Lefebvre Barbar Winter Bok (8/10)

I'm probably going to kick myself for sharing this little gem with you…

During my visit to Kenny Road Market on Friday evening, I picked up a four-pack of Lefebvre brewery's Barbar Winter Bok, a Belgian bock style beer.  There wasn't a price on the rack, and I was shocked when it rang up at $2.99 for the four-pack. I figured at that price it was likely to be horrible, but I like Bock beers and Belgian beers, so how bad could a Belgian Bock be?  The answer:  For seventy-five cents a bottle, this is quite possibly the best Belgian style beer you're ever going to find, or perhaps the best bock!

Brasserie Lefebvre of Belgium produces this beer.  Their web site says that they use Mexican honey to brew it.  The label also mentions spices, coriander, and orange peel.

It pours a deep brown that's slightly transparent.  There is very little head, and what there is doesn't last long.

The aroma is sweet, spicy, and fruity.

The flavor has a nice mix of Belgian spice, malty sweetness, and a balanced hops load.  There are hints of molasses and citrus to it as well, probably from the coriander and orange peel.  The 8% alcohol content is very well hidden.  It doesn't strike me as especially warming or burning at all.  It's a beer that's very easy to drink for Belgian beer fans.  It's no Gulden Draak, but at the price it's a great beer.

RateBeer gives Barbar Bok (not the Winter Bok, but their "plain" Bok) a 92 overall.  Beer Advocate rates Barbar Winter Bok an 83 or "good" which pretty much matches my 8/10.

As mentioned above, I found this at Kenny Road Market where it's unlikely to last long.  I've not seen it elsewhere in Columbus.  Get it while it lasts.

ABV: 8%
IBU:  Unknown, but can't be above 18-22
My Rating: 8/10

St. Feuillien Blonde Ale (7/10)

St. Feuillien Blonde, according to the brewery's web site, won the Silver Medal at the Australian Beer Awards in 2011 in the category of Belgian and French style ales.  It was also awarded the title of World's Best Abbey Pale Ale in London in 2010.  The brewery itself is located in Belgium, and was founded in 1873.

My first impression on pouring this beer was the sound it made going into the glass, which was identical to a soft drink.  It sounded thin and very carbonated.  As is typical for a blonde ale, it is a very pale gold with a coarse, thick white head that dissipates slowly and leaves behind a thick but spotty lacing.

The aroma has a strong citrus note with a hint of hops.  I get kind of a (pleasant) mustiness as well.

The flavor comes close to the aroma.  I get a little citrus there, giving way to a mild hoppiness and a subtle fruity, spicy element.  It's pretty much what you'd expect for a Belgian blonde ale in terms of flavor profile.  The finish is a little bitter, but not unpleasantly so.  It would be a great beer to drink during the summer, maybe when grilling a burger or after cutting the grass.

Beer Advocate rates St. Feuillien Blonde an 87 or "good".  RateBeer gives it a 90 overall.
I purchased this beer at Palmer Beverage Center on Indianola.  I've recently seen other products from this brewery at the following Columbus area retailers:  The Andersons General Store, Ale Wine & Spirits of Powell, Whole Foods Market in Dublin, and Kenny Road Market.

ABV: 7.5%
IBU: unknown, but I'd estimate in the lower 20's
My Rating:  7/10

Great Lakes Brewing Company's The Doppelrock (5/10)

Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing Company produces The Doppelrock, a doppelbock (or double bock) style beer.

It's a slightly reddish brown, similar in color to a cola (soft drink).  There is a very thin off-white head that dissipates quickly.  The aroma is very hoppy, but the beer is less so.

The flavor is initially hoppy, and gives way to a malty sweetness that ends in a chocolate bitterness.  It's not as hoppy as some of Great Lakes' brews, but hoppier than I like or expect for the style.  All in all, it's a good beer but not one of my favorites.

Beer Advocate visitors give it a "good" rating of 86 out of 100.

ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 18
My rating: 5/10

Jackie O's Razz Wheat (8/10)

Jackie O's Pub and Brewery is located in Athens, Ohio, and produces this raspberry wheat beer.

Razz Wheat pours a slightly purple color with a finger-thick white head that lingers a while.

The aroma is unmistakably raspberry, with a hint of yeast.

The flavor betrays the aroma.  While it's certainly mild and there is some hint of raspberry to it, the raspberry flavor is extremely subtle.  If it weren't for the aroma, you might have trouble identifying this as anything but a standard wheat beer.  As such, it's still a very pleasant beer and easy to enjoy.

Beer Advocate rates Jackie O's Razz Wheat an 87 or "good".  Rate Beer gives it a 56 overall.

I tried this on draft at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington on Sunday (March 24, 2013).

ABV: 5%
IBU: Unknown but I'd estimate around 15-18
My Rating: 8/10

Magic Hat Pistil (5/10)

Magic Hat #9 is one of my favorite beers.  When I saw Pistil on tap at The Daily Growler, I was immediately interested.

Pistil is a beer brewed with Dandelion petals, Pale and Acidulated malts, flaked oats, Apollo hops, and Northern Brewer hops.

It pours a pale, cloudy yellow color.  There is a small amount of white head that doesn't last long.

I didn't get any particular aroma from the beer.

The flavor starts malty and slightly bitter, and finishes bitter.  It's not a hoppy kind of bitterness, either.  It's more like kale or a similar vegetable.  Overall, I found the effect mildly unpleasant.  I'll be happy if I never drink this again.  It's one of those occasions that I'm happy to have purchased only a 5-ounce sample glass.

RateBeer gives this a 42 overall and a 46 for the style.  Beer Advocate gives it a 75 or "average" rating.

As I mentioned above, I sampled this at The Daily Growler.  I've seen it at the Giant Eagle near Bethel and Sawmill, and Kenny Road Market.

ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 20
MY Rating: 5/10

Ommegang Iron Throne (6/10)

Ommegang and HBO cooperated to produce Iron Throne, a beer commemorating the television (and book) series A Game of Thrones.  The beer is available now in limited quantities in 750ml bottles and 1/6 BBL kegs.

Iron Throne is described as a blonde ale brewed with pils, honey malt, aroma malts, and red wheat.  It's also hopped with Styrian Golding and Hallertau Spalter Select hops.  It's spiced with grains of paradise and lemon peel.

It pours a cloudy gold color, with a thick white head that leaves behind long stripes of lacing.

The aroma is slightly hoppy.

The flavor starts with hops and cloves (probably from the wheat).  The hops recede a bit after that and allows the underlying spice and lemon peel notes to rise up a bit.  The finish is pure hops bitterness.  While Ommegang describes this as a "gently hopped" beer, I'd say it's only gently-hopped if you compare it to an IPA or American Pale Ale.  Hops bitterness takes a front seat in the flavor.  This isn't as hoppy as a Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA or even a Stone Arrogant Bastard, but it's just more bitter and hoppy than I care for.

The Beer Advocate reviewers have given Ommegang Iron Throne an 87 (or "good") rating.  RateBeer gives Iron Throne a 90 overall and 95 for the style.

I tried this beer on draft at The Winking Lizard Tavern on Bethel Road on March 19.  I've seen it for sale at Ale Wine & Spirits of Powell and a representative at The Andersons General Store implied that it might be in stock there as well, though I didn't notice it while browsing their shelves.

ABV: 6.5%
IBU: Unknown, but I'd estimate 35-40
My rating: 6/10

Where to Get Ommegang Iron Throne in Columbus

Those of you who are Game of Thrones fans will be interested to know that Ommegang has made a limited release of their Iron Throne beer which commemorates the show.  The Ommegang web site describes Iron Throne this way:

Brewery Ommegang and HBO are partnering on a series of beers in support of the critically-acclaimed drama Game of Thrones. Launching in tandem with the season three debut, Iron Throne is the inaugural beer in the series.

Iron Throne is a blonde ale at 6.5% ABV and brewed with a robust amount of pils, honey malt, aroma malts and red wheat. Gentle hopping includes Styrian Golding and Hallertau Spalter Select, appropriately noble hops. Spiced with grains of paradise and lemon peel. Hue is a slightly hazy golden amber. Head is full and fluffy. Finish is crisp, backed by a touch of spice and hops. Aroma is a bit grassy with a hint of lemon fruitiness from the lemon peel. Taste is lightly malty, rounded out by honey malt sweetness.

Available in limited quantities in 750ml bottles and 1/6 BBL kegs starting in late March 2013.

You'll be even more pleased to know that I've seen a few bottles for sale at Ale Wine & Spirits of Powell.  I believe The Andersons General Store near Sawmill also has it.  Although I wasn't specifically looking for it, I don't recall seeing it at Weiland's Gourmet Market or Palmer's Beverage Center today.

I tried the beer on tap at The Winking Lizard Tavern on Bethel Road earlier this week (see picture at left).  I can't say that I'd describe as "gently hopped" unless you compare that to a full-on IPA or a similar hoppy style of beer.  Compared to Ommegang products like Three Philosophers, Art of Darkness, or Seduction, it's downright bitter.  Not unbearably bitter, but it's much hoppier than the Ommegang brews I most familiar with.

Whole Foods Market–Dublin

If you're familiar with Whole Foods Market, you probably know it as the place people go for groceries that are organic, free-range, hormone-free, and so forth.  What you may not know is that they have a very healthy craft beer selection.  The Whole Foods Market in Dublin has expanded its selection since the last time I visited a few months ago, and I wanted to share what you might find there on a future visit.

The beer selection in the store used to be spread out in a few locations.  Some of the beer was located in the center of the store, in a refrigerated case, near the large wine selection.  The rest was in a refrigerated case near the hot foods buffet at the back of the store.  Now, it's all been moved near the produce section.

There are two places you'll want to look.  The most obvious location is their "Beer Cave" pictured at
the right.  This is a refrigerated room containing primarily 4-packs, 6-packs, etc.  You probably won't find any individual bottles here.

Inside Whole Foods' Beer Cave, I found several of the "majors" such as Red Stripe, Schlitz, Pabst, Corona, Yuengling, Coors, Miller, Budweiser, Dos Equis,  and Old Milwaukee.

But if you look a bit closer, you'll find quite a few craft beers (or at least less-commonly seen beers).  During my visit, the Beer Cave had products from Oskar Blues, Finch's, Avery,  World Brews, Sierra Nevada, Sixpoint, Founder's, Elevator, Laughing Dog Brewing, Lagunitas, Stone, Left Hand, North Coast, Uinta, Green Flash, Breckenridge, Great Divide, Kona, Hinterland, Magic Hat, Heavy Seas, Abita, Two Brothers, Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, Stoudt's, Ommegang, Goose Island, and several more.

Outside the Beer Cave, to the left of the doorway pictured above, is an open-air refrigerated case with singles and larger bottles of beer.

Pictured at the left is a part of this refrigerated case.

In this case I found beers from Trappistes Rochefort, Orval, Chimay, La Trappe, Maredsous, Theakston, Newcastle, Well's, Hitachino Nest, Brooklyn, Troeg's, Victory, Weihenstephaner, Adnams, St. Bernardus, Kulmbacher, Franziskaner, Anderson Valley, Flying Dog, Alesmith, Ovila, New Holland, Atwater, The Bruery, Hoppin' Frog, and lots more I'm not going to list here.

I didn't count there, but there are very likely more than 300 unique beers available here.

As if this wasn't enough, Whole Foods has taken things a step further.  Around the corner from the Beer Cave you'll find an actual sit-down bar with chairs in front.

At the Whole Foods "The Local" bar, you can get samples of several different drafts, as well as pints and growlers.

The selection of beers offered on tap at The Local changes as they run out of a particular beer, so you can expect something different pretty much each time you go there.

They had a mix of local beers like Columbus Brewing Company and Elevator Brewing during my visit, but they also had beers from Southern Tier, Kona, and others from outside Ohio.

In addition to the beers, they also have a small number of wines and other alcohols on tap, such as Brothers Drake's Wild Ohio Mead.  (As much as I love Brothers Drake's Apple Pie Mead, I didn't care for Wild Ohio.)

You can also order food while seated at the bar.



If you enjoy craft beer, I'd recommend dropping by Whole Foods in Dublin the next time you're in the area.

You'll find a good selection of beers to choose from, and staff that is familiar with the products they sell.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET – DUBLIN

3670 W. Dublin-Granville Road
Columbus, OH 43235

Open 8am to 10pm seven days a week

Phone: 614-760-5556

Beer Blowout at Kenny Road Market

The good folks at Kenny Road Market have a special going on for several different beers.  When I visited Friday evening, they had the following products available:

• Abita Satsuma Wit – $14.99 a case or $3.99 a six-pack
  Beer Advocate rates this a 78/100.  RateBeer gives it a 44 overall, and a 49 for the style.
• The Brew Kettle Lake BeErie or Summer Solstice – $19.99 a case or $5.49 a six-pack
  RateBeer gives Lake BeErie a 56 overall and a 93 for the style.  BeerAdvocate gives it a 79.
  Beer Advocate rates Summer Solstice an 84.  RateBeer doesn't seem to have a rating for it.
• Twisted Tea Cranberry – $12.99 a case or $3.49 a six-pack
• Pig's Eye Pilsner or Light – $10.99 a case or $5.99 a twelve-pack.
  RateBeer gives Pig's Eye Pilsner a 22 overall, and a 49 for the style. 
  BeerAdvocate gives it a 67-79.
  The Light version has no ratings on RateBeer or BeerAdvocate.

They'd also had Newcastle Werewolf and Otter Creek Oktoberfest, but those were sold out.

Anderson Valley Brother David's Double (10/10)

Anderson Valley Brewing Company, located in California, produces Brother David's Double.  This is a double Belgian abbey style ale which was, quite deservedly, the winner of the 2011 Great American Beer Festival's Gold Medal.

It pours a deep reddish brown color, bordering on black. The tan head is reasonably thick and foamy.

The typical Belgian spiciness is a dominant flavor, along with rich caramel sweetness and virtually no hops bitterness.  The 9% alcohol content lends a warmth to it as it goes down.  For my taste, this is a nearly perfect beer.

The Beer Advocate folks completely disagree with me on this one, though.  The editors rate it a 78, or merely average.  The visitors are only slightly more generous, giving it an 81 or "good" rating. This is one of those cases where I respectfully disagree with them.

I tried this at The Winking Lizard Tavern on Bethel Road back in 2012, but haven't seen it for sale in Columbus yet.

ABV: 9%
IBU: 27
My rating: 10/10

Perfume River Hue Beer (7/10)

This beer was part of an International Beer Gift Box I received for Christmas.  It's brewed by the Perfume River Brewery in Hue City, Vietnam.

The label is very bright and colorful, and has a distinctive Asian look to it.

The beer pours from the bottle a clear, pale yellow with a finger-thick white head that lasts about as long as it took you to read the phrase "finger-thick white head".

The aroma  is fairly non-descript, like a traditional macro-brew.  There's a subtle hoppiness to it, a touch of rice-like maltiness, and that's about it. 

The flavor follows the rest of the beer.  It's pleasant, crisp, clean, and very easy to drink.  There's not a lot of complexity to the flavor, but there's nothing wrong with it, either.  I prefer it to a Bud Light, Miller Light, or other similar beer from the majors.

You can most likely find this in the Cost Plus World Market as part of their International Beer Gift Sets.

ABV:  unknown
IBU:  unknown, estimated to be 18-25
My Rating:  6/10

Whole Foods Market–Upper Arlington

The Whole Foods store on Lane Avenue has moved a couple of times in the last year or two.  The first move allowed them to tear the building down and replace it with a brand new one, seen in the picture at the left.

The other move brought the store to its new home.

The new store features organic produce, meats, vegetables, gluten-free products, and all of the things customers have come to expect of a Whole Foods store.

One of the things that impressed me about Whole Foods (the location near Rt. 161 and Sawmill) was its selection of craft and imported beer.

The new Upper Arlington location appears to offer a smaller range of beer than the other location, but the selection is nonetheless quite good.

During my visit on Sunday, I saw products from Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Avery, Stone, Anderson Valley, Bell's, Heavy Seas, Murphy's, Asahi, Peroni, Great Lakes, Southern Tier, Breckenridge, Victory, Fat Head's, Founders, Rogue, Rockmill, Ommegang, Unibroue, Epic Brewing, Hoppin' Frog, Dogfish Head, Schneider & Sohn, Baltika, Alesmith, Westmalle, North Coast, and several others.

In addition to the bottled beer selection, the Upper Arlington Whole Foods also has a room called The Social.  In this room is a coffee/tea shop (think of it as Whole Foods' version of Starbucks) featuring a variety of hot and cold drinks.  It also features eight beer taps with a rotating selection of draft beers.  Samples cost 25 cents and are a fairly generous size, probably 3-5 ounces.  Pints ranged in price from $3 to $6 (note that this pricing varies depending on the beers available and may be different during your visit).  The Social also offers 32-ounce and 64-ounce growlers of the beers available on tap.  During my visit, 32-ounce growlers ranged in price from $6 to $12, and 64-ounce ones from $12 to $24.

There is a decent amount of high-top and low-top seating at tables within The Social, as well as a television playing major sporting events.  You can also sit at the bar.

If you're hungry during your visit, food purchased elsewhere in the Whole Foods store may be carried to The Social and eaten there along with your beer.  (And yes, you can purchase bottled beer at Whole Foods and drink that at The Social as well.)

Other than the room feeling a little cramped, it's a nice, relaxing space.  My wife and I are definitely planning to come back again in the near future.

At the end of this article, I've placed a number of photos of the beer selection taken at Whole Foods during my visit.  These should give you a good idea of the depth and breadth of the selection you'll find there.  Since stock does rotate in and out of these stores, I can't promise you'll find the exact beer you're looking for even if you see it in these photos.

Whole Foods Market
1555 West Lane Avenue
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
(614) 481-3400

Hours: 8am to 9pm seven days a week

Draft List in the Bar Area

Giant Eagle Market District–Kingsdale

When you think of places to shop for craft beer, chain supermarkets like Kroger or Giant Eagle probably don't leap immediately to mind.  In fact, when you think of supermarket beer selections, you're probably thinking about the big macro-breweries like Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors, and the like.  I was actually quite impressed on my last visit to the Giant Eagle Market District Store in the Kingsdale Center in Upper Arlington.

Yes, you will find the big names here.  If you're looking for a six-pack of Bud Light or a case of Coors, you'll find it at this store just as you'd expect.  But what you might not expect is the wide selection of craft beers they carry.  It's a range that's on par with most other craft beer retailers in town.

In the picture at the left, you might recognize Innis & Gunn, St. Peter's, Young's, Well's, Theakston, Samuel Smith, Alesmith, Dogfish Head, Hitachino Nest, Rockmill, Ommegang, Maredsous, Rogue, and a few others.

In other pictures attached to this article, you'll find Sierra Nevada, Avery, Trappistes Rochefort, St. Bernardus, Wittkerke, Oranjeboom, Baltika, Unibroue, and others.

There might not be any truly rare craft beers in this selection, but several of my personal favorites can be found on the shelves at this store.

Since it's a Market District store, you'll also find groceries and a "food court" of sorts as well.  One very nice aspect to at least this particular Market District is that you can purchase a cold beer and consume it in the eating area within the store.  This is a great way to try a single beer before committing to purchase more.

While Giant Eagle probably won't replace your regular retailer, you may want to check their selection out if you're in the area or already in the store shopping for groceries.  I usually find something new there when I look.  For example, on my last visit I found Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask aged ale.  I had not seen this particular variety of Innis & Gunn in other retailers, so I grabbed a bottle and drank it with the sub I purchased at their sub shop in the food court area.  I liked it enough that I went back and bought a four-pack before leaving.

I've attached additional photos of their beer selection at the end of this article.

Giant Eagle Market District
3061 Kingsdale Center
Columbus, OH 43221

To give you some idea of the selection found in this store, I'm going to list the breweries whose products were represented on the shelves at the store during a visit in March 2013.  Note that this is not a complete list, but is as comprehensive as I can make it.

• 21st Amendment


• Abita


• Alesmith


• Anchor


• Anderson Valley


• Asahi


• Aventinus


• Avery


• Ayinger


• Ballast Point


• Baltika


• Bear Republic


• Bell's


• Bitburger


• Black Sheep Brewery


• Breckenridge


• Brew Dog


• The Brew Kettle


• Brooklyn Brewing


• The Bruery


• Buffalo Bill's Brewery


• Chimay


• Chouffe


• Columbus Brewing Co.


• Dogfish Head


• Duchesse De Bourgogne


• Dupont


• Duvel


• Einbecher


• Elevator Brewing Company


• Epic Brewing


• Fat Head's


• Flying Dog


• Founder's


• Franziskaner


• Gavroche


• Gouden


• Great Divide


• Great Lakes Brewing Company


• Green Flash


• Gulden Draak


• Harviestoun


• He'Brew


• Hitachino Nest


• Hofbrau


• Hoppin' Frog


• Indigo Imp


• Innis & Gunn


• Ithaca Brewing


• Kentucky Ale


• Kona Brewing


• Kwak


• La Trappe


• Lagunitas


• Left Hand Brewing


• Lindeman's


• Magic Hat


• Maredsous


• Meantime


• Modelo


• Monk's Cafe


• Moretti


• Mt. Carmel


• Neil House


• New Holland


• New Planet


• Newcastle


• Nogne


• North Coast


• Okocim


• Omer


• Ommegang


• Oranjeboom


• Orval


• Peroni


• Petrus


• Pinkus


• Pyramid


• Reisetbauer


• Reissdorf


• Rivertown


• Rockmill Brewery


• Rogue


• Rust Belt


• Samuel Adams


• Samuel Smith


• San Miguel


• Sapporo


• Schneider & Sohn


• Shiner


• Shock Top


• Sierra Nevada


• Smithwick's


• Smuttynose


• Southern Tier


• Sprecker


• St. Amand


• St. Bernardus


• St. Peter's


• Steigl


• Stillwater


• Stone


• Teacate


• Theakston


• Thirsty Dog


• Trappist Achel


• Trappistes Rochefort


• Traquair


• Troeg's


• Tsingtao


• Tusker


• Two Brothers


• Uinta


• Unibroue


• Victory


• Weihenstephaner


• Well's


• Westmalle


• Weyerbacher


• Wittkerke


• Wychwood


• Young's


• Zatec

Portsmouth Brewing Co. Oatmeal Stout (8/10)

I grew up in the southern Ohio town of Portsmouth, which is home to the Portsmouth Brewing Company.  Portsmouth Brewing Company is Ohio's oldest brewery.  They produce a variety of beers, including a pilsner, red ale, lager, pale ale, maple nut brown ale, and the Oatmeal Stout we'll be discussing here.

The beer is deep black color, with a thin light brown head.

The flavor is one of bitter chocolate and roasted nuts, with a slight sweetness.  The 10% alcohol content adds a nice warming note to it.  Without a doubt, this is one of the better stouts I've had.  If you find yourself somewhere that it's sold, make sure to try a pint!

(I tried this in Portsmouth last March at a steak house there.  I've not seen it in Columbus.)



ABV: 10%
IBU: unknown
My rating: 8/10

Manzanita Chaotic Double IPA (2/10)

A friend recently gave me a bottle of Mazanita Brewing Company's Chaotic Double India Pale Ale (IPA).  If you've read this blog for any length of time, you probably know that IPAs are probably my least favorite style of beer.  The emphasis on hops bitterness over pretty much all other flavor components tends to drive me away from them. 

A representative of North Coast Brewing Company explained to me that IPAs weren't meant to be enjoyed while they were so hop-heavy.  They were intended to be over-hopped prior to shipment from England to India.  The months they spent on sailing ships and traveling on horse-drawn wagons to their destinations would mellow out the hops presence, fading it into a position of balance with the rest of the beer's flavor.  To taste what an IPA was meant to be, you should cellar it for a few months to allow the hops bitterness to subside.

This beer pours a clear amber into the glass with a slightly orange tan head.  The head is about finger-thick and remains for a very long time, leaving behind a thick layer of lacing.

The aroma is that of fresh grapefruit with a hint of hops.  The flavor, as is typical for IPAs, is a strong dose of grapefruit hops from beginning to end.  If there is any malt, any sweetness, any "anything" to the flavor of this beer other than hops, my palate is either too delicate or too unsophisticated to detect it.  For me, all I get is hops bitterness, grapefruit bitterness, and a pine-like bitterness.  It's possible that I've had a more bitter IPA, but I don't remember it.  There probably aren't many beers above 93 IBUs which is where this one clocks in.

By way of a contrasting opinion, I should point out that Beer Advocate rates this an 84 or "good".  Reviewers there criticized it as too sweet, too malty, or too heavy.  They claimed the flavor didn't "let the hops shine".  Perhaps they had a draft version of the beer where the hops didn't play as big a part? 

As a representative of the American IPA style, or the Double IPA style, this is probably an excellent example.  You won't want for hops flavor or aroma here.  Manzanita Chaotic Double India Pale Ale has that in spades. If you like IPAs and are excited by hoppy beers, give it a try.  If, like me, you prefer a beer that as a wider, more-balanced flavor profile, move along – there's nothing to see (or taste) here.

IBU:  93
ABV: 10.1%
My Rating:  2/10

Gordon Biersch Maibock Draft (8/10)

Gordon Biersch, a Columbus, Ohio, brewer, produces and sells a number of beers through its brewery/restaurant locations.  Their Maibock is an excellent example of the style.

It pours into the glass a reddish medium brown with a thick white head that dissipates quickly, and a lot of lacing.

The flavor is an excellent balance of roasted caramel malt sweetness and hops bitterness.  Fortunately, it's served in half-liter glasses at their restaurant - since you'll want to sample a lot of it.

ABV: 7.3%
IBU: 25
My rating: 8/10

Bell's Oarsman (8/10)

Bell's Brewery in Michigan produces Oarsman, a Berliner Weissbier (or white beer). The brewery may be best known for its Bell's Two Hearted Ale, which is a very hoppy brew and not on my favorites list.

The beer is yellow in color, with virtually no head.  It has a lemony flavor, as though you've squeezed a lemon slice into it.  The hoppiness is minimal here.  Overall, the flavor is mild and well-balanced, consistent with Bell's intent to create a sessionable beer.

Beer Advocate's visitors rate Oarsman 81 out of 100, or "good".  They describe is as "bready with lemon and citrus tones" and "a very smooth and light beer".

I sampled this at The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road.  It may be available at local retailers but I've not noticed it at any of them recently.

ABV: 4%
IBU: unknown
My rating: 8/10

AleFeast Dayton 2013

Earlier today, my wife and I attended the fifth annual AleFeast Dayton.  The event is held in the Dayton Masonic Center, which is located next to the Dayton Art Institute.  It features over 60 different craft beers, paired with foods from a large number of eateries in the Dayton area. 

Attendance at the AleFeast is limited to 800 people, and it appears that they hit that limit this year.  Attendees receive a commemorative glass with the AleFeast logo on it, an event guide, and tickets to sample up to 20 different craft beers.  (Tickets are not needed to sample the food items.)

The aim of the event is to both raise money for charity and to demonstrate how certain beers and foods pair together.

This year's food selections included a beef stew made with St. Bernardus Abt 12 Belgian Ale, carved top round of beef, Thai red curry with chicken, beans and rice, Asian bay scallops, salmon braised in sweet chili sesame, Mexican Style Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail, Vegan chili, cheese steak subs, Greek vegetarian subs, and much more.  For dessert, you could pick up chocolates from Friesinger's Chocolates, stout floats from Ritter's Frozen Custard of Kettering, or lemon curd and blueberry crepes.  And all that's just a portion of the food available at the event.

Of the food, my overall favorite had to be The Pub at The Greene's Shepherd's Pie.  Its texture, flavor, and balance of meat to potatoes was perfect.  According to the menu on their web site, it includes beef, lamb, Bordelaise, peas, carrots, and chive whipped potatoes topped with mozzarella cheese and parmesan bread crumbs.  It was absolutely delicious.  After I got home, I was pleased to learn that The Pub has a location at Polaris which also serves the dish.  I'm looking forward to visiting it soon.

That wasn't the only good thing I had to eat at AleFeast, though.  Also worthy of note were:

• Foremost Seafood's Asian Bay Scallops – These were placed in pyllo cups with some wasabi sauce, vegetables, and other sauces.  The spiciness of the horseradish was an excellent match for the scallops.  (Foremost's table is featured in the photo at the right.)
• Friesinger's Chocolates brought in a confection similar to a turtle candy that just melted in your mouth.  The milk chocolate was creamy, smooth, and rich.  It was offset by the chewy caramel and nuts.  It was delicious.
• Jay's Seafood Restaurant brought in their Mexican Style Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail.  It was delicious and had just the right amount of spice.
• The South Park Tavern's Cheese Steak Sub was good also, and they offered it in generous portions.
• Dayton Nut Company's roasted cashews and pecans were great also.

Considering that this is a beer site, you're probably wondering what beer was there.  I won't list all of it, but enough to give you a picture of what you might have tried had you attended the event:

• Goose Island's Christmas Ale, Pepe Nero, Matilda, Sofie, and Lolita
• Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
• Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout
• Hoppin' Frog BORIS the Crusher, and Goose Juice
• Avery Joe's Pils
• St. Bernardus Abt 12
• Kona Koko Brown
• North Coast Old Stock
• Victory Golden Monkey
• Chimay Trappist Red, and Trappist White
• New Holland Monkey King Saison
• Widmer SXNW, KGB Russian Imperial Stout, and Columbia Common
• Dayton Beer Company Milk Stout

For the full list of food and beer, see the AleFeast web site (at least until they take the page down).
Tickets cost $50 in advance, or $55 at the door.  A portion of the proceeds for the event benefits The Suicide Prevention Center and the Dayton Area Rugby Club.

In addition to the food and beer, live music was played by musician Nick Mitchell, who also played at the Columbus AleFest a few weeks ago.  Mitchell does a good job selecting music that works with the event and doesn't detract from it.

For the first hour, the venue wasn't very crowded and the entire selection of beer and food items remained available.  During the last hour of the event, many of the beers had run out, and some food items were no longer available.  Noise during the last couple of hours (and heat from the crowds) also picked up quite a bit.  In spite of this, it was still a fun event. 

We had a great time at AleFeast Dayton and look forward to attending again next year.  If you can make the trip from Columbus to Dayton next March, I definitely recommend it.

The next event being run by the same group is AleFest Dayton, scheduled for August 24, 2013.  They'll also take part in Dayton Beer Week, which takes place August 17-24.

Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged Outta Kilter (10/10)

Akron, Ohio, based Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company produces a number of great beers.  I'm fond of their BORIS the Crusher stout, so I jumped at the opportunity to try Barrel Aged Outta Kilter when offered a bottle.

Barrel Aged Outta Kilter pours a semi-transparent coppery brown with little or no head or lacing.  The aroma is oaky, and even a touch like bourbon.

The flavor begins with a standard slightly hoppy scotch red ale flavor, which quickly gives way to a wash of vanilla and oaky notes.  It's an extremely smooth beer that is easy to drink in spite of its very rich flavor. Hops bitterness might be present in this ale, but it takes a back seat to the malt, vanilla, and oak – and that's fine by me.  The finish is oak and malt, and quite pleasant.

Ratebeer gives this a 94/100, which is certainly a well-deserved rating.  I'm giving it a 10/10.

(This can be found locally at The Andersons General Store near the intersection of Rt. 161 and Sawmill Road.)

ABV:  8.2%
IBU:  23
My Rating:  10/10

Wychwood Hobgoblin Red Ale (6/10)

Wychwood Brewery, located in the UK, produces Hobgoblin.  Hobgoblin is a curiously-named red ale, brewed with Chocolate and Crystal malts and three varieties of hops.

It pours a reddish-brown color with an off-white head and a hoppy aroma.

The flavor is malty, but tempered with a mild to moderate hops bitterness.  It's not bad at all, but definitely not my favorite beer.

This is another of those beers that splits the editors of the Beer Advocate site from their visitors.  Visitors rate Hobgoblin 83 (or "good") while the editors call it "exceptional" and give it a 91.

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 24
My rating: 6/10