Rick Armon - Ohio Breweries

STACKPOLE
BOOKS

Copyright 2011 by Stackpole Books

Published by
STACKPOLE BOOKS
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
www.stackpolebooks.com

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books.

The author and publisher encourage readers to visit the breweries and sample their beers and recommend that those who consume alcoholic beverages travel with a nondrinking driver.

ISBN: 978-0-8117-4503-1

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

FIRST EDITION

Cover design by Tessa J. Sweigert

Labels and logos are used with the permission of the breweries

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Armon, Rick.

Ohio breweries / Rick Armon. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-0868-5 (pbk.)

ISBN-10: 0-8117-0868-3 (pbk.)

1. Bars (Drinking establishments)OhioGuidebooks. 2. BreweriesOhioGuidebooks. I. Title.

TX950.57.O3A76 2011

647.95771dc23

2011017021

It was May 4, 2010election night in Ohioand I was sitting at my desk at the Akron Beacon Journal bored. Unlike what voters or the general public might think, election night is pretty darned boring. You sit for hours waiting for election results to come. Then they do and you quickly call candidates to get their reactions and write furiously to meet an unrealistic deadline. So for about a half hour, youre obnoxiously busy.

So there I was waiting for results. Bored. I dont even know why, but I shot off an e-mail to Lew Bryson, a well-respected beer blogger, magazine writer, and author of New York Breweries and Pennsylvania Breweries and co-author of New Jersey Breweries. Lew and I had met years earlier when he completed the New York book and I was co-writing a beer column at the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper in Rochester, New York. He was a likable guysomeone who enjoyed beer but wasnt a beer snob. Through the years, I had kept in touch and occasionally used him as a source for newspaper stories about beer.

When I had moved to Ohio in 2005, Lew had encouraged me to write the Ohio version of his other books. I had thought about it and always decided against it. For some reason, that night I asked Lew if Stackpole Books had ever found someone to write the Ohio book. The publisher hadnt. Lew put in a good word for me. And now heres the book.

So I must thank Lew. And also curse him. He really didnt warn me about how difficult the task of writing about fifty breweries would be. During my trips across the state, we exchanged e-mails, with me asking him if he had encountered similar obstacles. He had. And Ill get into some of those later in the book because anyone who decides to visit all these breweries will likely run into the same hurdles.

The Ohio breweries also deserve a warm and hearty thank you, especially Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, and Boston Beer Company. I had been warned that those larger companies would be unwilling to open their doors and talk about their operations. The exact opposite was true. They are passionate about their craft, proud of their connection with Ohio, and more than willing to share their stories.

I am really appreciative of all the help from John Najeway, one of the owners of Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron. John and I have known each other for years, and he provided much encouragement and help along the way.

The Akron Beacon Journal also helped, allowing me to adjust my schedule. I worked Saturday through Wednesday at the newspaper, and drove around the state researching and writing on Thursdays and Fridays. For nearly four months, I worked seven days a week.

Thats why my wife Wendy deserves kudos as well. She put up with months of me being away on overnight trips and holing up in a converted office at our house to write and re-write. While I focused on the book, she had to babysit our crazy dog, a lab-whippet mix that thrives on attention.

Lastly, I wanted to extend a special thanks to my mom, Jean Armon. She died from cancer while I was researching and writing this book. We talked often by phone while I was crisscrossing the state. She was a nurse and worried that I was drinking too much. I wish she could have seen the book published.

Welcome to Ohio. This book isnt about history and breweries that died out long ago. Its about the here and nowa guidebook to the states current brewing industry.

Its about industry giants that call Ohio home, such as Anheuser-Busch InBev in Columbus and MillerCoors in Trenton. Its about the well-respected and big craft brewers such as Boston Beer Company in Cincinnati and Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. And its about the tiny operations such as Quarter Barrel Brewery & Pub in Oxford and Great Black Swamp Brewing in Toledo.

This is also a travel book, providing insight into Ohio-made beer and giving you a reason to sample the states offerings.

First, lets start with a little background about Ohio. Its the seventh most populous state in the nation with 11.5 million people. Unlike many other states, Ohio has plenty of major cities scattered throughout: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo, most of them with a history steeped in manufacturing.

Although it is home to award-winning breweries, Ohio has long been overshadowed by other states when it comes to beer-making. Perhaps the reason involves sheer numbers. Ohio has forty-nine breweries, not counting small operations at private clubs. Just to the north, Michigan has more than sixty craft breweries. Just to the east, Pennsylvania has more than seventy operations. Colorado has more than ninety.

Ohio has been slower to embrace the craft brewery revolution. Why? Brewers blame it partly on the high taxes and permit fees here. The numbers are changing, though. Thanks in part to the rise of nanobreweriestiny operations brewing on small systems that even some skilled homebrewers useOhio has seen a spike in new breweries. In 2010 and 2011 alone, at least eleven opened.

My job was to visit them all. Over the course of four short months, I put nearly 7,000 miles on my black Toyota Rav4 while crisscrossing the state over and over to visit breweries. I sampled more than 400 different beers. At the end, my pants were tight. Too tight. My regular exercise regime took a backseat to beer sampling. My one regret is that I didnt weigh myself at the beginning of this adventure.