HOPS.JPG
A hops workshop is set for Feb. 13 in Wooster. One of the basic ingredients in beer, various strains of hops can yield specific flavors in beer.
(Courtesy of Pat Daniels)
Cleveland, Ohio -- From a Robert Burns dinner to a hops workshop to Flying Monkeys landing in Ohio, Greater Cleveland is awash in beer news and notes:
Celebrating Robert Burns:Market Garden Brewery, which has been hosting local writers for its monthly Brews + Prose series, is branching out to poetry. The folks at the brewery will celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22. Burns was born Jan. 25, 1759 and fathered 14 children. From one of his most popular poems, "Tam O'Shanter," comes these lines:
"One market night, Tam was seated just right, Next to a fireplace, blazing finely, With creamy ales, that drank divinely."
The celebration close to Burns' 255th birthday includes a bagpiper bellowing "Scotland the Brave," assorted toasts, "Ode to the Haggis," kilts and more. Cost is $50 and includes dinner, a pint of Wallace Tavern Scotch Ale, a shot of whiskey and entertainment. Should be an interesting night. "We don't have the biggest Scottish population here," the brewery's Pat Daniels says, but space is filling fast. Call 216-621-4000. Market Garden is at 1947 W. 25th St., Cleveland.
Hat tip to Nano: Nano Brew – just down the street from its aforementioned sister bar, Market Garden - was named one of the best beer bars in the country for 2014 by Draft Magazine. The magazine rated bars based on a variety of factors, including knowledgeable servers and creative brews – basically, it looked for a place that "really, really cares about your experience with beer." Nano Brew is at 1859 W. 25th St.
Hops workshop set: Specific hops yield specific flavors – like citrus – in a beer. Growing them requires a specific harvesting process. A hops workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in Wooster. The workshop is at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave. The $25 fee includes light breakfast and lunch. A Wooster Brewery tour and pizza dinner will follow the program; tickets are $10 and will be sold during the workshop. Registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 31. For details, email Charissa McGlothin at [email protected] or call 740-289-2071, ext. 132.
Barrel-aged Blackout Stout release party: Great Lakes Brewing Co. hasn't held a bash to release a beer since, well, October, when the annual party was held to debut this year's version of Christmas Ale. Now the Ohio City brewer is holding a dinner on Monday, Jan. 20, to release its barrel-aged Blackout Stout. Choose between one of two sessions – 5-7 p.m. or 8:30-10:30 p.m. Cost is $40 and includes tax and tip. Guests will receive tickets to taste samples of various ales. There will be live blues music and barbecue-themed menu, as well as an earlybird chance to buy the stout a day before it goes on sale to the public. It's at 2701 Carroll Ave., Cleveland. Call 216-771-4404. Online registration only is at greatlakesbrewing.com/events/3362. Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout will be available for sale in 12-ounce bottles ($8), four-packs ($30) and cases ($180) beginning 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the gift shop.
Flying Monkeys! Another month, another beer entering the Ohio market. With a bit less fanfare than Colorado's New Belgium Brewing Co. or the upcoming Deschutes Brewery from Oregon, Flying Monkeys has swooped in by way of Barrie, Ontario. "It's a challenge because we're trying to get over the image that Canadian beers are cheap and simple lagers," said Dave Esber of Canton-based Esber Beverage Company. "They're big beers the beer consumer is looking for." The soft rollout is hitting Western New York and Ohio, he said. Flying Monkeys would have been here sooner, but the U.S. government shutdown last year slowed things up. (Brewers need federal approval from the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which became backlogged during the shutdown.) The first beers from Flying Monkeys to be distributed in Ohio are Smashbomb Atomic IPA and Manifesto Imperial Stout. Esber says expect more beers as soon as TTB approval comes through. Barrie is about 60 miles north of Toronto.