#SippyTimeBeer Review – #Cbus Microbrew Festival

I got to taste a lot of local beer when I went down to the Columbus Microbrew Festival. I had a chance to taste some of my favorites but as usual, I decided to try beers that I didn’t have. Zauber Brewing is still working on a larger facility. Four Strings had a couple of offerings there and I passed on them along with Barley’s, Barley’s Smokehouse & Pub, Columbus, Elevator, Gordon Biersch, Great Lakes, Ohio & Thirsty Dog because I have had and reviewed a number of all of their products. I’ll list in alphabetical order what I did have since I’m not completely sure of the order I drank them in. They were supposed to serve 4 ounce portions but almost everyone was very generous with their pours so I got a good idea of how they all taste.

Buckeye Lake Brewery – Octoberfest – It’s that time of year, Oktoberfest & Pumpkin beers are everywhere. I’ll get around to a whole column on pumpkin beers later. This brewery just east of Columbus in, you guessed it, Buckeye Lake has gotten good reviews from my friends in the area. It was finally time to try some for myself though. I’m not sure if it was fair to try a seasonal beer though. If it is indeed seasonal since they don’t even have a beer list on their website. The beer had the red hue that most “Marzen” (March in German because of when they brewed them) beers have. This one has a nice balance of hops and malt to make it taste really good. Thumbs up for my first taste of Buckeye Lake.

Great Black Swamp Brewing – Wetlands Wheat – This company is based in Toledo, OH so it’s not the most local beer there but it was a new one to me. No one wants to go to Toledo so I’m glad they came to us. I love wheat beers so it was an easy first choice from the company and it delivered. Nice and crisp on a night that was reminiscent of Fall than the Summer.

Great Black Swamp Brewing – Bull Frog Stout – Because there weren’t any cider beers on tap, my girl friend ended up giving me her tickets. Since they had a hard closing time of 10 PM on Friday, we had to venture back Saturday afternoon to finish using the tickets. You don’t need to twist my arm. Since I had a second crack at this brewery, I went with their Bull Frog Stout which was quite good. Double thumbs up from this company.

Homestead Beer Company – Pine Table Pale Ale – This beer is from Licking County which, like Buckeye Lake, is just east of Cbus. Unfortunately, my memory of this beer is hazy at best. I didn’t take notes and I didn’t Instagram each beer, just their label. No, it wasn’t from drinking too much, this time. It just means I’ll have to try it again.

Homestead Beer Company – Boat India Pale Ale – On Saturday, I couldn’t remember how many choices Homestead had. When I got to their station, I was talked into trying this beer. “It’s the right balance of hops & malt” said the worker who must have been part of the brewery because he was dead on.I could get into more IPAs if they were like this one.

Hoof Hearted Brewing – Voltan – Russian Imperial Stout – Aside from the over played but somewhat amusing name, they do have a goofy centaur as a mascot so these guys know how to market. Of course, it helps when you have a fantastic beer. One of the best beers of the weekend.

Jackie O’s Brewery – Matriarch Tri-Pa – I have reviewed two of their beers with another one on my “To Get To” list. I hadn’t seen their Tri-Pa probably because it contains six different kinds of hops and a total of five pounds of it per barrel. It’s no wonder this beer cost me not the normal one ticket for four ounces but three tickets. Another reason the cost was so high was because of it’s 11% alcohol content. If you want to get drunk in style and quickly, have this beer if you can get a hold of it.

Lagerheads Brewery – White Water Witte – When we arrived Saturday, I grabbed this beer first because the vendors let us in without getting our 21 and over wrist bands. No one cared that we didn’t have them on. Yep, starting to get old. Any way, since it was good and sunny, mid 0s I went with a Belgian wheat beer. Perfect plan to soak up some of the last rays of summer. Come Fall and Winter, that whole sun thing is going to be scarce around these parts. Glad I could enjoy a smooth crisp and citrusy beer. They are located up in the Abbeyville OH which is just south of Cleveland.

#SippyTimeBeer Review – Four Strings, Mt. Carmel and Ted’s

I had the first two beers while waiting for the seriously delicious deep dish pizza at Meister’s here in Columbus. I’m not normally one to order deep dish because I think it’s entirely too much bread. It’s the house specialty and it gave me a good forty minutes to drink before the pizza arrived. The pizza was a perfect addition to my stomach after a beer and a half. It’s all hand made and worth the wait, especially with an excellent selection of beers.

Four Strings Brewery – Cherry Blonde – This brewery is another Columbus special. Four Strings only have three beers listed on their site, one of which is Backstage Blonde, but this beer was definitely different. They need to update their site because I also have a Vanilla Porter from them on my Instagram account which isn’t listed either. Back to the Cherry Blonde though, it certainly had the Backstage base but had cherry added to it. The cherry made it a little too sour for my taste in beer. I want to feel refreshed, not to be puckering my lips like I just had a Sour Patch Kid.

Mt. Carmel  Brewing Company – Blonde Ale – This brewery is out of Cincinnati and it has several tasty beers. This beer though is fairly average. It’s crisp, clean and refreshing but I want an extra punch of flavor in there which it’s lacking. It worked to help wash down a tasty, tasty pizza though.

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company – Ted’s Pail Ale – Or at least that the company I believe distributes the beer according to a Google search despite not being listed on Leinenkugel’s site. After I posted a picture of this beer Jeremy gave me his input “Teds us good. stuff”. Setting aside the Jeremese (He has his own language which is displayed quite well in a scant four words and misplaced period), I don’t agree with him. Granted, he’s more of an authority on IPA but I usually like the regular pale ales and it didn’t live up to my standard. Any easy two examples would be a couple of choices in town, Columbus Brewing Company’s Pale Ale and Four Strings Brass Knuckle American Pale Ale. -Kevin