Great American Beer Festival 2023 Preview | Ohio Beer

Ohio is a fantastic craft beer state, with over 420 craft breweries that together make the Buckeye State the sixth highest in craft beer production in the country. Numerous Ohio breweries will be pouring their best beers at this year’s Great American Beer Festiva. Here’s our guide to the Ohio beers you can taste at the Great American Beer Festival 2023!

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Staff Picks for Best Beers of the Month | March 2023

April showers bring—wait, what the hell? It’s April? As in basically summer? Sheesh! At least the beer festival and baseball seasons are here. We’re back to focus and highlight some of the best beers from across the country that PorchDrinking.com staff has enjoyed over the last few weeks—and no, no April Fools’ jokes here. Regardless of your constant plans or practically full fridge, be sure to grab these beers if you’re out and about.
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Ohio Breweries Find Repeat Success at GABF

Ohio craft breweries once again performed well on the national stage, bringing home eight medals from the 2022 Great American Beer Festival. Notably, every Ohio winner had previously been recognized at GABF or the World Beer Cup.

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The Return of Great Lakes Blackout Stout

On the evening of August 14, 2003, an electrical blackout caused by a simple software bug plunged over 50 million people in the eastern United States and Ontario into darkness. While some places had power back within a couple hours, many were left without electricity for two days. Much of the media attention focused on covering the disaster in New York City, but other regional cities were similarly affected, including Cleveland in the northeast corner of Ohio. Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Company immortalized the event by releasing a dark-as-night Imperial Stout they called Blackout Stout later that year. After a three year hiatus, Blackout Stout is now back for 2022.

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Little Fish Dayton Station Opens Its Doors

It’s been nearly two years since Little Fish Brewing of Athens, Ohio, announced they would open a new taproom in Dayton, but the wait is finally over for beer fans in the Gem City. Little Fish Dayton Station in the Webster Station neighborhood just east of downtown is now open, and will host a Grand Opening party on Saturday, September 17.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Branch & Bone Against a Violet Sky

In this episode of the Bean to Barstool podcast, host David Nilsen talk with Hans Westerink of Violet Sky Chocolate in South Bend, Indiana, who creates fantastic single origin and inclusion chocolate bars and frequently collaborates with craft brewers. We also talk with Brett Smith of Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio, who produces a wide variety of excellent and unique beers, including many using cacao from Violet Sky. Both discuss their own inspirations and the unlikely scenario that brought them together.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Trust Your Dopeness: Hannah Ferguson of D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery

In this episode of Bean to Barstool, David Nilsen talks with Hannah Ferguson, a brewer of beer, a maker of cider and wine and the founder of D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery, which will open soon in Youngstown, Ohio. Hannah Ferguson was the first Black female professional brewer in the state of Ohio and only the second Black female cidery owner in the entire country. Her enthusiasm and positivity have helped her push through the challenges involved in following her dreams. I know you’ll find her story inspiring and encouraging.

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Great Lakes Brewing Co. | Crushworthy Collection

In 2021, a dreamy wheat ale entered into the brewing landscape. Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) introduced Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat to our parched lips, and we were all instantly love-struck. Now, after the beer’s one-year anniversary, one of northeast Ohio’s favorite mainstays has returned with three additional versions of this brew just in time for  warmer temperatures. GLBC’s Crushworthy Collection is here, ready to tantalize and titillate the taste buds of picnickers and patio-goers.

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Brewery Showcase | Listermann Brewing Co.

Just uphill from downtown Cincinnati is a growing and edgy brewery booming with personality and named after its larger than life founder – Listermann Brewing Company. Since winning some impressive awards, they’ve begun to grow quite a following and reputation, which is no small measure given how the Ohio beer scene has taken off over the last few years.

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Sibling Revelry Brewing | American Red Ale

The phrase “sibling revelry” could probably conjure up all kinds of scenarios, but at Sibling Revelry Brewing in Westlake, Ohio, family fun involves brewing beer. A group of Cleveland-area siblings and cousins started the brewery in 2016 to share their love of beer with Cleveland’s western suburbs. Their goal was to create a place with a sense of family and community where people could enjoy craft beer. Read More

Sonder Brewing Releases Collaboration Beer With Kings Island Amusement Park

After an eight hour day of riding every roller coaster and ride possible at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, there was nothing better than ending your day with the infamous blue ice cream while sitting under the Eiffel Tower look-alike overlooking the fountain. While attempting to not spill the blue ice cream on yourself, you realize how much your feet hurt and that you forgot to apply that second coat of sunscreen. At that point, nothing tasted better.

To take us back to those summer afternoons, Sonder Brewing has released Blue Ice Cream Ale, a collaboration beer with Kings Island Amusement Park.

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Strong BA Series | Warped Wing Whiskey Rebellion

Warped Wing Brewing Company’s taproom on an uneven brick side street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, is pretty quiet for early December. The hulking, 80-year-old concrete building that once housed the Buckeye Iron & Brassworks foundry is normally humming with beer drinkers, and on the early December Saturday when the brewery’s beloved Whiskey Rebellion bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout is released, the cavernous facility is always packed with celebratory fans. A line begins early that morning waiting for bottle allotments and extends through the cracked cement of the parking lot, past the building, and around the corner of the block.

This year’s release, of course, is different, though the enthusiasm for it is as vibrant as ever.

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BREAKING | Great Lakes Brewing Co. Launches New Canning Line, Warehouse Facility

Three years ago, Great Lakes Brewing Company  (GLBC) made the leap and began canning various beers, including seasonal favorite Rally Drum Red Ale and an earlier offering, Turntable Pils. Starting in 2020, the brewery moved their flagship beer, Dortmunder Gold Lager, to cans, as well as their Great Lakes IPA. Another year-round superstar, Hazecraft IPA, soon found its way into the lineup as well. And just this week, GLBC shared more exciting news: a new canning line and warehouse facility recently opened in Strongsville, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. GLBC now has the ability to can its beer closer to home, and offer a larger variety of brands starting in 2021.

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Cincinnati’s German Brewing Heritage

It’s Oktoberfest time! For beer lovers in and around Cincinnati, Ohio, this season is pretty much made for them — the Queen City throws the second largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich, and the world’s largest chicken dance.

Sadly, COVID-19 will put a major damper on how Oktoberfest social events are handled this year. However, one of the great things about the season is the glut of Oktoberfest, Märzenbier and Festbier releases. (Check out this primer on what exactly it is we’re drinking when we have an Oktoberfest beer.) While it’s great enjoying these styles at a Cincinnati Oktoberfest celebration with an oompah band playing in the background, they’re also plenty enjoyable to relax with on a patio or porch as the summer heat wanes into crisp autumn evenings.

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Great Lakes Brewing Company | Hazecraft IPA

Buckle up! Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) has some exciting new hardware, and they have already released it through the stratosphere. A year-long favorite that will not disappoint has arrived to wet your whistle during these waning summer weeks, deep into winter. I am talking about Hazecraft IPA, available now everywhere GLBC distributes.

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What We’re Drinking | July 30, 2020

August is around the corner, and for many of you that likely means the end of summer and those wonderful autumn days are approaching. That is very much not the case here in Georgia. Things are looking up, though. Well kind of. There still continue to be many highs and lows of 2020 as sports are back, but conversations about whether or not and how to reopen schools, breweries and public spaces remain. Civil Rights leader and legend John Lewis passed away this week, leaving a legacy of pressing towards equality and continuing the narrative of fighting for civil and human rights. Rest in peace, Mr. Lewis. To celebrate getting through the week, here is What We’re Drinking.

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Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery | Polycephaly IV

With so many breweries closed or offering limited service, it is a serious challenge to find a steady supply of great beer. Luckily, there are a few notable breweries that are offering shipping to states with a more liberal policy on out-of-state beer shipping (thank you VA, DC and AK!). Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery is one such notable example.

The good people at Jackie O’s are not just selling their more commonly found offerings, but have also opened up their cellars and are selling early examples in their sought-after Polycephaly series, including Polycephaly IV.

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Urban Artifact | Pickle

I jumped onto the Urban Artifact wagon a bit late. “Better late than never” is a cliche that I find myself faced with quite regularly. Needless to say, I became an instant fan of the brewery’s vast array of spectacular beers that often steer away from the typical IPA and other popular beer styles we’ve come to expect in the craft beer circle. My first dive into their collection was while watching a soccer match at a local restaurant that sells numerous beers, canned and bottled. I saw Urban Artifact’s Keypunch, a key lime Gose, and my mouth instantly started watering. I had two of those sweet, flavorful Goses. Later, I learned of their other varieties. One stopped me in my tracks when my brother-in-law introduced it to me. Urban Artifact Pickle is a dill pickle Gose. It intrigued me enough to return again and again for more salty and sour sips to refresh during the dog days of summer.  

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Rhinegeist Brewery | Dad

To all the hard-working dads out there just waiting for their opportunity to crack open a cold one after a long day of doing dad stuff, Happy (early) Father’s Day! I wanted to showcase the perfect beer for such an occasion that just so happens to hold a very special place in my liver. Dad is a malty, heavy Red Ale that comes out of Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes, I know it’s June and this is a technically a Winter Ale, but hear me out. A good friend of mine who lives outside of Cincinnati sent me a couple six packs a few weeks ago as a way to celebrate my introduction to fatherhood. My wife and I are expecting a baby boy in July, and this was a wonderful and very fitting way to welcome me into my new role.

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Branch & Bone Artisan Ales | Black Razzath

Since opening in June 2018, Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio, has created eye-opening beers in a wide range of styles, including bright and juicy IPAs, crisp and inquisitive session sours, and velvety smooth stouts and coffee beers. Head brewer Brett Smith loves them all, having carried many recipes over from his homebrewing days, but the beers that really have his heart pour from two wooden vessels in the back room of the brewery: oak wine foeders Smith picked up from American Solera in Oklahoma City. They once held Italian Vin Santo.

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