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...
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 ...
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,...
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...
Tucked down under the often-busy streets of Cleveland, La Cave Du Vin is located on the corner of Coventry Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard. The entrance and environment literally seem like you are making your way down to an actual cave. The atmosphere is dark and dank, but oddly enough, has a very homey feel. Four coolers full of beer and a handful of tables fill one side while a bar, and a rowdier crowd can often be found on the other. La Cave Du Vin has been rated in the “Top 25 Best Beer Bars” on Ratebeer.com and has also made several appearances over the years in Draft Magazine's ...
BY AARON FOWLER When one thinks of Anheuser-Busch, craft beer isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, the company has acquired several tasty little guys over the last few years. Here are a few of my favorites. GOOSE ISLAND SUMMERTIME (4.7%) A Kölsch beer brewed in the traditional German fashion, Summertime is a nice summer season beer to counter the macrobrews that fill your local shelves. Hints of fruity notes, such as lemon peel and banana, can be tasted with each swig and make this one, for the most part, a drinkable beer. Whether I’d grab a bottle of Flying Dog’s ...
BY Arron Fowler Every so often, we need to take a trip outside our comfort zone. For some, this may mean a drive south to the wondrous capital of the Buckeye State known as Columbus. As the home of one of Ohio's best-kept secrets in the craft beer world — Columbus Brewing Company, I am talking about you — the city is rich in savory brews and the perfect stomping ground to discover some fantastic hangouts. Positioned in the heart of the Short North arts district sits Bodega, which offers up over 50 beers on draft and more than 100 from the bottle. I was told to attend Bodega d...
John Lane and his golden creation Winking Lizard has been a staple of the craft beer scene in Northeast Ohio for more than 25 years. Already known for their array of beers — more than 100 in bottles — and rotating taps of more than a dozen each month on draft, the inevitable next step was a retail store. In early 2011, Lizardville came to be. Housed in the original location of the first Winking Lizard in Bedford Heights and featuring over 600 rare and unique beers and another eight on draft, it became a mecca for beer aficionados. The Lizardville beer store and whiskey bar allows drinke...
One of the unsung breweries around these parts has to be the Willoughby Brewing Company. Located in a former railcar-repair building in downtown Willoughby, the brewery opened in 1998, the first brewpub in Lake County. In January 2011, new owners purchased the brewery, and brewmaster Rick Seibt came aboard as director of brewing operations. Seibt’s love of craft beer started early. “Once I found out that you could brew beer at home, and brew the styles popular in England and Europe, I was hooked,” he said. “I loved to research the history of the styles and brewing methods. I’ve be...
FOUR LOCAL BREWS FOR THOSE EARLY SUMMER BBQs Those looking for a little change this May should track down these four Ohio beers that are definitely worth a drink. While some might be easily obtainable, other could take a little soul-searching and can only be found on draft at your local craft-beer bar. Nonetheless, here are our favorite beers brewed in the good ol' Buckeye State. – Aaron Fowler Columbus Brewing Company Creeper This beer has the aroma of a West Coast-style India Pale Ale but the taste of a hoppy barleywine. Tropical fruit, citrus and pine fill the aroma, while grapefru...
Located in one of the hippest parts of Cleveland, Tremont Taphouse is the city’s first gastropub, a London-inspired casual pub with upscale cuisine complemented by an assortment of great beer. The Taphouse has more than 48 craft beers on tap at all times, rotating constantly. I decided to switch things up a bit with a darker beer at the start: the Too Cream Stout. This beer is an 8% ABV, a roasty chocolate-flavored sweet stout from Dark Horse. Though not my personal favorite in their stout series, it’s not a bad brew and well worth a try. For dinner, I ordered the House Burger, a scrump...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. Wh...
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ale is unlike any beer you’re ever likely to have. Stocked at places like your neighborhood craft-beer stop and World Market, Jolly Pumpkin’s selections are a must for avid craft-beer drinkers, thanks to its unique brewing process and exceptional taste. The brewery uses open fermentation, oak barrel aging and bottle conditioning to create a beer that stands above the rest. Focusing on traditional rustic country-style beers, it make brews aimed to lighten the spirit and soothe the soul. Founded by Ron Jeffries in Dexter, Michigan, Jolly Pumpkin is represented by a r...
Local craft-beer aficionados have a lot to love about Cleveland’s Lakewood neighborhood. When you’re not at Melt Bar and Grilled chowing down on a scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich and washing it down with one of their countless craft beverages or picking up a handful of brews at Rozi’s Wine House, Buckeye Beer Engine is the place to be for great comfort food and one hell of a beer selection. Before the formation of Buckeye Beer Engine, Robert and Garin Wright ran a beer bar and brewery in Bedford Heights known as Buckeye Brewing. The establishment featured brew-on-premises capabili...
As Black Friday slowly becomes technologically advanced, smaller manufacturers are using the internet to their advantage. Pelican Brewery decided to do just that when they offered a special Black Friday sale for their Mother of All Storms brew. Almost immediately, their system crashed. Because that's how much Americans love craft beer now. Immediately after the crash, they took to Twitter to say this: Sorry for the store frustrations with ordering MOAS. Site isn’t handling popularity. Took live cam feed down to see if that helps. Tech guys are looking into shopping cart issue. Stay tun...
