big Sky IPA has 65 IBU's, 5% alcohol by weight, and 6.2% alcohol by volume.

Looks: This beer poured pretty transparent with a dark copper/rust color. The head was rich and foamy after a vigorous pour but quickly diminished to just a ring of off white. It did leave nice lacing throughout.

Smell: The smell was somewhat pine resiny along with with some grapefruit and fair amount of caramel.

Taste: After what was a pretty bold smelling IPA, it was rather tame in the flavor. The resin like piney hops came through at first but were quickly balanced by a sweet caramel and almost bready like flavor mid drink. The finish on this was does have some drying bitterness that lingers on, but overall the hop flavor was pretty mild for an IPA.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel was both creamy and sticky, but not super complex.

Drinkability: This was a balanced IPA and if you like your ipas a little less hoppy and a bit more sweet then this one is for you. For me, I was happy I bought just one because there are others that are more hop driven that I'd prefer to drink. As you can tell from my limited notes, this one just left me without much to say, which is usually not the case!

Serving Type: 12oz bottle

My Rating: Overall 73.2/100

Look:4 | Smell:3.5 | Taste:3.7 | MouthFeel:3.7 | Drinkability:3.5

International Beer Fest at the IX Center Info and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:32:00 +0000

On May 11th and 12th, the 2^nd annual IX Beer Fest will take over the IX Center in Cleveland. This event will draw craft beer lovers from across the Midwest together to share some fantastic beers. Last year, the event was a great success and is sure to be even bigger and better this year. If you would like to read my recap of last year’s event to get an idea of what to expect you can find it by clicking here.

Some of the event highlights this year will include:

200 renowned breweries from around the world pouring upwards of 800 select beers during three public tasting sessions.
A Real Ale Bar featuring nothing but Cask Conditioned Brews. Right now there are over 20 different beers on the list.
Appearances by celebrity brewers, authors and personalities sharing enlightening industry insights.
Educational programming at Brew U, where beer-centric demonstrations and discussions will highlight trends in home brewing, regional developments and green brewing.
The Tasting Room will offer seminars on food and beer pairings; identifying beer flavors; and more.
A VIP Brewers Lounge to taste rare or limited edition beers, meet the brewers and enjoy additional exclusive programming.

The Sessions will run:

Session 1 Friday, May 11, 2012 7pm - 11pm

Session 2 Saturday, May 12, 2012 1pm - 5pm

Session 3 Saturday, May 12, 2012 7pm - 11pm
Tickets for the event are on sale. The ticket options are:
Single-session General Admission: Choose from Session 1, 2 or 3: $45
Single-session VIP exBEERience: Choose from Session 1, 2 or 3: $75
ALL-Session General Admission: Includes ALL 3 sessions: $120
ALL-Session VIP exBEERience: Includes ALL 3 sessions: $200
Designated Driver Ticket: no alcohol sampling: $10 per session

General Admission includes:
Admission to selected session(s)
36 tasting tickets good for 2-ounce pours each
Commemorative tasting cup
Access to all public special appearances, demos & educational programming
Festival program FREE one-year subscription (or renewal) to DRAFT Magazine (*advance online purchase only)

VIP exBEERience Admission ALSO includes:
ALL benefits of General Admission PLUS....
6 additional tasting tickets good for 2-ounce pours each
Commemorative T-Shirt
Unlimited access to VIP Brewers Lounge to enjoy select rare brews
Exclusive programming and opportunity to meet and mingle with Brewers
Complimentary hors d’oeurves and food pairings

If you are interested in volunteering there is still time to sign up at: http://www.ixbeerfest.com/how-to-participate/Volunteer.aspx My fiancée and I are taking advantage of this experience and will be volunteering during the Friday Night session!

The beer list for the event is constantly being updated and can be found here: http://www.ixbeerfest.com/Breweries-Beer.aspx

Ok…I think that is plenty of information to soak in about the event. About a week before the event I plan to publish my “Beer Guide” to the IX Beer Fest. In this, I hope to highlight some of the can’t miss brews at the event, along with some other activities that you shouldn’t miss.

Now for some even better news. I’ve been given two General Admission tickets to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, simply follow the instructions below!

The winner of the 2 tickets as selected by Random.org is comment number #28 by Ryan McNaughton!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me what you are most looking forward to during the IX Beer Fest.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/53pj

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the @IXBeerFest from @CleFoodandBrews: http://hops.me/53pj #CraftBeer #Beer
The come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, May 4th, 2012 at 9:00pm EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I was given two tickets to give away and Media Passes to attend the event. I am also choosing to Volunteer at the event. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Craft Beer Review #165

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:18:00 +0000

Here is what the Brewer says:

Palate Wrecker was originally brewed for the Hamilton’s Tavern 2nd Anniversary celebration. It’s the most complicated West Coast–inspired IPA we have ever brewed—mashing and sparging with hopped wort, in addition to our hop layering regimen for IPA. By popular demand, it is now released for the world to enjoy. ABV:. 9.5% IBU: 100+

Look: Out of a growler this beer poured transparent dark orange with a small amount of white head.

Smell: This beer explodes out of the glass to your nose. Huge citrus notes of grapefruit and a strong pine presence really make this beer stand out. There is just a hint of caramel sweetness as well.

Taste: The name of this beer is perfect because this is one very intense imperial IPA! Huge citrus, grapefruit and pine match what the nose suggested and then some. There is a fair amount of malt to this brew as well, but it can't even come close to covering up this hop bomb. The lingering bitterness however isn't massive and in the end the taste of this beer is excellent.

Mouthfeel: This beer seems to stick to your palate as you drink it. The bitterness at the end does linger, but as I noted before it isn't nearly as strong as you would think based on first sip. The body was medium while the carbonation was slightly above average.

Drinkability: I'm glad I had the chance to share this growler with some friends because after about 22oz of this brew my palate was tapping out! It is a great DIPA, but I wouldn't recommend this beer to be paired with dinner or even any other brews since it is so strong. This beer is best drank alone so you can fully appreciate its bold hoppy profile.

Serving Type: 12oz pour from a growler

My Rating: Overall 93.7/100

Look:4.5 | Smell:4.8 | Taste:4.7 | MouthFeel:4.8 | Drinkability:4.5

Surly Abrasive Ale - Craft Beer Review #164

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:15:00 +0000

Here is what the Brewer says:

We brewed this beer originally at the end of 2008 as a farewell to growler sales. As usual, we underestimated the demand for the first Double IPA in Minnesota. We brewed the beer again in the spring and released it as a draft only beer. It was originally called 16 Grit, a size of abrasive grit used at the old Abrasive factory that once stood where the brewery now resides.

My Thoughts:

Appearance: This brew poured a very hazy burnt orange color. The head was about an inch thick of foamy off white head that quickly reduced to leave just a skim coat of foam. The lacing throughout was very sticky.

Smell: This beer had a massive nose! Bold hop forward notes of citrus, grapefruit and even some pine. As you sniff more you'll also get a bit of floral and grassy hops. As hoppy as it is to smell you can definitely tell there is some caramel malt present which will clearly be used to help balance this hoppy monster. Being a hop head this beer is as good as it gets!

Taste: The beer I had the chance to review is sitting just under 4 weeks old (bottled 1/12/12, drank on 2/9/12). Even at the 4 week mark this beer is all hops! A powerful citrus presence is with you from start to finish. Mid-drink the citrus is joined by some oily pine bitterness and then a mild, but apparent malt backbone. The finish of this brew is just wonderful. As powerful as it is on your palate you would think it would leave you with some massive bitterness, but instead you are left enjoying a hint of floral and grassy hops which make you want to come back for more. As far as double IPAs are concerned this is one of the best that I've ever tried.

Mouthfeel: This beer is very sticky. The carbonation level is average with an average body to match. I really enjoyed how this beer played with my palate on every single sip. This really is one of those brews that you want to sip to enjoy!

Drinkability: At 8.8%abv and about 120IBU this is a monster of a beer. It is not a session beer by any means. This beer is meant to be drank on a special occasion where your palate is free to enjoy everything this brew has to offer. To me this is a perfect after work beer, or a relaxing weekend night at home brew.

Serving Type: 16oz can

My Rating: Overall 96.8/100

Look:4.8 | Smell:4.8 | Taste:4.9 | MouthFeel:4.8 | Drinkability:4.8

Winter Warmer Fest Info and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:21:00 +0000

Cleveland Craft Beer fans should rejoice because it is time for the 6th annual Winter Warmer Fest! The event will take place at the Powerhouse on February 25th from 2pm-6pm. This event is a craft beer showcase and fundraiser for the Ohio Craft Brewers Association and will feature 21 of Ohio's finest breweries! There will also be live entertainment from Austin Walkin' Cane.

Tickets for the event are $35 and include a souvenir glass, 20 four ounce tasting tickets, appetizers and entertainment! There are also DD tickets available for $12 which gets you everything but the glass and beer!

To Purchase tickets visit: http://winterwarmerfest.eventbrite.com/

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES

Black Box Brewing Co.Ice Porter, 2012 IPA, Settlers Ale

Buckeye BrewingCleveland IPA, Nighty Night, Hippie, Cleveland Porter

Cellar RatsThe Rat Tail Ale, The Piper's IPA, McRat's Smoked Scottish Ale

Chardon BrewWorksPride of Geauga Maple Porter, Milk Chocolate Pomegranate Stout, Hopominable Snow Monster Double IPA

Columbus Brewing CompanyBohdi, Double IPA, Imperial Stout

CornerStone Brewing

Evil Entity X Black IPA, Rowan Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Bourbon Big Sexy Imperial Porter

Elevator Brewing Co.
Winter Warmer, Yule Lager, Three Frogs IPA, Espresso Baltic Porter, Barrel Aged Black IPA

Fat Heads BreweryCaveman Keller Bier, Bean Me Up Coffee Stout, Head Hunter IPA, BumbleBerry

Great Black Swamp BrewingSnow Drift

Great Lakes Brewing CompanyBarrel Aged Rackhouse Ale, Barrel Aged Blackout Stout, Alberta Clipper

Hoppin' Frog BreweryDORIS the Destroyer Double Imperial Stout, Outta Kilter Scotch Red, Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale, Hop Dam Triple IPA

Indigo Imp BreweryJester, Gatekeeper, Fiend

Lager Heads Brewing Co.Barnburner Lager, Tyranny American Pale Ale, Savage Stout, Abbeyville Abbey Trippel

Market Garden BreweryWinter Porter, Friar Power Tripel

Neil House BreweryCranberry Cider, Buckeye Roots Hefeweizen

Ohio Brewing CompanyVerich Gold, Alt-ernative Amber, O'Hoppy Ale IPA, Steel Valley Stout, Double Irish Red, Twice Bitten

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.Bourbon Barrel Belgian Imperial Stout, Anniversary Ale, Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Bourbon Barrel Siberian Night

The Brew KettleBourbon Barrel Jack Hammer Barleywine, EXP Galactic Redacted WIPpLe, Dark Helmet Imperial Schwarzbier, White Rajah IPA

Weasel Boy Brewing CompanyBourbon Barrel Aged Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout, Barrel Aged Tart Cherry Stout

Willoughby Brewing Company
Oatmeal Stout, Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter, as well as Cosmic IPA and Anniversary Ale brewed specially for Winter Warmer Fest

Wooden Shoe Brewing Company
Lager, Bock, Canoe Pale Ale, Tippecanoe Canal Jumpers Red Ale

Congrats to Comment #40 by Thom aka Swagmasterman. You just won 2 tickets to the Winter Warmer Fest! Redraw goes to Comment #38 by Dizzle729!

Giveaway

Ready for some good news? I have been given two tickets to give away to one lucky reader. To enter the giveaway simply read the directions below! Also, please leave some form of contact information with your entries!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me which beer you are going to try first!

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/jq2

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the Winter Warmer Fest from @CleFoodandBrews: http://hops.me/jq2 #craftbeer

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 4:00pm EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--The winner will get their tickets at the door when they arrive for the event.
Disclosure: I was given two tickets to giveaway for this event. All Thoughts and Opinions are my own.