One of My New Favorite Beer Bars

I had the great fortune of (somewhat) wandering into a new place in a new town and finding my Central Ohio Beer Valhalla.  The town in question is Granville, Ohio.  Home to Denison University, this is what can only be described as an idyllic setting for a late December Christmas experience that I've only seen accomplished in Ithaca, New York and Thomas Kincaid paintings.

The restaurant/pub in question is called simply Brews Cafe - a name far too simple for what's inside.  This place serves up not just a list of some of the finest drafts I've ever seen in one place, but also has a delicious food menu to boot.  The vibe is so ingrained with beer perfection that it becomes understated.  I can only illustrate what I am trying to state by letting you know that there is a Brother Thelonius Neon at the hostess stand.  If you know beer, you know what I am saying.

A two story building, you access the second floor via stairs on one side.  The upstairs seating is on the perimeter and opens into a complete view of the downstairs in the middle.  This open-air feel is both festive and comfortable at the same time and is accentuated by a Christmas Tree on the farthest end that is visible on both the first and second floors.  I could have slept here overnight.

On to the beers.  I have included a partial photo of their draft menu, and as you can see they take a "no crap on tap" mentality.  Add to that some local seasonals such as the Columbus December Hop Odyssey Cousin Eddie,  Elevator Winter Warmer, Brew Kettle Winter Warmer, and Great Lakes Christmas Ale.  Go a bit further with the Belgian Classic Delerium Noel and the collaboration La Citielle Celeste de Citrocado and you star to see a great beer menu unfold.  I started with the Clipper City Winter Storm ON CASK!!!!

The beer menu is too much for me to list here, but I finished with the Emelisse Belgian Winter Ale from the Netherlands and the aforementioned La Citrielle.  Let's also add that they carried Stone, Troeg's, Avery, Great Lakes, North Coast, Clipper City, Rogue, and Anchor.  Not a bad lineup.

If you are near this area, make sure to check this place out - you won't be disappointed.

www.brewscafe.com

Beer in Columbus

I had the pleasure of having some great brews at a Columbus, Ohio brewpub called Barley's Brewpub across from the North Market.  I had visited on a previous visit and was especially excited at the thought of what they would brew in the wintertime - I was not disappointed.  

I got a sampler of every brew they made in house to the tune of 12 beers total.  Starting off easy with a pilsner, scottish ale, and pale ale; they quickly moved into headier stuff.  Two Christmas beers, a Russian Imperial Stout, a Belgian Dubbel, a Barleywine, two IPAs, and some cask offerings of the aforementioned brews.  Good stuff.  Make that great stuff.

We also ordered a Reuben Sandwich, chicken wings, and some great house-made chips with this beer cheese sauce that was absolutely delicious.

The atmosphere in this place reminds me of living up north and escaping from the cold into a warm pub.  Another thing I couldn't wait for was to walk into Barley's out of the snow and grab a pint of an 11% Barleywine.  Well, the weather didn't cooperate but the beer and cuisine were wonderful.  

To make the trip even better, I was able to stop by a boutique beer store in the North Market and pick up some great bottles that I can't get anywhere near us.

To start, they now get Ithaca Brewing in Ohio which makes me extremely happy.  Being a Cornell Alum, I fell in love with Ithaca Brewing many years ago and miss their stuff.  To make it even better, they had the Cold Front Belgian Amber which I had not had before.  It didn't relent from there.  I picked up a bottle of collaboration Stone/Bruery/Elysian La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado which is made with pumpkin, yams, and fenugreek; a bottle of Two Brothers Domaine du Page; AleSmith Horny Devil; and Rockmill Brewery's Saison.  I am especially excited about the Saison, which I've had once before.  Rockmill is a tiny farmhouse brewery just south of Columbus and their stuff rokks!!!

Being that I have a good amount of stuff here from Great Lakes (including their Christmas Ale), I am going to save all of these and share them with some friends back home.  Results to come soon!!!!







 

Getting Jim Koch to DeLand

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Koch in Denver

In case you have not seen the many posters around DeLand, we are doing our best to get Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams, to DeLand for the 3rd annual DeLand Craft Beer Festival.

Why are we going after such a big fish?  Because we can.

What makes the DeLand Craft Beer Festival unique?  A few things:

1.  ALL of the profits go to charity!  Many festivals give a portion of their proceeds in an attempt to get breweries to donate all of the product.  Do the math.....  All of our profits go to Mainstreet DeLand, the non-profit that is responsible for keeping our historic downtown vital.  In these tough economic times when downtowns are disappearing, it is especially important that we get all of the support that we can.

2.  We keep the crowd to 650 people!  Where many festivals pack as many people in as they can, we ensure that everyone at our event is comfy cozy and able to enjoy themselves.

3.  We save beer all year for this event!  We do not leave ourselves a the mercy of what is available now - no no no.  We go the extra length to save beers from the entire year so you get not only the seasonals available right now, but some stuff that is not currently in the market.

Planning for the festival

4.  We have a rare and vintage table!  Of course, each is available on a limited basis, so you must get them while they last.


Anyway, we have made a commercial to send to Jim himself to try to get him to join.  The Mayor of DeLand himself made a pitch and we got the whole community involved.  Keep your fingers crossed and if you need tickets you can get them at ABBEY, the DeLand Beacon, or the Mainstreet DeLand office.  We will sell out and NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

CHEERS!!!!!!