Give Me Five with Braxton Brewing Company

One of the newer breweries now located in the Cincinnati region, Covington, Kentucky actually, is Braxton Brewing Company. They recently opened and have already created a nice buzz about their brewery located on West 7th. I had a chance to talk with Jonathan Gandolf who is their head of marketing about the brewery and make them the focus of the next Give Me Five!

1. What Makes The Brewery Unique?

"Braxton Brewing Company aims to combine the age-old technique of brewing beer with new consumer technology. We have a very diverse team with different brewing and business backgrounds. We want everyone on the team to bring something special to the table. Whether it be our Brewmaster, Richard Dubé, with 35+ years of brewing experience or our CEO, Jake Rouse, with experience building software partnerships at one of the largest tech companies in the world, we are now leveraging all of these experiences to create one cohesive brand and beer experience." 

2. How Did You Come About Starting The Brewery?

"Evan Rouse, our head brewer, started home brewing at the age of 16. In his very first competition, he won best in show. At 18, he was hired to work at Hofbrahaus in Newport as an assistant brewer. There, he learned how to make recipes that scale. At the same time, Richard Dubé was working at Moerlein in Cincinnati. After Evan decided, with his brother Jake's urging, that he could start his own brewery, Richard decided to join the team. Evan, Jake, Richard, and Greg Rouse (father of Evan and Jake) formed the Co-Founding team. It was a little more than 18 months in the making but the team that we have assembled, we truly believe it's the best in the business." 

3. How Many Beer Offerings Does The Brewery Provide?

"It depends how you define "offering" -- with 5 nitrogen tap handles we'll always have some fun with our "Nitro Series." We have four flagships: Storm Golden Cream Ale, Sparky Hoppy Wheat Ale, Crank Shaft IPA, and Dead Blow Tropical Stout. On draft right now we also have Blown Gasket Robust Porter." 

4. Where Do You Envision The Brewery Heading In The Future?

"We want to continue to make some of the best beer in Cincinnati and the Midwest. We also want to use beer as a catalyst for change in Covington. Beer was the first social network and it can be a vehicle for change. We've seen so many people collaborating, meeting, and building in our space. We truly want our space and our product to be a resource for the community that we call home."

5. When Did The Brewery Become Established?

"We announced that we were coming to Covington on April 7, 2014. 51 weeks later, we opened our doors on March 27, 2015." 

Jonathan, thank you for taking the time to share some of the Braxton Brewing story. As one that has visited the brewery, I urge others to do the same. Congratulations on the success of the new brewery and cheers to future success down the line!

Beer Reviews Deschutes Black Butte and 21st Amendment Down to Earth

via IFTTT

Beer Review Blue Moon Farmhouse Red ( 5.8% ABV )

via IFTTT

Beer Review Bluegrass Brewing Co. Barbarian Honey Ale ( 8.5% ABV )

via IFTTT

Beer Review Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale ( 6.5% ABV )

via IFTTT

Chinese Food and Beer - A Good Night Out at AmerAsia

This past Saturday, the wife and I had dinner at one of our favorite places, KungFood Chu's AmerAsia in Covington, Kentucky. This is a great little place that features some of the best Chinese food in the Cincinnati region and on top of that, some of the best beer selection for any establishment. During our time there, I was able to sample three new beers: 2 from Rhinegeist and one from Apocalypse Brew Works. Both are regionally local breweries, Cincinnati and Louisville and as I always, I try to support the local movements as we all should. As far as the food, I went with the Mongolian beef, chicken wings and a spicy egg roll. But we are here to talk beer so let's get at it.

Stryker

My first choice was the Rhinegeist Stryker.

This beer featured a good off-white head with good lacing as well as a nice clarity with an amber hue. There was a smooth pine taste that complemented the dankness of the aroma very nicely. As for the texture, it was creamy with a crisp finish and an average duration. The mouthfeel was very pleasant and there was no taste of the alcohol. A really good balance of the hops and malts considering that the IBU is 100. I would have expected more a citrus aroma being an IPA, but it seemed that it may have been lost to the hops. On a five point scale, I rank this one as a solid four. For this beer the ABV is 10.8 % with an IBU rating of 100.

The second choice was the Rhinegeist A-Side. 

This beer featured a solid amber color and a fruity aroma, although the hops seemed to be a little more faint on this one. But, the keg had actually kicked during the pour, so I only received a 1/2 pint so maybe that was part of the reason. As for the head, it poured an off-white head and although the taste was smooth, there wasn't as much bitterness as expected. There was some dankness, but it wasn't as strong as expected and there wasn't as much duration on the finish, although there was also not much astringency. This is one that I would like to taste again but as it stands on a five point scale, I have to rank this one as a solid two and a half. For this beer the ABV is 6.4% with an IBU of 75.

Fallout Dust

The third choice was the Apocalypse Brew Works Fallout Dust. 

This beer featured a rocky off-white head that provided some nice lacing and a nice bright yellow hue with a good amount of carbonation activity. The aroma was a nice citrus lead by lemon and there was a nice balance of the hops and malt.There was really no astringency and came across as a very sessionable beer. The finish was nice, crisp and smooth, while the texture was slightly watery but fitting for this beer.As for body, it was what I would consider light. This would be a good beer to just sit back and enjoy while relaxing. I would rank this one a three out of five. For this beer the ABV is 4.6% with an IBU of 41.

All in all, it was a great trip out for dinner and if you are in the Cincinnati area and like Chinese food and beer then this is definitely a place that you should check out for a meal and a few pints. Always a good time and away from the drafts there are tons of bottles and cans to choose from as well. You will have many reasons to not order a macro-beer here.

KungFood Chu's AmerAsia  521 Madison Ave # B, Covington, KY 41011 (859) 261-6121