KevBrews

Beer List for MSD Brew Ha-Ha

2012-01-25T14:36:00.000-05:00

The beer list for the MSD Brew Ha-Ha this Saturday is final, so I can finally release it. I'm very excited about this line-up.

It's a robust sampling of beers from OH, MI, and PA, with some of my personal favorites to share (I'm talking to you, Bell's Porter, Dark Horse Crooked Tree and Founder's Breakfast Stout!).

And a special release of Founders Double Trouble. We'll have it on tap about a week before it makes it to the area officially.

If you haven't gotten tickets, you can still purchase them at the EventBrite site or at the door on Saturday. Remember, doors open at 5 and we'll be pouring all night long.

Here's the list. See you Saturday!

OHIO BREWERS

Ohio Brewing Company Verlich Gold

Kolsch-style Ale (5.0% ABV)

A light and dry ale, with soft malt and delicate hops; based on the style from Cologne, Germany

The Brew Kettle 4 C’s Pale Ale

Pale Ale (5.0% ABV)

Made with the classic US hops (Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Chinook) that impart citrus and piney flavors.

PENNSYLVANIA BREWERS

Weyerbacher Merry Monks’

Belgian- style Abbey Tripel (9.3% ABV)

Belgian yeast gives this beer complex flavors, with intense fruity esters in the nose, and a moderate to dry finish

Troegs Brewery Troegenator® Double Bock

Double bock (8.2% ABV)

A malty, chewy beer traditionally brewed by fasting monks, who relied on double bocks for their nutritional needs.

Troegs HopBack

Amber Ale (6.0% ABV)

The brewery’s flagship ale; this amber beer blends caramel malts with fresh, spicy hop notes

Stoudts Fat Dog Stout

Imperial Oatmeal Stout (9.0 % ABV)

An amped up oatmeal stout, it is silky black, with prominent roast flavors and chocolate and coffee finishes

Stoudts Pils

German-style Pilsener (5.4 % ABV)

Refreshing with assertive bitterness; a crisp bite from the Saaz hops and a dry malt finish

MICHIGAN BREWERS

North Peak Brewing Majestic

American Wheat Ale (5.5% ABV)

Brewed with winter wheat and Willamette hops, this unfiltered ale is mellow and drinkable

New Holland Cabin Fever

Brown Ale (6.0% ABV)

Rye, roast and raisin notes play off a subtle caramel sweetness and culminate in a dry, roasty finish

New Holland The Poet

Oatmeal Stout (5.2% ABV)

Black as night with a tan, creamy head; a rich, smooth malt character enveloped in tones of roast and chocolate.

Founder’s Breakfast Stout

Oatmeal Stout (8.3% ABV)

Brewed with oats, chocolate, and coffee; an intense java nose with pronounced chocolate and roasted flavors.

Founder’s Centennial IPA

India Pale Ale (7.2% ABV)

Centennial hops produce a big citrusy flavor that balances nicely with the malty backbone

Founder’s Red’s Rye

Rye Pale Ale (6.6 % ABV)

Rye malt adds a spicy, crisp finish to this generously malty and hopped variation of a traditional pale ale.

Founder’s Double Trouble

Imperial IPA (9.4 % ABV)

A monster IPA with huge hop character; pungent aromatics meld with a malt-balanced backbone and a smooth, bitter finish

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

India Pale Ale (6.0% ABV)

Inspired by West Coast ales, dry-hopping creates a big aroma of citrus and pine against a rich malt palette.

Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale

Belgian Style Tripel (8.5% ABV)

Complex ale brewed with Trappist ale yeasts, giving it mild fruit notes and hints of clove; finishes dry

Dark Horse Scotty Karate

Scotch Ale (9.75% ABV)

Named after a Michigan one-man band; enormous but balanced, with rich, bready malts and a slight alcohol bite

Bell’s Two Hearted

India Pale Ale (7.0% ABV)

Another Centennial hopped ale; famous for its grapefruit and pine resin aromas and substantial malt backdrop

Bell’s Porter

Porter (5.6% ABV)

Porter emphasizes the darker, roasted aspects of malt, with hints of dark chocolate and freshly roasted coffee

Bell’s Winter White

White Ale (5.0% ABV)

Cloudy ale that blends wheat with Belgian yeast to impart clove and fruity aromas without adding spices

Top Beer Cities

2012-01-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

Livability.com ran an article of the top ten off the beaten path beer cities (not the NYC, Chicago, San Diego, Portlands, but the next round--cities you might be surprised by). Dayton didn't make the list (obviously because of our lack of breweries), but Akron did. Kalamazoo, too. Of course, those of us who love locally produced beers probably could have guessed at those two and might have added Columbus, Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids to the list, to name a few.

Spinoza's Celebrates Pearl Jam Anniversary with DFH Progressive Tapping

2012-01-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Heading out to Spinoza's tonight for a Dogfish Head progressive tapping of the DFH music series. Spinoza's. If Hellhound On My Ale and Faithfull are of the same caliber as Bitches Brew, this should be a cool tapping. Hope to see you there.

Dogfish Head Brewing, Sony Entertainment & Spinoza's present...

Pearl Jam Tribute Night & Progressive Beer Tapping

Thursday, January 19, 2012

6 to 10pm

Join friends, family and fellow beer aficionados for a special evening of exclusive draft beer and acoustic live music. The region's ONLY keg of Dogfish Head's "Faithfull Ale" will be tapped at 8pm. Live acoustic Pearl Jam music by Chris Reynolds (from the band "Festive Skeltons") and his trio begin at 8pm. Faithfull Ale is a celebration of Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary as a band and its extraordinary debut album, "Ten." In recognition of these milestones, this Belgian-style golden ale is delicately hopped to 20 IBUs and fruit-forward from 10 incremental additions of black currants over a one-hour boil. Faithfull clocks in at 7% ABV. Dogfish Head's earlier collaboration ales will also be featured with the "Miles Davis Bitches Brew" tapped at 6pm and the "Robert Johnson Hellhound on My Ale" at 7pm. Join friends, family and other craft beer aficionados for a memorable evening of great beer and music!

MSD Brew Ha-Ha Makes Dayton and Akron Papers

2012-01-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

Our humble beer event was mentioned in the Akron Beacon Journal, as well as the Dayton Daily News. It's going to be a great event and tickets are going quickly. If you haven't already gotten yours, you can buy them online at the Eventbrite site.

Impact of new Ohio brewery license changes

2012-01-16T18:15:00.001-05:00

Mark Fisher at Dayton Daily News has a great piece today on the impact of the new changes to Ohio's liquor licensing that allows for tap rooms and samples at micro-breweries as well as some additional support for the area's micro-distillers. Reads like a who's who of upcoming area breweries:

Craft beer breweries get boost from state fee cuts

http://m.daytondailynews.com/dayton/pm_20553/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=2pPR4C5J

2012 Ohio Beer Tastings (MSD made the list!)

2012-01-12T16:10:00.004-05:00

Rick Armon at Beer.Ohio.com has a listing of all of the Ohio Beer events scheduled for 2012 (there are a lot) and the MSD Brew Ha-Ha made the list. Lots of good beer here, with more breweries popping up all the time. If you don't make the Brew Ha-Ha, you owe it to yourself to at least check out some of the other beer events here.

Event: Montessori School of Dayton Craft Beer Tasting

2012-01-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

Very excited about January 28th, when my kids' school will be presenting our first craft beer tasting. We've been planning this over the last few months and I've personally been working with McAllister at Premium to put together an exciting and diverse beer list. A few last minute details to nail down, but it's looking like a great inaugural event. Dayton beer folks, this is open to the public and the crowd at the school is very cool. Check out the detail below and get tickets on EventBrite:

The Montessori School of Dayton (MSD) and their families presents their first annual craft beer and food tasting event on Saturday, Jan. 28. Sample up to 20 beers from of Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania’s best craft brews: Weyerbacher, Troegs, Stoudts, Ohio Brewing, North Peak, New Holland, Founder’s, Dark Horse, Brew Kettle, and Bell’s. Little Miami River Catering will pair appetizers and desserts with several of the beers for a unique beer and food pairing experience. Beers provided by Premium Beverage Supply, with soft drinks by Earth Fare.

The Brew Ha-Ha takes place on Jan. 28 from 5 -10 pm. Order tickets online at http://msdbrewhaha.eventbrite.com or visit MSD at 2900 Acosta Street, Kettering, OH 45420 to purchase tickets during normal business hours M-F 8am-4pm. For more information call 293-8986. Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 the night of the events. Proceeds benefit the MSD Capital Improvement fund.

UPDATE: Check out the awesome beer list, including the area exclusive premier tapping of Double Trouble.

1,952 Craft Breweries in the US (and counting)

2012-01-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Jay Brookstone for this interesting bit of news. Apparently we are tipping near the 2000 brewery mark in the US (and this can't possibly count the three new breweries planning to open in the Greater Miami Valley this year).

Cool piece of artwork illustrates this fact:

Posters are available at Printfactry.com, where you can also zoom in on the image to see your favorite brew.

Dayton Beer Company

2012-01-05T15:28:00.002-05:00

Big day for beer in the Miami Valley! Mark Fisher at the Dayton Daily News just posted about the soon-to-be opened Dayton Beer Company. Great news for me, as it'll be in Kettering, about a mile from the house!

As Mark Fisher reports:

When up and running, the Dayton Beer Company will sell craft beers such as pale ale, blond ale, porter and hefeweizen for retail. The label on each type of beer celebrates aspects of Dayton’s heritage, such as Inventors IPA and Patterson Pale Ale, named for NCR founder John Patterson.

“We want Dayton to be proud of its history and to give Daytonians a product they could call their own,” said Hilgeman, a 2005 Alter High School graduate who holds a marketing and international business degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Can't wait! Last spring, I wrote an article musing whether we would see locally produced beer again. Toxic Brewing Company should be opening later this year downtown, Vitruvian Brewing Company in Yellow Springs, and now Dayton Beer Company, it looks like the drought may be ending.

Yellow Springs Brewery in the works

2012-01-05T15:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Brewtensils for the link. Looks like Yellow Springs is getting a brewery:

After years of dreaming, planning and home brewing, Shane and Jacqui Creepingbear are launching their long-awaited Vitruvian Brewing Company. The couple began moving into the MillWorks space formerly occupied by Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute on Jan. 1, and will spend the first two months remodeling for beer production. They expect to have their first brew sometime in March.

Craft Brew Tax Cut Proposed

2012-01-05T14:55:00.003-05:00

Bloomberg has a great article today about some proposed legislation to give tax cuts to craft brewers:

This legislation would roll back excise taxes on small brewing companies by anywhere from 11 percent to 50 percent. The current tax rates, adopted in 1976 before the rise of micro- and craft breweries in the 1990s, have never been updated, requiring many brewers to pay levies calibrated for much larger operations once considered small.

Looks like some Ohio brewing folks are part of the push to make this happen:

The push for changes in the tax code is being led by the Brewers Association and a group of brewers and brewery employees, including Patrick Conway, a founder of Cleveland- based Great Lakes Brewing Co.; Greg Hardman, of Cincinnati-based Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.; and Steve Hindy, president of Brooklyn Brewery

Interesting that part of what this legislation would do is reset the ceiling so that some of the larger craft brewers, like Boston Brewing company, would still qualify. The makers of Sam Adams may seem like a big brewery, but as the article points out, they still only produce one 50th of what AB does. Sam Adams and Yuengling, also mentioned, are much more interesting choices than pretty much anything AB puts out, so I love to see them get a leg up on the macro-brews.

BrewTensils Brewing 101

2012-01-05T08:29:00.003-05:00

Live in the Miami Valley and want to know how to brew or improve your brewing chops? Check out the brewing school at BrewTensils. There are four sessions, with the first one next week. From their website:

Introduction to Brewing
Brewing 101 – January 12th – 7pm to 9pm
Just the basics, this class covers what each piece of equipment in your brew kit is used for, as well as walking you through your first batch of beer.
Pre-req: A desire to brew great beer starting with your first batch!
Cost: Free!
In depth look at Ingredients
Brewing 102 – January 19th – 7pm to 9pm
Ever wonder what alpha acids are? Lovibond rating have you confused? Want to know the difference between 2-row and 6-row? This class is designed to demystify the ingredients used in the brewing process. With better understand of the ingredients used, it is a small step to take your beers to the next level.
Pre-req: It is usually a good idea to have your first batch under your belt before this class.
Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.
How to Keg
Brewing 110 – January 26th – 7pm to 9pm
This class covers the trials and tribulations of setting up your own kegerator at home. You will also learn now to keg your own beer and how to maintain your whole system. This class is useful for anyone who wants to setup a kegerator at home, brewer or not.
Pre-req: The desire to have beer on tap at home.
Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.
Introduction to All Grain Brewing
Brewing 201 – February 2nd – 7pm to 9pm
All grain brewing seems like a crazy amount of work and calculations. We help you realize that it’s a pretty simple and straight forward process to get into. This class walks you through the terms used in all grain brewing, as well as the equipment, and finally the process.
Pre-req: It is usually a great idea to have a few extract batches under your belt before you attempt all grain brewing.
Cost: $5 paid at the start of the class.

Brewing: Bison IPA to start the new year

2012-01-03T17:14:00.002-05:00

Monday I got together with a few other dads from our kids' school to show them how to brew. I wanted something that was straightforward, something that would be tasty but not too technical.

I opted for a West Coast style IPA. The recipe was an extract plus grains, with the excessive 2 row simply because I had it laying around:

8 lbs liquid extra pale malt
2 lbs 2-row pale malt
1 lb Crystal 60
1 oz Citra (13.6 AA) @ 60 min
1 oz Cascade (5.6 AA) @ 30 min
1 oz Cascade (5.6 AA) @ 1 min
Wyeast WLP041 Pacific Ale Yeast with Malta starter
Full boil, immersion chilled

Brew went off fairly smoothly. Forgot that pellets would clog the stainless steel chore boy I use as a filter, so I had to fish that out post-chill.

Also didn't realize that this yeast had such a long freakin' lag phase. Nearly 24 hrs, which would normally have me panicked except that the White Labs forum has tons of accounts of slow starts.

Bubbling away now. Will move to secondary in two weeks. Thinking about siphoning some off to age on bourbon soaked wood chips.

Yuengling in Ohio

2011-12-27T23:22:00.003-05:00

My latest Dayton City Paper article ran today, covering the Yuengling in Ohio phenomenon. I'll be honest, when my editor and I first discussed the piece, I was dreading it. I was headed to Three Floyds and FOBAB that weekend and thought, jeez, if we should be excited about any beer coming to Ohio, it should be Three Floyds--monster craft brewer that tops most trades and best lists, not Yuengling, a pale lager with a cult following.

But in covering the story, I grew to appreciate the beer. Not everyone loves the Three Floyds giants, but most folks can get behind Yuengling. It's not the most complex beer in the world, but I don't think it's trying to be. It's price-point takes aim at the Budmillercoors of the world, not of the craft brew set (it's about a $5-6 sixer). More than anything, it's likely to act as a gateway beer, turning folks onto flavor who would normally drink pale yellow macrobrews.

And there are some really cool stories associated with the beer. The brewery's history is interesting, given how far back it dates (seriously, Andrew Jackson was president and several of the midwestern states weren't even part of the union yet!). But what got it for me was how much people who drank Yuengling had a connection with the beer. I wish I could have printed everything that Matt, Benjamin, and Sarah had to say about the beer. It's true that it was like coming home for them.

And that I do understand. In college, at Ohio U, The Union always served Schlitz at insanely low prices. I think bottles were under a buck ($.90?), and we were poor, so we drank a lot of Schlitz. I have a lot of fond memories associated with that brand, even though I know it doesn't stack up to Three Floyds, etc. I'll tend to chose a craft beer almost every time, but if an old college friend showed up with a case of Schlitz, I'd be perfectly happy to help him or her work through it.

Ohio and Texas Beer Laws

2011-12-22T12:34:00.003-05:00

Two interesting brew laws in the news this week.

First, it looks like brewers in Ohio will be allowed to offer samples onsite without having to purchase an additional liquor license. Before Wednesday's ruling, brewers that wanted to offer tastings onsite had to purchase an additional license, at a cost of ~$3,900 annually. Here's a write-up in today's Akron Beacon Journal. (Thanks to Natalie at Belmont Party Supply for the heads up on this one).

Second, it looks like Texas may finally get its act together and eliminate the arcane and ridiculous naming convention that it forces brewers to use in the state. Texas law currently mandates that beers under 4 % ABV be labeled "Beer" and anything stronger is labeled either "Ale" or "Malt Liquor." The law is absurd because an ale is designated an ale not by its strength, but simply by the type of yeast used to produce it. Texas also blocked efforts by breweries to allow customers to know where to buy their products. Yesterday a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks overturned the laws, citing that they are unconstitutional. Big victory for Texas beer aficionados and brewers. Here's the write-up in the Star Telegram.

Send Beer

2011-12-15T11:04:00.007-05:00

Beer2buds is an awesome concept too long in the making. The site lets you buy beers for your friends, even when you are 200+ miles away. Here's how it works:

1) Add your friend's contact info and some money via PayPal.
2) You friend gets an email or text with a redemption code.
3) Your friend goes to the website, picks a bar, and gets a voucher (print of via iPhone) to take to their local bar.
4) The bartender at the local pub redeems the voucher for a beer or cash.

I posted a link to the site, you know, in case anyone wanted to try it out by buying me a cold one.

Note: So apparently it isn't working here in Dayton yet, but there's a spot where you can suggest bars to add to the program. Feel free to send some notes to our local better beer bars.

Sours Beers in NY Times

2011-12-12T15:02:00.002-05:00

See Eric Asimov's review of sour beers. Interesting, Huffington Post names sour beers as a food trend to watch in 2012. I'll believe it. Most craft beer geeks I know already consider sour to be the new hoppy. Cascade Kriek was named as the top beer in the tasting (see my write-up of Cascade from our recent trip to Portland), but I was pleased to see a couple of Jolly Pumpkin brews on the list, too.

Beer Geek Weekend: FFFXV and FOBAB 9

2011-11-29T10:07:00.004-05:00

The second weekend in November, I hit a double header of beer tastings in the Chicago-land area: The Three Floyds XV Anniversary Party and the 9th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers.

My write-up for the Dayton City Paper ran this week, and you can see it here.

Three Floyds was frustrating, as we stood in line for about 3 hours, just to buy our beers. It's true what they say about FFF events being very poorly organized. The last hour or so was fun, but then we had to rush off to get to FOBAB. Still, brought home a bottle of Baller Stout and a case of Zombie Dust, the FFF American Pale Ale that is simply amazing.

FOBAB was fun, as always, with a lot of crazy beers (see the

highlights in the article). This year, my media pass let me "backstage" to talk to some of the brewers and organizers, which was cool. (It also got me taller pours of the samples, which I probably, in retrospect, didn't need). I'll be back there next year, although I think I'll stick to a single event next year!

Take Your Friends To Beer School

2011-11-15T13:42:00.002-05:00

It's getting colder, and that means indoor activities. Try hosting a beer tasting. See my latest Dayton City Paper for tips.

Portland, Oregon Trip

2011-10-24T13:50:00.003-05:00

My wife and I want to Portland for a long weekend earlier this month. I wrote up the trip in a recent Dayton City Paper article, which you can read online.

Lucky's Taproom

2011-09-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

Cool article in Dayton Most Metro about Lucky's Taproom and Eatery. I've known Drew through his sister Laurie (who is an old friend of my wife, Gina). G and I were very excited to hear about Drew opening his own place. Even more excited when we checked it out. Great decor, awesome food (I'm lactose intolerant, so the vegan options are really cool--you don't find that much in pub food), and the beer list is always amazing. And while I like live music, it's nice to also have a place where you can drop in any night of the week and not have to fight to be heard over the band.

Also Friend Lucky's on FaceBook to see specials, etc.

Where The Hell Are All The Brewpubs?!?

2011-08-12T13:34:00.002-05:00

Check out my recent article from the Dayton City Paper exploring why Dayton has a drought of brewpubs and how we might get the tap flowing again!

Very cool interactive graphic depicting different...

2011-08-05T09:36:00.001-05:00

Very cool interactive graphic depicting different beer styles in relation to each other. Check it out.

Beer Style Infographic - Vin's Gadgets

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Beer Golden Age Infographic

2011-05-23T07:15:00.001-05:00

William Bostwick and Jessi Rymill, co-authors of Craft Beer, posted an interesting infographic in Co.Design on Friday confirming that we are indeed in a golden age of beer. Some interesting tidbits:

Outside of the Prohibition period, 1978 marked the lowest number of American breweries (44) since around 1810.
In ~30 years since, we've added 1551 breweries in that time.
The peak in 1873 (4,131), although it seems unlikely that we'll ever hit that number again, given that there were likely a lot of breweries because many of them were small and didn't have the distribution channels we have now. Output was tiny (under 12 million barrels).
Today's breweries output about 200 million barrels annually. That number has stayed static since the 1980s, but a higher proportion of that number each year is coming from small craft brewers.

(thanks to Jonathan for the link)

Good Beer Writer, Lousy Self-Promoter

2011-05-21T12:37:00.004-05:00

I've been really busy writing lots of good beer-related stuff, but I've missed posting a few of my Dayton City Paper articles. A shame, since one of them was the cover article a few weeks back--probably the article I'm the most pleased with to date. Time to rectify that. Here are three articles that you may have missed:

Craft Brew Around Town
original publication date: April 12, 2011
A guide to some of the best places in Dayton (and surrounding 'burbs) to pair craft beer with sports, music, food, and cinema.

Do-It-Yourself Craft Beer
original publication date: April 26, 2011
An intro to homebrewing for the non-brewer, with an overview of the basics. Don't miss the DCP Summer Wheat Ale recipe, a straightforward ale that's as easy to drink as it is to make.

Buckeye Vodka
original publication date: May 10, 2011
Buckeye Vodka brings microdistilling to the Miami Valley, with their high end artisanal vodka with a mid-range price point. It's become my house vodka.