So you have been drinking generic domestic offerings all this time and really want to know what all the fuss is about with this whole craft beer thing. It must be a a fad you think to yourself, but the thought of exploring it still strikes a chord of intrigue in your mind. Lucky for you, Buzzbin is here to help you out a bit. Here is our guide to what you need to know if you plan on taking the plunge to drink some beer with flavor and actual taste. Facebook Is Your Friend Start to follow breweries, bars and bottle stores online. This will keep you up to date on new beers that will be tappi...
Well folks, thankfully we are still alive and drinking. Christmas was wonderful, and New Year's Eve was a blast, but quite frankly this has been the worst apocalypse ever. However, since things did not go the way the Mayan’s planned I can continue to drink good beer. I am starting off 2013 by drowning my sorrows with Founders Breakfast Stout. The first time I tried this beer was on draft at the Auricle in Canton. Also, during my first visit there I was surprised by their craft brew selection on tap. It was a small cup with a hefty price tag, but filled with divine elixir. I suggest drinking ...
Yet another terrific brewery has made its way to the Northeast Ohio shelves. Chicago's Revolution Brewing opened just three short years ago but has been on a steady incline ever since. So sit back, relax and crack open a beer as you learn more about Revolution Brewing. In the summer of 1995, homebrewer Josh Deth landed a job cleaning kegs at the now-defunct Golden Prairie Brewing. As a beginner, Josh dutifully cleaned kegs and scrubbed tanks containing such intriguing beers as Maple Stout, Honey Ginger and Buckwheat Ale. Years later he moved over to the famed Goose Island as a cellarman ...
Last month, we informed you of the exciting emergence of Colorado’s Oskar Blues in Northeast Ohio. This time around, we figured we would introduce you to what they have to offer. Here are a few of their most popular brews, which can all currently be found down at the Buzzbin Shop. DALES PALE ALE (6.5% ABV) First canned in 2002, Dales Pale Ale is chock-full of its fair share of hops, yet successfully balanced by a sufficient amount of malts. This is an incredibly drinkable ale, which I could find myself tipping back on a daily basis. Smooth as it is blossoming with hop flavor, Dales Pale ...
Not another pumpkin ale!? I know I have all ready done one. However, I think Fat Jack is the undisputed king of pumpkin ales and by far the best I have had. I wanted to share this lovely chub of a brew with you all in hopes that you might find some as soon as possible. Even if you can't track one down you will have been enlightened to its existence and this is a good thing. I bought two 22-ounce bottles and poured one into a chilled pint glass. An active cascading, billowing pour yields close to three finger's worth of densely packed, slightly creamy, light khaki-colored head. Excellent ret...
“So what is the big deal with Christmas Ale?” Those were the exact words out of the mouth of one my longtime best friends in reference to Great Lakes famed holiday brew. So what exactly is the attraction with Great Lakes holiday brew? Has it become a bit too overhyped at this point for its own britches? Every year, fans of the Xmas ale call off work, take longer than normal lunch breaks and even drive from surrounding states to head to Ohio City for the weekday afternoon tapping of the first keg each year at the Great Lakes brewpub. Esquire.com even spotlighted the madness of its relea...
I ran across a Werewolf in my favorite drive-thru the other day. I was not previously in an English pub with pentagrams on the wall. I am pretty sure I stayed on the main road. I do not believe there is any moss growing in this particular drive-thru. As a matter of fact it was not even a full moon. Luckily for me this was actually a bestial blood red ale from Newcastle Brewery named Werewolf. Had it been an actual werewolf I would most likely be…dead. Had it also been an Irish pub I would still be there…drunk. I poured this out into a tall pilsner glass. I wanted to get a lot of light t...
Promoted as the original craft beer in a can, Oskar Blues has been canning their beer for 10 years and counting. Their name is well respected within the craft beer industry and will now be a household name around Northeast Ohio as distribution finally reaches the Buckeye State. Beginning as a restaurant in Lyons, Colorado in 1997, Oskar Blues brewed its first batch of beer a year later in the basement of the eatery. The following year, the crew brought home a bronze medal from the Great American Beer Festival thanks to its The Reverend Sandi's Sinful Stout. In 2002, Oskar Blues became th...
For those searching for a new stomping ground in downtown Akron, look no further than Main Street's latest arrival — Baxter's Bar. Located across the street from Lock 3 and right next door to craft beer haven The Lockview, Baxter's plans to add a bit more competition to the local beer scene. With more than a dozen microbrews on draft and a bottle list that clocks in at 150 different beers or more, this new establishment is a must stop for brew aficionados in the area and beyond. The decor and design of Baxter's Bar takes more than a few pointers from big-city stops and impresses from the ...
The fourth annual CLEVELAND BEER WEEK will open with “Collaboration Kickoffs” on Friday, October 19 from 7-10 p.m. Six collaboration beers will be featured at area retailers in each of five neighborhoods including East 4th, Lakewood, Tremont, Ohio City, and Coventry. The small-batch collaboration beers, brewed specifically for and exclusive to CLEVELAND BEER WEEK, were created by 15 northeast Ohio breweries. They will only be available together on draft at the “Collaboration Kickoffs” and singularly in limited supply at brewery locations. Brewers and brewery representatives will b...
“They start the high school football season too damned early,” I said to my wife, as we drove home after Ellet clobbered her alma mater, Springfield. “Sweating” while participating in the sacred Friday night tradition just doesn’t seem right. I feel the same about pumpkin beers. Love ‘em. But most are already out before the Labor Day weekend. So, if you’re already bored with gourds, here’s a few quality libations from some brewers who have gone out of their way to avoid the large orange orb, to both provide a salve after a 63-6 humiliation and help pass the time between the ...
The color is amber orange and seems a bit on the lighter side. The white head on this ale dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing. Surprisingly Buffalo Bill’s taste is simply stunning and very smooth. It tastes exactly like it smells, which is a hard thing to achieve for pumpkin beer. The spices are strong up front followed by the same wet pumpkin flavor. The beer really hits you with pumpkin from the first sip and finishes with just as much flavor. To me if it says it is a pumpkin ale, it has to taste like pumpkin and this beer does not disappoint! This has been a wonderful start to t...
With October comes one of the craft-beer world's most anticipated events of the year — Cleveland Beer Week. Now in its fourth year, this brew-tastic week, which runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 27, features hundreds of craft-beer tastings, dinners, demonstrations, activities and educational programs. You won't want to miss countless specials at bars, restaurants, and grocers throughout Cuyahoga County. Established in 2009 as the first event of its kind in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Beer Week is a not-for-profit, collaborative celebration that raises awareness of the craft-beer industry. The ...
The craft-beer world continues to grow every year, and its numbers are proof enough to show it. Sales by craft brewers, which are defined as independent breweries with six million barrels or less in sales, climbed 12 percent by volume and 14 percent in revenue through the first six months of 2012, according to the Brewers Association. The Brewers Association is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The association represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its mem...
I have never had a Spanish beer. Can you name one beer made in Spain? No. I honestly thought Spaniards only made wine. You know that whole romance language thing goes hand in hand with folks who sip delicate glasses of vino, right? Yet I have in front of me two 8-oz. mini bottles of Estrella Galicia. Brewed for almost a century in Spain by Hijos de Rivera, these bottles actually crossed the pond with some friends of mine just last week. The label is simple yet bold and there is a nifty pull-tab top. The tab reminds me of the old pull tabs on such canned beers as Schlitz and Pabst. It’s c...
Now in its fourth year, Fat Head's Celebration of the Hop IPA Festival is one event you may regret missing out on so make sure mark your calendar now. Brewer Matt Cole's follow-up to the brewery's other ode to hoppy brews, the Heavyweight Brewers Brawl, this India pale ale fest is a chance to feed your hop fix this October. While 2010's fest saw a handful of west coast beers unavailable in Ohio (including brews from Bear Republic, Port Brewing and Coronado) make rare appearances, last year's event brought the focus back to Ohio with the likes of Columbus Brewing, Buckeye, Willoughby,...
When it comes to drinking beer, everyone has a few favorites. You know, those go-to brews you simply can't resist. Whether it is the Pabst Blue Ribbon 12-pack filling your packed fridge door or a bottle of some rare beer you sold your firstborn to have, an admiration lies deep within us all. We asked the local brewers and owners of some of the best breweries Ohio has to offer what makes them tick when it comes to beers, and we got some fascinating answers. We hope you enjoy the read and even find a new love of the brew in the process. MATT CHAPPEL INDIGO IMP BREWERY Cleveland's Indigo Imp...
Summer is the season of thirst, one for which beer is tailor-made. Delicious, nutritious and refreshing, beer is a 100 percent natural way to unwind after a long, hot day. Even better, beer is cheap enough that even the craft brews rarely set you back more than a couple of bucks. From wheat beer and fruit beers to summer ales and brisk lagers, the flavor possibilities are endless, so why not break out of the mass-market mold this summer? Next time you're craving refreshment after a hot day, check out Breckenridge Brewery’s Summer Bright, and follow these simple steps: Chill. Sip. Repeat. ...
Northeast Ohio has become one hell of a destination for craft beer. It seems as if breweries are popping up left and right and around every corner, and now one is about to arise in the most unlikely of places — Wooster. Owner and brewer Paul Fryman, who once worked for the likes of Great Divide Brewing, Snake River Brewery and Great Adirondack Brewing, is opening the Wooster Brewery in downtown Wooster, making it the first craft brewery in Wayne County. By press time, Fryman had already rolled out a soft open but he plans a grand opening in the coming months. First on the list is a cre...
Sam McNulty is kind of a big deal. Already dominating Cleveland's West 25th Street with Bier Market, Speakeasy, Bar Centro and the one-year-old Market Garden Brewery, Ohio City could very well be the house that McNulty built. Those who have criticized Market Garden for playing it safe with its beer offerings will be pleased to know that McNulty has something a bit more unique in mind next. Enter Nano Brew Cleveland – McNulty’s answer to all the naysayers, who feel Market Garden doesn't push the boundaries quite enough. Nano Brew is his chance to get a little bit more extreme and experim...
