Recommended beers from Ohio

red999 · Jun 22, 2009

I have a buddy that lives in Ohio that'll be visting me in Connecticut in a couple of weeks. Any recommendations on beers I should get him to bring along. Hes not a beer drinker so hes gonna need some help. I prefer IPAs and stouts, but I open for any "must haves" from the area.

And he lives just outside Columbus if there if you know of any beerstores he must go to.

Yooper · Jun 22, 2009

Two of my all-time favorites are from Ohio- both from Great Lakes. Edmund Fitzgerald is THE porter. It's fantastic. Another favorite is Burning River- it's an APA that IMHO leans toward an IPA. It's got great hops flavor and it's a great session beer for me.

GLWIII · Jun 22, 2009

Thirsty Dog Brewery has a couple good ones in the lineup. The Siberian Nights Imperial Stout is a must and Old Leghumper is another fine one. If you don't have anything from Bells brewery in your area they are Michigan based, but distribute widely in Ohio. They have a number of righteous beers, but atop my recommended list would be Two Hearted, Expedition Stout, Hopslam, and Kalamazoo Stout.

Irie5447 · Jun 22, 2009

Yeah pretty much anything from Great Lakes Brewery! They sell a 12 pack sampler that I often see at the grocery store if you have never tried?

Mad_Milo · Jun 22, 2009

Hoppin' Frog beers are worthy of a road trip. I know they distribute here and there including Massachusetts, but not sure if they get into Connecticut. BORIS, Mean Manalishi IIPA, Hoppin' to Heaven IPA, and the Silk Porter all come with high recommendations, and BORIS even has a Gold from GABF.

They are all big flavor, big brew beers. The downside of that is the bit bigger price as they only come in 22oz bombers.

marubozo · Jun 22, 2009

+1 for pretty much anything from Great Lakes Brew Co. I usually go through at least one sampler pack a month. If I don't get a sampler, I go for the Commodore Perry IPA, 2008 gold medal winner at the world beer championships.

captianoats · Jun 22, 2009

There is a really small brewery called Mt. Carmel. Brewing Company. They're right outside of Cincinnati. All of their stuff is good (although the blonde ale is my favorite). Also, they put their stuff in growlers, not bottles or cans, so you and your buddies can share it.

Auspice · Jun 22, 2009

Great Lakes, Hoppin' Frog, and Thirsty Dog are probably the most popular. If you're looking at other bears from the region Founder's and Bell's are great.

beesy · Jun 22, 2009

Just make sure he goes to Palmers or a good beer store to get your Burning River to ensure it is fresh. you can get it at the Krogers and Giant Eagles, but my experience has been they sit around a while at these places and often don't have the nose they do when fresh or on tap.

I enjoy Columbus Brewing IPA as I am a fan of Chinook hops.

jmo88 · Jun 22, 2009

marubozo said:
+1 for pretty much anything from Great Lakes Brew Co. I usually go through at least one sampler pack a month. If I don't get a sampler, I go for the Commodore Perry IPA, 2008 gold medal winner at the world beer championships.

+100 for the Perry IPA. It is the only IPA I miss from OH. In fact, I try to drink this exclusively when I go back to visit the fam.

Wikipeteia · Jun 22, 2009

Mad Brewer in North Ridgeville has some decent 22s. I like their RBI IPA, and the White Storm is nothing to sneeze at.

Buckeye Brewing in Lakewood/Bedford's beers are alright, if you like beers that all kinda taste similar. They have what seems to be 4 different IPAs that all taste remarkably similar as their feature beers. 76, Hippie, Aquarius, Bling Bling. There's just not a ton of distinction to justify 4 IPA.

The new Fathead's in North Olmsted has great beers, but, nothing transportable -- everything is available in growler only.

The most recent Glockenspiel was better than the first batch. Much more robust and tasty.

Mad_Milo · Jun 22, 2009

Almost forgot, if your friend is coming from the west side of Cleveland, there are also a couple brewpubs that sells growlers.

Cornerstone Brewery in Berea - great variety and quality brew. It's really come around in the past couple of years.

Brew Kettle in Strongsville - been a while since I've been there, but they sell 22oz bottles now. Their brews are good as well (but their smoked meat is better).

Beer_Maker · Jun 22, 2009

+ eleventy billion for Great Lakes Brewing Company Commadore Perry IPA, Burning River Pale Ale, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Elliot Ness Amber Ale, Dortmunder Gold Lager, and their Christmas Ale.

My girlfriend lives in OH and makes frequent trips with a trunk full of GLBC beers for my friends and I. :rockin:

I would go out on a limb and say that they are in my top 5 favorite breweries.

beesy · Jun 22, 2009

Wikipeteia said:
Mad Brewer in North Ridgeville has some decent 22s. I like their RBI IPA,...QUOTE]

It's funny you mentioned this beer as i picked one up Friday was feeling the need to write this guy. Me and two of my friends were sampling this from a 22oz. Let me tell you it was terrible. It was no where near the 8o ibu it stated, had no hop aroma, flavor or bitterness and tasted quite frankly a lot like how BO smells. It was funny because two of us actually smelled ourselves to make sure it wasn't one of us as it had a BO nose to it! It had a taste that seemed to have a little of a hefe yeast taste. The only thing we could think of was that it might have gotten mislabeled, but I would have still been disappointed with it in any fashion. It sounds like you have had it several times, what was your honest opinion.

Auspice · Jun 23, 2009

Wikipeteia said:
The most recent Glockenspiel was better than the first batch. Much more robust and tasty.

I LOVE Glockenspiel; I picked up a 4 pack last week and it's absolutely delicious.

red999 · Jun 23, 2009

Wow, looks like I'm gonna have a long list for my buddy. I've had the Great Lake pale and it was delicious. Keep the suggestions coming.

ohiobrewtus · Jun 23, 2009

Thirsty Dog Hoppus Maximus, Old Leghumper and Balto, +1 to anything GLBC.

TommyBoy · Jun 23, 2009

Great Lakes Christmas Ale - Out of season

Great Lakes Grassroots (Saison)

If your friend was willing to go to the east side there is a milk stout from Willoughby Brewing called Mad Cow. They might just have it on nitro but I could be wrong.

Irie5447 · Jun 23, 2009

jmo88 said:
+100 for the Perry IPA. It is the only IPA I miss from OH. In fact, I try to drink this exclusively when I go back to visit the fam.

I just picked up a sixer of this IPA. Very good its more on the sweeter, maltier side of IPA's like a DFH 60 minute. Definitely an East Coast IPA. I like!

Recommended beers from Ohio

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