Dogfish Head, known for its uniquely experimental beers, has teamed up with the equally inventive and groundbreaking record producer Dan the Automator, of the critically acclaimed and well-loved Deltron 3030 that also features hip-hop madman Del The Funky Homosapien, to commemorate the completion of the group’s new record. Over a decade in the making, the new Deltron 3030 album is set to finally see the light of day this spring, and a beer has been brewed to celebrate the release. Dubbed Positive Contact, it is a hybrid of beer and cider based on Dan’s favorite ingredients and Dogfish Hea...
I’m always trying to find a better beer to review each month, but lately I find I’m having a harder time deciding. (Could I be developing more discriminating tastes?) I finally found this month’s selection after many trips to my usual beer haunts. It was the label that got me: It depicts a disturbing hellhound coughing up sheep parts. With a label like that, it had to be either really rough or really awesome. Heller Hound is a Maibock/Helles, a favorite style of mine. Usually, when I mention the word “Maibock,” people think I’m talking about a foreign car — but it’s actually a...
Opened just last summer in the Summit Mall shopping plaza, The Rail has quickly become a destination spot for outstanding burgers and tasty drinks. Located next door to the equally popular but significantly cheesier P.F. Chang’s, The Rail prides itself on locally sourced meat and Ohio-made beers. Presenting a decked-out warehouse atmosphere, The Rail is a 75-seat establishment that, in addition to burgers and beers, also offers salads and milkshakes. Those in the mood for a healthier night can munch on veggie burgers instead. Chef Mike Mariola, who also owns two successful eateries in Woos...
For centuries, beer has been seen as a peasant’s drink. Made by even the lowliest farmer, many of the upper crust would not partake in the beverage due to its connotations to the poor. Even in some of man’s earliest written records, we find that beer’s oldest ancestors were snubbed by the well-off for drinks of a higher perceived quality. Thankfully, one style of beer arrived recently on the scene to bridge the gap between farmer’s quaff and debutante’s drink: the Barleywine. Barleywine is a relatively new style of beer, despite its name being as old as some of man’s first soci...
Anyone who’s successfully executed a rooftop beer-bong hit can attest that drinking is an art. With the explosion of the craft-beer market in recent years, however, the art has gotten visual: The space on a craft-beer label has become as hotly contested among artists as a the chance to design a Black Keys concert poster. Here’s our rundown of the top 10 beer labels among indie breweries, both well-known and not. Stillwater Small enough to host their website on Blogspot, but good enough to garner a place on Draft Magazine’s list of the top 25 beers of 2011, this Baltimore-based brewery...
Nelson Imperial IPA Nelson Imperial IPA is a year-round offering from Widmer Brothers, who calls Portland home. This India Pale Ale draws its name from the Nelson Sauvin hops imported from New Zealand and used to create the brew. Mixed with a fair share of malty sweetness and caramel character, this beer explodes with a great balance of flavors. Pretty drinkable, but it seemed to lack the repeat drinkability that Widmer claims the Nelson Sauvin hop is supposed to bring forth. Pouring a nice copper shade with a nice amount of head on top, the best part of the brew is its piney aroma that has m...
An avid homebrewer, beer aficionado Shane Welch took the inevitable next step in the brew-loving progression: He started his own brewery. Accumulating more than 100 recipes, he housed his ambitious start-up in an 800-square-foot garage in a dilapidated and perilous part of Brooklyn. And thus, in 2004, Sixpoint Brewery was born. “The neighborhood was not in great shape then and has since seen a wonderful renaissance of growth and renewal, which we like to think Sixpoint has played a part in,” said Jerry Welch, Sixpoint’s sales representative for Northeast Ohio. Sixpoint takes their nam...
I had just arrived at my hotel in Sulaimani, a city in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, when some of the hotel’s permanent residents invited me to a cookout. They were Americans too, teachers at a nearby university. Though this was not the cultural exposure I was looking for, I’ve found saying “yes” as often as possible while traveling to be a good rule of thumb. You never can predict where it’ll lead you. Cut to me sitting on the roof of our hotel in a two-person garden swing watching Roger, a jocular, 6’4” dead ringer for Michael McDonald, flip patties on a smoking grill....
In clearly the longest film running in the festival, Dreileben is well worth your time if you have, say 4 and a half hours free. Originally release as a television miniseries in Germany, the film is broken into three separate films each helmed by a different director. All three films stands alone, however, with the same on-going story running through each picture - a murderer has escaped and is on the loose among the town of Dreileben. The first film in the series, Beats Being Dead, is the strongest of the bunch and follows two teenagers that meet under unlikely circumstances and fall in lo...
If there were an award for the strangest film at the festival, Yorgos Lanthimos' Alps would run away with the prize. If you are familiar with Lanthimos' work, however, then you know that weirdness for him comes second nature and you are in for one hell of a wild ride when you decided to tackle one of his films. Alps follows a group of individuals, who seek out those that have lost someone close, offering up their services to take the place of the deceased in order to console their loss and ease the pain. Whether you end up liking the film or loathing it, one thing is for certain – Greece ...
One of the best-loved breweries in the craft-beer community sits nestled in the northwest Indiana town of Munster. The acclaimed Three Floyds has cracked the top five best beers in the United States on both Rate Beer and Beer Advocate. Three Floyds Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon Floyd and their father, Mike. Their beers were designed to be a departure from the relatively minimal craft-brewing scene at the time, and the result was intense, balanced beers unlike any other. Known for their extremely hopped characters and complexity, Three Floyds’ offerings a...
This March you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste for holiday spirit. With the plethora of dyes and light beers on special this St. Patty’s, you’ll be likely to turn green at the prospect of finding a suitably Irish drink to celebrate. Rather than make yourself ill with an emerald ale, bolster your body with thick and Irish-descended stout. And what better stout to give you the kind of energy to get through a night of leprechaun-themed shooters than the nourishing milk stout? The history of the stout goes hand in hand with that of the porter, having been developed from the mixing of be...
Located in the historic Brewery District, the Columbus Brewing Company hasbeen offering up spectacular brews since 1988. Six years ago, Eric Bean stepped in to purchase a portion of the brewery and has since then taken over the reins as brewmaster. This past year he bought out his business partner and now owns a majority share of the company. “Owning a brewery has been my dream since I turned 21 and the focus of my brewing career,” Bean said. “This gave me the opportunity to take an existing company and mold it into what it is today. This has not always been easy, but it has...
Everybody has been asking where the March Buzzbin cover came from. Well, meet the girls of the Tilted Kilt in Canton! Professional journalism at its best, folks. All shots by Jeremy Aronhalt - A Studio - Canton. ...
It seems that every Saint Patrick’s Day bursts in with a bang and trudges out with a headache. With the blur of green hats, shirts, ribbons, rivers, and parades we forget to appreciate one of the truly important green things associated with the Irish: green beer. While green beer is decidedly an American institution, its history goes back at least one hundred years. While green beer has survived due to our fascination with novelty, the future of green beer may well be held in foreign lands. But before we get too far away, let us investigate some claims into the invention of this...
This month’s stop is one I’m embarrassed to admit I had not been familiar with until my editor tossed me a bone. Opened in 1998, Stamper’s Grill Pub was founded by Jim and Mary Stamper, with their friends Jim and Susan Smith, on Lorain Road in Fairview Park. Now, 14 years later, the pub has turned into something remarkable — a great spot for delicious food, live entertainment and, most importantly, a fine selection of craft beer. Just a few months ago, Jimmy Stamper, son of the original owner Jim, returned to Cleveland and made the wise decision to rebrand the establishment a bit. N...
From cutting-edge culinary innovation to old-school staples, northeast Ohio boasts a cavalcade of great dining experiences. And behind each of these experiences is a restaurateur who has dedicated their career to what we eat. We know their names. Their hard-earned reputations. We crowd their restaurants every night and know exactly where to take friends and family when they visit from out of town. We know what these innovators bring to the table, but what do THEY look for in a restaurant? Where do they go when looking to wind down and eat something consistently and wholly satisfying? For...
Geisen Haus is a wonderful place: good food, cool atmosphere and always a tasty beer to try. I recently went there for grub and tossed my beer card on the table, saying, “Just give me the next beer on the list.” According to my card, that was #30. I wasn’t too concerned about the specific beer — I’ve had my card since 2006 and am still working on filling it up. In fact many of the beers have changed and I had to re-drink a few to get caught up. Why? To enjoy the beer, of course! (Also, you get a nifty personalized G.H. stein.) As for the #30 brew: Soon a large bottle, not unlik...
One of the best things about getting off work is being able to sit down and relax over a cold beer with your buds. Unfortunately, as we get older and busier that happens less and less frequently. People have to work, spend time with their families or hang out in their mom’s basement playing video games (don't judge me, man!). So we get stuck in a bad country song, drinking alone with our sad hound dog by our side. Well, beer manufacturers have heard our silent sobbing and stepped up to assuage our sorrows. Over the last few months, the Internet has been lighting up about new craft brews l...
Cajun Dave’s in Kent’s Water Street Tavern isn’t a typical college-town eatery. It’s better than that — a little taste of Southern-style comfort foods right here in Northeast Ohio. It’s an unspoken rule that most college restaurants serve low-quality, cheap food in mass quantities, hoping to score customers via outrageous marketing campaigns. Cheap, fast and stylish: That’s what customers expect from restaurants near universities. And for many students, the bar is set so low that anything tastier than ramen noodles is orgasmic. Cajun Dave’s is different. It’s like chef ...
