A beautiful day for some beer drinking and cigar smoking, and here is a look at another one of the beers that I enjoyed while having lunch at one of our local establishments, Buffalo Bob’s. Trip Tap is one of the new brews from Rhinegeist Brewery here in Cincinnati. Funny thing is I thought it was one of the other beers at first when I received the beer and it just didn’t seem right. Luckily my spider sense was tingling and I was able to gather more details to find out that it was a different beer. Watch the video and you will see what I mean, but back to the beer. Trip Trap is an American Pale Ale that has an alcohol content of 5.7% ABV and 48 IBU. Check out my video below to see what I thought about the beer and then become surprised to find out it is different than expected. I am glad that I did because it didn’t taste anything like the Trips, and was afraid that I was losing something, lol. So grab a pint, turn on the video and join me while you “Get Your Beer On.” Cheers! ...

Rhinegeist Brewery is one of our local Cincinnati breweries and one of the beers I often enjoy from them as somewhat of a favorite is their Stryker. The beer itself is a Triple IPA with an alcohol content of 9.3% ABV and an IBU level of 100, which usually plays out as nowhere close to that. With notes of citrus and resinous tones, this beer is usually a stand out especially with the passion fruit flavor which usually comes through. The beer itself named after one of the lead brewers is offered only during a certain time of the year, so if you happen to see it then it is often best to get it before it disappears. I am looking forward to checking out the 2017 edition, so join me by watching the video below and grab a cold one so that you too can “Get Your Beer On.” Cheers!

With fall comes the changing of colors, the coolness of the temps, the early darkening of the day, and oh yes, Oktoberfest. We can’t forget Oktoberfest and all the beers and of course events that are bestowed upon us at that time and all of the pleasantries that we get to enjoy. So it’s only fitting for me to enjoy a beer honoring just that. The Oktoberfest – Brauhaus Miltenberger from Sierra Nevada Brewing is just a beer to do so. I mean Oktoberfest is right there on the can. This is the 2017 edition of their Oktoberfest and each year Sierra Nevada collaborates with an overseas brewer for the beer; this year it is Brauhaus Faust-Miltenberger that was chosen. The beer comes in with an alcohol content of 6.1% ABV and an IBU level of 30. Now this is interesting because IBU’s are usually lower for this style, so I will be looking for a little bittering kick for sure. I am ready to see what this Festbier offers, so grab a beer and join me by checking out my video below to see what I ...

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.”

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 m...

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.

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 thei...

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

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 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 fa...

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 ...