How one of the original craft beer stores keeps ahead of the game
As with most college towns, Kent has its fair share of places to grab a pint, but one place rises above the rest: 101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. Fear not, 101 Bottles has more than five times its namesake, racking up around 500 or so beers along with over a thousand wines. In celebration of its newly added draft system, I made my way to the party town on an oddly rainy and somewhat warm winter evening.
Just last month, 101 Bottles added a bar with 24 taps to makes its already-impressive bottle store even more appealing. While half the store is filled with nearly a dozen coolers of some of the best craft beer the East Coast has to offer — and some great imports as well — the back half of the building is chock-full of shelves upon shelves of wine. The new bar takes up some of the space once occupied by wine, and I must say, I have no complaints with the addition. 101 Bottles wisely declined to fill the draft list with typical staples and instead headed right for the less-conventional stuff.
First up was Three Floyds’ Alpha Klaus, a 6% Christmas porter made from English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar and, as with most of their beers, a lot of hops. A beauty of a seasonal beer that comes highly recommended from this writer.
Next in line was Stone Brewing’s 10-10-10, a 9.5% ale brewed in Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc grapes and chamomile, which was last year’s edition to its famed Vertical Epic series that began in 2002 with 2-2-2. Stone admirers should note that at press time, 101 Bottles also had 9-9-9 (a Belgian porter with spices) and 11-11-11 (an ale brewed with Anaheim chilies and cinnamon) on draft, as well.
For beer number three, I couldn’t resist a personal favorite of mine — The Brew Kettle’s fantastically divine White Rajah, the Strongville brewery’s 6.5% West Coast-style India pale ale full of citrus and tropical fruit-like hop aromas that will drive you absolutely bananas for more. I could easily drink this tasty brew all day, every day. The beer has been pulling in accolades as of late, most impressively grabbing the Gold Medal and Best in Show at last year’s first annual International Beer Fest in Cleveland.
For my fourth and final beer from the tap, I ordered a pour of Troegs Mad Elf, one of my holiday beers of choice, an 11% ale made from honey and sour cherries. A beer that must be enjoyed in massive amounts, but be forewarned: It packs one hell of a punch.
101 Bottles also allows growler fills for most of its 24 taps, so I snatched up a 64-ounce of Willoughby’s Peanut Butter Cup Porter. For those unfamiliar with the brewery, Willoughby’s is located near Cleveland, and this 5.5% beer is a fan favorite among Ohio drinkers. Taking its Gutterpup Porter and fusing it with a blend of coffee and peanut butter, the brewery has created one exceptionally original beer.
I also grabbed a bottle of Ron and a Beast Ryan, a 7% saison from Evil Twin, a killer brewery out of Denmark that finally saw the light of day stateside early last year. While often pricey for its size, Evil Twin has become my go-to craft beer company when I can get my hands on it. I also picked up a bottle of another imported beer — New Zealand’s Epic Armageddon IPA. The 6.66% India pale ale is a must for hopheads fascinated with West Coast-style IPAs.
For my last purchase, I snagged a four-pack of Allies Win the War!, a collaboration beer from California’s 21st Amendment and Oregon’s Ninkasi. Canned instead of bottled, the English-style strong ale was aged with California dates and clocks in at 8.5%.
With my stomach full and my liver damaged, I headed out completely satisfied with my trip to this stellar beer store.
