Beer Review: Braxton Graeter's Blueberry Pie Brown Ale

I decided this past Saturday to swing by one of our local establishments, Buffalo Bob’s, and grab a bite to eat as well as grab a few beers. Up first was the Graeter’s Blueberry Pie Brown Ale from Braxton Brewing Company, this American brown ale was done in collaboration with Graeter’s Ice Cream. Yes, we have brewers that collaborate with ice cream shops and Graeter’s is a favorite here in the Cincinnati area. With an alcohol content of 7% ABV and an IBU level of 24, this is one beer that I am looking forward to checking out. So grab a pint and click below on the video to see my thoughts, and let’s “Get Our Beer On.”

Beer Review: Urban Artifact Hippodrome

I have three rules I like to try to follow when selecting beer: 1) go local, 2) go independent and 3) go anything else after 1 and 2 can’t be met. But being that I like to pick up individuals for beer reviews that can sometimes be hard for #1, however not this time as I was able to secure a local one where I can do just that.

Hippodrome is a Wild Double IPA from one our local Cincinnati breweries, Urban Artifact. The brewery itself is also worth a visit if you come to the area as it was constructed in an old church which now seems to be more of a growing trend in parts of the country, and I can give an amen to that. The beer itself comes in with an alcohol content of 9.1% along with an IBU level of 70. And because of the wild yeast used, a sort of funkiness can be expected. I am looking forward to checking it out here, so if you have some time then click my video below to see what I find with this local brew. And if you have a beer as well then pop the top, so you can enjoy it with me and “Get Your Beer On!”

Beer Review: Samuel Adams Tropic of Yuzu

Check out my video here to see my look at the Samuel Adams Tropic of Yuzu American Pale Wheat Ale. This beer is noted as getting a citrusy punch from yuzu which is a Japanese fruit with the goal of adding its juicy hints to the beer which highlight notes of Mandarin orange and grapefruit. The beer itself carries an alcohol content of 6% ABV and an IBU level of 20. I have started to really enjoy the pale wheat ale style which adds a nice touch of hoppiness. This is a seasonal beer and was highlighted this year as part of their American Summer Variety Pack.

As far as ingredients, the beer uses Grains of Paradise and Yuzu juice concentrate along with Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and White Wheat. Hops used are Hallertau and Spalt-Spalter Noble. But enough talk about what makes it, let’s see how it all comes together. Join me and watch my video below as I take a deeper look at this beer.

Press Release: Ohio Brewers Bring Home Gold From GABF

Seven breweries earn nine medals at annual competition.

DENVER – Ohio craft brewers celebrated another year of impressive results at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, held Oct. 5-7.  The Ohio delegation won a total of nine awards at the nation’s most prestigious brewing competition.

The Fat Head’s breweries in Middleburg Heights and North Olmsted combined for two medals, with Alpenglow winning the gold for German-Style Wheat Ale for the second straight year and Midnight Moonlight earning bronze, the third consecutive medal for American-Style Black Ale. This marks the ninth consecutive year that Fat Head’s has taken home a medal. They have won a total of 21 awards over that span.

The BottleHouse Brewery and Meadery in Cleveland won bronze medals in the Historical Beer and Aged Beer categories. This was the first year The BottleHouse entered the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition.

Three Cincinnati breweries won their first gold medals at the GABF this year. Fifty West Brewing Company took top honors in the Old Ale or Strong Ale category with 10&2 Barleywine. Brink Brewing’s Hold The Reins earned them their first ever GABF medal atop the English-Style Mild Ale category. Taft’s Ale House struck gold with Gustav in the Vienna-Style Lager category.

Two Ohio breweries earned their first honors at this year’s competition. BrewDog Brewing Co. in Canal Winchester earned a bronze medal in the American-Style Fruit Beer category. Cleveland’s Masthead Brewing won the Double Red Ale bronze medal.

“The results of this year’s competition prove that Ohio continues to grow in reputation as a great craft beer state,” said Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. “Our breweries are a tremendous point of pride for Ohioans, and these nine medals show that our world-class beers can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the country.”

Since 2009, 22 Ohio craft breweries have combined to win 52 medals—17 gold—at the Great American Beer Festival.


2017 medal-winning Ohio craft beers:

Fat Head’s Brewery:
• AlpenGlow – Gold medal, German-Style Wheat Ale
• Midnight Moonlight – Bronze medal, American-Style Black Ale

The BottleHouse Brewery & Meadery:
• Spring Gruit – Bronze medal, Historical Beer
• There Is No Quad – Bronze medal, Aged Beer

Brink Brewing Co.:
• Hold The Reins – Gold medal, English-Style Mild Ale

Fifty West:
• 10&2 Barleywine – Gold medal, Old Ale or Strong Ale

Taft’s Ale House:
• Gustav – Gold medal, Vienna-Style Lager

BrewDog Brewing Co.:
• Elvis Juice – Bronze medal, American-Style Fruit Beer

Masthead Brewing Co:
• Midwest Red IPA – Bronze medal, Double Red Ale

Founded in 2007, the Ohio Craft Brewers Association is a nonprofit guild that exists to promote and preserve Ohio’s unified craft brewing industry. We aspire to be recognized as the industry leader at both state and national levels for preserving the art of making high-quality, unique craft beer; to serve as the unified voice for craft brewers across the state; to advocate on behalf of the Ohio Craft beer industry; to contribute to systemic, local community development by driving economic and job growth, while creating experiences that bring people together; and to serve as a beacon for local production and manufacturing through craft beer, resulting in diverse choices for consumers

VinePair: The Ideal Wine For Every Kind Of Beer Lover

While beer is usually a first choice for me as an alcoholic drink of choice, often beer may not be available or the choices may be a little underwhelming. However, what may be available is that of wine and here is a handy dandy guide to seek out those wines that may be the equal for what fits your palate when beer may not on the menu that evening. Check out these comparisons and alternate choices as compiled by VinePair.







The Ideal Wine For Every Kind Of Beer Lover | VinePair

NPR: Craft Breweries Pour New Life Into Small Towns

From NPR comes this piece that discussed how craft breweries are revitalizing small towns. Well worth a read, as the growth of the craft beer movement continues to hit key strides.

Bolo Beer Company head brewer Chris Hernstrom traded the hopped Northwest for the relatively quiet Great Plains, looking for a new challenge.Kirk Siegler/NPR

Tapping Rural America: Craft Breweries Pour New Life Into Small Towns : NPR

Blank Slate Brewing Company, A Cautionary Tale For A Brewery Lost

Blank Slate Brewing Company was one of our local breweries here in Cincinnati. For five years they were able to produce solid well-crafted beers and then one day, poof! They were gone. How does this happen? A brewery that makes well tasting and solid beers is one that many would think would be around for a long time. There are many breweries that make beer that is only half decent at best, and yet they have been around for decades. How could this happen? Well the simple answer may just be that we often take good beer for granted.

Currently across America, we have over 5,300 breweries that are now in operation and I believe the true number may be closer to now being about 5,500. Think about that number…5,500. This includes Brewpubs, Microbreweries, Regional Breweries and of course, the big boy macros. In 1981, there were 40 breweries operating…across the country. That is some massive growth my friends and at some point, some of the smaller ones are almost in a spot to inevitably face an uphill battle due to the large amount of choice now across the beer landscape.

When Blank Slate closed its doors, so many couldn’t believe it that its owner, Scott LaFollette, even released a statement to end any speculation which had begun to swirl. His response was very simple, yet telling.

“The reason for our closure is pretty simple. We ran out of money. There is no big conspiracy, no secret takeover, no legal troubles or personal issues. We simply don’t have enough cash to keep going.”

Simple and effective, to the point and addresses what may be one of the biggest obstacles for smaller breweries to face, cash flow. Without this, breweries cannot do all that is needed to keep things sustained for some. This is just basic economics, so how do we avoid this for the breweries that we love and appreciate? Here are a few of my thoughts:

·         Show and Maintain Support – We have to show up for these breweries and keep on showing up, we can never assume they are good enough to just make it.

·     Respect The Breweries – We need to be conscious to do the things that respect the brewery and avoid those that don’t. For example, not taking beer glasses that cost the breweries to replenish their stock. There is nothing wrong from buying them and they will appreciate it.

·         Spread The Word – Get others excited about the breweries by sharing their story and encouraging others to check the brewery out. One of the great things about the craft beer community has been a sense of just that, community. We can always do more of this. Also, ask stores if they are carrying the beer of breweries that you like. The more they hear it then the higher the chance of the brewery being distributed if they are set up to do so.

      Craft beer has become a highly competitive marketplace and not paying attention to one of your favorite breweries may lead to them possibly disappearing, so make sure you wave that flag of the brewery you love. Not doing so and being silent may end with you being compliant in their disappearance.  Now go Get Your Beer On and show that brewery some love!

      Cheers!

Did I miss anything? Let me know your thoughts by dropping some comments in the comment section. Feedback is always appreciated, as well as sharing with others!

HOPii | Your Personal Micro-Brewery

HOPii Personal Micro-Brewery System

HOPii is one of the newer innovations to be coming soon to the beer market for those that love beer. Being positioned as being able to provide a better beer experience at home that can be brewed by any beer lover on their own counter top, this invention may end up revolutionizing how some will enjoy beer moving forward.

So why should interest be piqued about this product? Think about how good beer is when at a brewery versus at home. Beer that is bottled or canned can still taste good, don't get me wrong. But the most avid beer drinker or beer connoisseur will tell you that nothing is as fresh as when you have it on draft and at the source. And that is what makes this product stand out it seems thus far from all that is being discussed.

Now personally I have not tried the beer, but on their site you are able to see what others are thinking with some also being from the brewing industry. Highlighted by having the freshness of that of the same quality of a brewery is astounding in itself. Place this with some of these other features below, and this is one item that definitely may be worth a look.


Quality Craft Beer at home. Tons of features on your countertop, plus the crazy powerful new temperature controlled fermentation tank.

Self Cleaning. More easy than ever before with one touch sanitizing - you'll never have to take it apart to clean.

Access to the best breweries. A slick kitchen gadget and some beer kits that us AI to produce some of your favorite hard-to-get microbrews. We even use the ingredients direct from the brewery, so it's guaranteed to taste the same or better.  The beer kits include a three-liter bottle of wort (basically beer juice) as well as an ingredient pack containing dry hops and other flavors, along with a pack of yeast.

Faster than normal brewing. Get all our stretch goals from the campaign as we finish them, including more beer kits. Most beers finish brewing in 4-7 days!!

Check out their kick starter site for more details by clicking here, and prepare yourself for what may be the next coming innovation in beer.

Beer Review: Southern Tier Cherry Gose

Here is my look at the Cherry Gose from Southern Tier Brewing Company. This Imperial sour ale comes in with an alcohol content of 8.3% ABV and is brewed with tart cherry juice. I had not previously seen an Imperial sour ale, so I am looking forward to seeing what this one has to offer. Southern Tier makes some pretty good beers overall, so let’s see how this one delivers. Check out my YouTube video below to see what I think as I run this one down. Grab a cold one; join me, and Get Your Beer On!

Beer Review: Crooked Stave Hop Savant Amarillo Brettanomyces IPA

From Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project out of Denver Colorado comes the Hop Savant Amarillo Brettanomyces IPA, a sour IPA with an alcohol content of 7% ABV and this is my look at this ale that I acquired on a recent beer run. I had heard a lot about this brewery, so the fact that I was now able to find one that somehow reached one of my beer stores was downright awesome. So here are some of my thoughts on this beer which you will see below or you can also scroll down to the YouTube video if you would just like to watch.

Well in looking at the beer, I have to admit that I did like their labeling of the beer and it did provide some of the key details. One thing noticed was that they placed details for the best temperature for enjoying the beer. That’s always a nice thing to know and for this beer, the desired temp was between 46 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit. As for the beer in the glass, it poured out a nice hazy golden color with a large foamy white head. The head was actually larger then desired, so I did have to let it settle for a little bit. Why this took place, I was able to get a good sampling of the aroma and the notes of the beer. The Amarillo hops came out easily but there was also the funkiness and sourness of the brettanomyces as well. But it wasn’t like a tart sour, but more of something almost like sour milk but just not as bad. I mean really, funky is the best word in describing it.

The tasting of the beer was solid though as it carried all of the usual characteristics of an IPA. There was a citrusy feel as I received orange as well as a piney and earthy feel. There wasn’t much if any of grapefruit which is common in IPA beers, but think of that being replaced with the brettanomyces as well. That sour taste sat on the tongue but unlike the aroma, it was more pleasant for me. Medium bodied and somewhat dry, this ale did provide a nice overall crisp texture and solid taste.

Overall, I found this beer to be one of those unique ones. I had another much more straight forward variant of this ale and for me that one would be more to preference. That being sad, I did enjoy the ale enough that I rated it 3.25 out of 5 for my Untappd score. You can definitely tell it was an IPA as pretty much mentioned earlier, but again that funkiness just was a standout for me. How about you? Have you had this beer? If so then leave a comment and let me know what you thought. That all being said, thanks for stopping by to check out my post and if you like then catch my YouTube video below as well and catch a little bit more tidbits about this beer. Cheers and Get Your Beer On!

Beer Review: Magic Hat Brewing Circus Boy Hefeweizen

Time to take a look at the other side of the mixed Hefeweizen collection that I had picked up from Magic Hat Brewing Company and this is Circus Boy. Now previously I looked at Zirkus Boy which is their German styled Hefeweizen, Circus Boy is their American version. Wait, there’s an American version? Shhh, don’t ask questions and just play along. So Circus Boy like its counterpart also comes in with an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV and shares some of other commonalities as well with some slight differences.

One of the first differences noticed for me deals with the appearance. This offering does provide more of a haziness which was not really offered by the German version which had great clarity. The head itself was a little more as well but still dissipated quickly. It seems like this would be more suited for the German version but maybe that’s just me. Anyway, the appearance wasn’t bad at all and in fact, it was pretty solid for the style.

Once I got into the aroma and taste, all was there that was to be expected. There were the notes and tastes of clove and lemon qualities, although I did find the banana lacking. However, there was also a crisp and refreshing quality which also stood out with the beer. And as for mouthfeel, there was a good amount of flavor and tingling which I enjoyed. The texture was solid and not too thin for this light bodied beer and surprisingly, it wasn’t as yeasty as I was expecting.

All in all, the beer delivered nicely in my opinion as I rated it 3 out of 5 on my Untappd. A good beer that won’t knock you back but I don’t think it will disappoint you either. Especially if you like a beer that can offer that often needed refreshing quality following a hard day of work. Have you had this one? If so then leave a comment and share your experience with this beer. I always enjoy hearing feedback from others about the beers consumed so please feel free to share.

That all being said, thanks for stopping by and checking out my look at this beer, and hope you keep coming back as well. Cheers!

If you would like to see my full YouTube video review of this beer as well then just click the video below for some other key highlights about this one!