The BrassTap, “Drink Like a Local”…The largest collection of Local Cincinnati Beer on draft anywhere!

Fans of local Cincinnati Beer…heads up and hold to your mugs!  The BrassTap, located in Clifton across the street from U.C, is opening this weekend officially on Sunday.  Now, you might be wondering why a Local Beer Online Community like CincinnatiBeer.org would cover a bar?  There are three reasons.  The first, this just isn’t any bar!  Second is that when the BrassTap opens on Sunday they are launching with the largest collection of local Cincinnati Beer on draft in the city!  The third is that the mantra of the company is “Drink Like A Local”! (dang, wish I would have thought of that mantra!) (I know….who says “dang”?)

Mic, the managing partner, along with his parents Marta and Mike Foster are opening The Brass Tap this Sunday, 29 September.  When they launch, they will be serving up 21 Local Cincinnati Beers.  They have 80 taps available of great beer overall and their goal is that they will get to 30 of their taps being dedicated to Local Cincinnati Beer. Cool random side note:  Mic, Marta and Mike had been working on this concept for about two years, but it was actually mom (Marta) that discovered the BrassTap opportunity in Tampa at The BrassTap Headquarters…way to go Mom!!!! (Moms rock!) (I’ll be sending this review to my mom now…)

Not only will The BrassTap have the largest collection of Local Cincinnati Beer, but by my calculation will have the best prices!  There is a happy hour that runs every day (except Sunday) until 9pm which knocks $2 off of all drafts which should make The BrassTap the best local Cincinnati beer deal in town!  That’s right, that’s not a misprint…Happy Hour runs until 9pm! They also have ½ price beers on Monday until 9pm! It’s crazy; that means until 9pm you will be able to drink some local Cincinnati Beer for 2-4 dollars!

For the opening, Mic is requiring that the 22 newly minted servers go through a 5 day “Beer Boot-Camp”.  (See below for this in action) Beer Boot Camp covers the essentials; history of brewing, types of beers, appropriate glassware etc.   According to Mic this is a very knowledgeable beer staff under the guidance of GM Mike Kibitsch. 

 

This is largely a fine beer establishment with food not a major focus at all.  In fact, food won’t be available at all until November and when it is, it will simply be “snack” oriented.  So the space they saved by not having a big kitchen they used to build this huuuuuuuge beer cave!  I like this concept, I call it “Laser Beer Focus” (LBF)…See below:

 

I asked Mic about his reasoning for their location choice and he explained that there are other areas in Cincinnati that really might not need another establishment like his, The Banks, OTR etc., but that he felt that it was a unique offering for Clifton.  The BrassTap is located in the new U Square 78 Million Dollar development in Clifton and is surrounded by great dining choices.  Mic views his establishment as one of a couple of destinations that his customers would visit while they are out.  So wrapped around this Beer-Mecca called The BrassTap is a collection of neighborhood culinary opportunities to include with your brew infused festivities!  

Meanwhile, back to the beer….there are really some great beer events in the works.  WTF ALERT!!! (WTF-What The Firken) They will have a 10 tap take over every month.  In the works locally are Madtree and Rhinegeist.  Epic Brewery from Salt Lake will be on Oct 1 and Founders is scheduled for November.  Also monthly Firkens and Randall events are planned!  I admit, occasionally when no one is looking I actually drink fine ales from other locations other than Cincinnati and the fact that Epic and Founders will at some point have 10 taps dedicated is craaaaazy!  Mic did disclose that there will also be some considerably rare options served up by these brewers. 

The build-out of this “fine beer establishment” also includes a venue for live acoustic music.  Local acoustic artists are to be booked by local musician Donnie Bray. The build out includes a kinda “Romeo and Juliet” balcony for the musicians to play on that overlooks the back room.  (What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!...oops…sorry for the Shakespearian digression! ) Also included is a built-in PA System. As a former acoustic musician, I can tell you that it’s a really big deal to know that you don’t have to schlep a bunch of equipment but can just show up with guitar in hand, plug in and play! Are you kidding me? Local Beer and Local Music.  I feel like someone has been has been eavesdropping on my dreams and built a business plan around it!

Mic anticipates pushing 20K pints a fine brew a month! Make sure you are in the first thousand pint club! Although obviously (by law) Mic has to buy the local brews through distributors, he works directly with the local brewers themselves in the selection process, which he heads up, to determine which Local Cincinnati Beers he serves up.  This Sunday is D-Day….Saturday is a prelim Facebook launch! 

Be there or be U Square at the BrassTap in Clifton!

Clyde The BrewTruth

See below for his local beer list as it stands today! Also, Mic mentioned there will  be two surprise local Cincinnati kegs that will be served up next week!

Rhingeist Franz

Rhingeist Uncle

Rhingeist Cougar

Rhingeist Truth

BlankSlate pitter patter

BlankSlate Lesser Path

BlankSlate Ryesing

MadTree Pump can

MadTree Happy Amber

MadTree Psychopathy

Rivertown Dunkel

Christian Morlein OTR

Christian Morlein Oktoberfest

Mt. Carmel Harvest Ale

Sam Adams Angry Orchard

Listermann Jungle Honey

Listermann Triple Digit Nutcase

Triple Digit Decimation

Listermann Chickow

Double Barrel Bad Tom

Cellar Dweller Shawesome

Mt Carmel: Harvest Ale

 

Last week I stopped by the Local Beer Fest-Thang that 50W was hosting.  It was early in the day so there wasn’t much going on at that point.  Just a few people meandering around and I was one of those folks with more time than beer on my hands.  That worked out well because it afforded me the opportunity to meet Jared, one of the brewers at Mt Carmel. Since it was still early in the day and a bit slow, Jared and I chatted quite a bit, exchanged observations on the burgeoning beer scene in Cincinnati and were of one mind about who our favorite brewer in the city was at this point. I will admit, that prior to the meeting I hadn’t been the biggest fan (at least in my little mind) of Mt Carmel beer. Although it is a goal of mine to taste and review at least one brew from each brewery in Cincinnati to start with, I had put Mt Carmel towards the bottom of the list because it is, how should I say, a bit less sexy than the new breweries popping up in the city. (Beer snob disclaimer warning!) However, now that I have pulled my “beer snobbed head” out of my exterior end, I can not only see a lot better, but was absolutely blown away by the beer that I tasted from Mt Carmel.  Jared later invited me to the brewery this week which I, in a duty-bound way, accepted. 

 

 

 I literally passed the brewery up, blew by it like a wayward wind with no particular place to go.  I was on a bike and it was a very hot 90plus day.  I first smelled the brewery, you know that very distinctive smell, intoxicating aroma and blissful bouquet that only can be attributed to breweries, but I just kept riding.  I eventually lost the scent and like any good bird dog knew that I must have past it so I circled back to sneak up on it.  The converted farm house shelters the tasting room and the attached outbuilding hides the brewery.  The place comes equipped with the obligatory pond with a weeping willow leaning over the pond stretching its’ branches downward as if drinking the water offered up from the pond.  This was a very different setting than the Cincinnati breweries that I had reviewed so far.  These guys are literally making beer in their back yard (it’s just a really big back yard!)

The Mt Carmel Harvest ale is a “newer” recipe and the recipe is shared by Mike, Jared and Virgil and is the last of the four seasonals to be developed.  When Jared started with Mt Carmel, he took over for Anthony, who has now moved on to becoming a lawyer, (trying really hard not to provide commentary on that).  Jared had only a three week overlap with Anthony before he had to go solo and in the first month was when he nailed down the recipe for the Mt Carmel Harvest Ale.  I also met Virgil while at the Brewery, between Virgil, Jared and assistant brewer Matt they handle the entire brewery and bottling operation. 

What makes this beer particularly interesting is that it is a dry-hopped harvest ale.  Normally when “people” refer to a harvest ale it is because they used freshly harvested hops as opposed to dried hops.  However the boys at Mt Carmel have used dry-hopping to get the freshness.  Normally dry hopping with Cascade is done with an IPA for example.

GUEST BEER REVIEWER!!!:  I actually had Jared review his own beer and below are the notes from him describing his experience.  (pretty cool, huh?)

“the goal is a fully body ale, ESB.  Hops are English challenger and Cascade and then dry hopped with Cascade”

NOSE: “the nose is fresh, grassy, lemon citrus. 

TASTE: “Coates your entire tongue, full flavor across, velvety, not prickly, very smooth.  Not super hard up front.  Citrus is more of a rind flavor, not orange”

“…the Malt is slight sweet, biscuit quality almost graham like”

FINISH: “…not super dry, but dries up a bit, linger fresh hops on the tongue”

When I asked him what the Harvest Ale will taste like on the third beer he said:  “…the hops will take over, going back and forth between hops and the malt” 

Jared provided a great explanation of what to expect from this ale, this ale has a very approachable personality and immediately gets your attention. You like the ale when you first meet it and you like it even better the more you get to know it. 

5 Cool Brew Clues:  (Things to talk about and impress with whoever will listen with while partaking…)

1.  The color led them to the style, very fall like bright auburn color. 

 2. They have increased capacity 40 percent since May and have plans to continue to increase capacity. 

3.  The head is off white because of the malt, the roasted malt makes it a tan head

 4.  ABV 5.8, IBU 55

5.  They have a tap room only nut brown cask-conditioned coming soon

What I really like is how they “handle” their beer handles.  One of the things I see beer consumers struggle with is choosing new local beer because they’ve never had it before.  So they are largely picking their beer based on how the “name sounds” (kinda like choosing wine because of the label).  Mt Carmel’s handles actually include a detailed description of the beer which is just smart all the way around.  I also tasted the Porter (which was brewed for Dewey’s Pizza) and the Stout and was just blown away by both of the brews.  While I tasted these, Mike (owner) came by and shared that he had just had the Harvest Ale at the Main Street Tavern and how much he really liked “his own” ale.   Sorta cool in an antidotal, incidentally speaking as a side note way.   

Towards the end of our session I shared with Jared (with my tail between my legs) that I had been guilty in discounting Mt Carmel and had become overly enamored with the coolness of some of the other breweries, this is how Jared responded;

“Yeah, we’re not too cool, we just make beer. We aren't the pretty boys at the dance.  We just let the beer speak for itself.”

Just letting the brewer speak for himself….

Clyde Brewtruth
www.facebook.com/cincinnatibeer

PS...See below for pic of Mt Carmel Cow Food!

BrewRiver

Brew Me A River

 

There lies a place, a seemingly humble place, on the banks of the Ohio River which serves as a moat protecting the beer treasure that lies within.  In this place, this magical place where culinary artistry meets brewing brilliance, you’ll find just what you’ve been looking for your whole life. This place is BrewRiver GastroPub.

BrewRiver, as deemed by this reviewer, is the only true GastroPub in Cincinnati.  Surrounded by bike paths that fend off would be customers' autos, the Innkeepers of this fine establishment, Jobi/Michael/Christian are, as these stories often reveal, the magic behind the place formerly known as the Dew Drop Inn.    

In interest of full disclosure, I am by any definition (including my kids) obsessed with BrewRiver.  If this place did not serve food, I would be just as attracted because of the great atmosphere, beer collection and the incredible bar.  With that said, if there was no bar or beer, I still would be anchored to this place because of Chef Michael’s ability to weave culinary poetry.  But back to the bar itself… If you are an admirer of fine bars, this bar, both the top as well as the back of the bar is simply a work of art wrapped in hand carved wood and copper. I have a special relationship with copper bars, there….I said it.  Now everyone knows. 

 

The raison d'etre of this blog is to create an online community (a gathering place of sorts) of local Cincinnati beer enthusiasts.  Why then would I review BrewRiver here? Because they are moral enthusiasts and emboldened champions of not only great craft beer but also of great local Cincinnati beer.  At any time, they have 6-10 local Cincinnati beers on tap.  They sponsor countless local Cincinnati beer events at their digs.  I am also choosing to cover BrewRiver at this time because it’s their anniversary; they are one year old this week!  Go here and queue up the Happy Anniversary Song from Fred Flintstone and his boys. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knp9-GY6fHE

Last night the Listermann’s Boys were there in force with their Cask Conditioned American Pale Ale dry hopped with Amarillo Hops, and the Intergalactic IPA single hopped with Galaxy Hops.  What a beer journey last night!  I have to admit (I know that this will cause a few raised eyebrows) that I like my cask conditioned on the colder side which is how they served it up yesterday.  This beer was crazy good.  Tomorrow is a pig roast which I can only imagine what Chef Michael will be able to do with that! See below for Kevin from Listermann’s on the tapping.

 

On to the goods on the grub.  There is a definite New Orleans flare to Chef Michael’s pub fare.  I can honestly say that I have NEVER had anything that I wasn’t simply out of my mind about.  With that said, I do have some favorites. Also, all the food is locally sourced whenever possible.   First, the Amish Chicken is at the top of the list. The honey sprinkled on the perfectly completed chicken is like no other.  This comes adorned with a slaw that will baffle your taste buds and tickle your belly!  Recently Chef Michael’s hamburger was anointed best in the city. I also am a huge fan of the mussels as well as the fried oyster po-boy!  The mac-n-cheese is downright, in an unadulerated way, truffleicious!  On the appetizer side of the house, the lobster hush puppies are crazy good and the chicken liver pate is insane!  If you have an opportunity to come in for Sunday Brunch, the bacon infused doughnuts are crazy good.  His biscuits are a stand-alone meal all on their own.  If you are there for Sunday brunch (and also Tuesday nights) you can have your hearing senses hugged by Todd Hepburn as he brings a little Tom Waits into your life. For the record, everybody needs a little Tom Waits in their life. 
 

Every once in a while, you will see the proud papa of the joint, Art, with his Moses stick in tow bellied up to the bar.  Absolutely hands down the finest gentleman you will ever meet.  One of the other great things about this place is the bar staff.  The Beer-keeps here really know their beer; James, Aaron and Joe.  Their lead server Colin also works part time with Scott at Blank Slate.  If you’re lucky you might have Alec or Colin as your server.  With all the great local Cincinnati beer coming on board it is awesome to watch these guys take the time to share some of their beer wisdom and help educate people new to the beer. 

See below a paparazzi- like photo of the local Cincinnati brewers Vulcan mind meld in progress.  Kevin and the Listermann Boys talking beer and what not with Scott from Blank Slate.  I really wanted to jump in on the conversation, but that would be “brewer-stalking” wouldn’t it?

 

 

On to the beer.  (that could be a bumper sticker).  See below for the now famous beer list which they are constantly editing (a sign of a great beer list is one that changes all the time).  In addition to the great local Cincinnati beers; they leverage their relationships with distributors to find the next up and coming brew or a rare and “out of reach for most places” kegs.  This is something that Peanut used to do when he was at the Dilly Deli but they just didn’t serve the food to back it up.  BTW…three cheers to Peanut and his new adventure at the Party Source! Another great aspect to the beer list is the variety of types of beers. On any given day at BrewRiver, you’ll find almost every type of beer brewed. 

BrewRiver Gastro Pub is a place where good people quench their thirst for great beer while filling their bellies with out of this world chow!

Rhinegeist - Spikelet

Rheingeist - Spikelet...wow!

Hands down, the coolest location & building to date housing a local Cincinnati brewery is Rhinegeist.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out their brew digs, do so as quickly as you can.  I was fortunate enough to have been at BrewRiver one night when Bryant came by a couple of weeks ago to let the folks at BrewRiver determine what beers from Rhinegeist they wanted to  first have on tap.  Yep, that really did happen….how cool am I?  OK…I’m not really cool…just right place at right time. 

 

 

I have to admit; out of the gate I am always a bit skeptical about how well a beer presents itself in a growler. As it turned out, a few of the beers had fallen a bit because they had been in the growler a tad too long. However, that was NOT a reflection on the beers at all, because after having them on tap in person at their launch of their Imperial IPA SaberTooth Tiger on site, they all stood out as great beers!

The beer that took front stage for me was their Spikelet beer. This is an American Wheat ale that is dry hopped with Bravo and Centennial hops.  The color on this beer is more amber than golden.  The nose is immediately refreshing, presenting a zesty hopped whiff.  What’s most interesting about the taste on this beer is how the hops build on the aftertaste that is also slight grassy.  The wheat is not very present nor is the zest in the taste.  It finishes with a very dry and clean finish.  This is a fantastically sessionable American Wheat that is an absolutely perfect summer beer.  It is unfiltered with great head retention and is 40% wheat.  This beer is going to pair well with anything from the grill, particularly grilled seafood. 

Session Warning: Spikelet will NOT be denied!  This beer will lock you in into a session.  You might try to fight it, or you might try to ignore it.  However you will not be able to escape the lock this beer will put on you.  Nor should you deny yourself a session with this beer.  Just accept going into it, if you are out already have your “ride” set up. You will tumble, willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or not into a session tango with this delectable dance of a brew. Spikelet will toy with you, it’s that simple.  Spikelet will taunt you, mock you, mislead you, tempt you and ultimately be your best friend.  Just when you think that you’ve have your last pint, that little “Spikelet -session-devil” will pop up on your shoulder and whisper in your ear; “come on-just one more, nobody’s counting!”

The brew digs at Rhinegeist are unparalleled.  Located at 1910 Elm St., just about a block north of Findlay Market, the building used to be part of the original Christian Moerlein brewery. This space is impressively cavernous.  The only downside for the brew digs is that it can get a bit balmy.  They could use a few more “big-ass fans”.  (That’s really the name of a fan…look it up).  Not surprisingly, one can also find cornhole here like many other Cincinnati Breweries.   Now I understand that Cincinnatians like their cornhole (why do I feel like I need to whisper that?).  But why can’t we just have only dart boards in the local Cincinnati breweries???? Can’t we make that a “beer-law”?  Now, I’m not “hating” on corn-hole…but….could you imagine our Irish Brethren darting over the pond to partake in the brewing magic beginning to unfold here in Cincinnati?  We must prepare ourselves, lest they return to Ireland and tell stories, fables and tales of the bean bag riddled breweries in Cincinnati with nary a dart to be found!  (uh, oh, sorry…now stepping down of my soap box).  Now horse-shoes…that’s a completely different story….that would be an admirable undertaking for a brewery! Horse-shoes for everyone!

I have heard a few people comment that the folks at Rhinegeist must be rolling around in funding because of the size of their brew-digs.  Granted its huge…but don’t let the size of their facility fool you.  This brewery, like many others, has tall tales that are boot strapped adventures that were necessary to launch their dream.  In fact, they located much of their equipment used at a closed brew facility in Mexico and were purchased on the cheap.  Just smart people making smart business decisions.

5         Cool Brew Clues:

(Things to talk about and impress with whoever will listen with while partaking…)

1.        IBU: 40   ABV 5.5%

2.       The tables at the brewer were constructed from old discarded lumber left at the facility

3.       The keg washer was also brought over from Mexico and was purchased for $300.  (normally  $20K piece of equipment)

4.       When they started they found a ton of Simcoe cheap, so they were able to leverage the size of their facility to store and keep it cool long enough. 

5.       Brewery was initially built in 1895.

Www.facebook.com/cincinnatibeer

We've started an online beer community for fans of local cincinnati beer!

It can be found at www.facebook.com/cincinnatibeer

Come check us out!

Let us know:

1.  What beer are you drinking?
2.  Where are of drinking it?
3.  Why do you like it?

Thanks!

Clyde Brewtruth

Madtree Brewery: "Pleasant Wheat"

Surrounded by a perpetual state of road construction in a not particularly hip or cool corner of town is a very cool and hip brewery called Madtree.  The industrial warehouse looking structure belies the true brewing artistry that takes place behind these metals walls down a gravely path.

Today’s visit for the testing was met with a musical ensemble from Washington jamming amongst brewing equipment and back-dropped by towering stainless steel beer appliances.  Kind of a cool background for the barley and hops based voyage I was about to embark on.  That’s right, a magically malted carpet ride dancing over clouds of hops and barley.  If you haven’t been to Madtree Brewery ...stop whatever you are doing and go now!  A very cool tasting room that overlooks the brewing  and canning operation equipped with the seemingly mandatory corn-hole apparatus’ that must come as a required part of orders for brewing equipment that is ordered for only Cincinnati breweries. 

BTW, Madtree is the first brewery in Ohio in a very long time to be canning their beer.

I chose to review Madtree’s “Pleasant Wheat”.  Even if you are not a fan of wheat beer, you must not discount this beer.  This is not a traditional wheat beer.  This is a VERY refreshing summer beer that successfully accomplishes a lot simultaneously, yet the beer still comes off has a very focused and simple beer presentation.  The folks at Madtree simple produce great beer consistently.

I am fortunate enough to have been to the English Gardens in Munich and have had the long tall glasses of German wheat beer frothed to  the  point that it often proves impossible to drink without saturating your moustache (if you come so equipped) so that you can enjoy that taste for days to come!  However that type of wheat beer might struggle in the U.S. to find a broad appeal, so some American craft breweries are taking a hybrid approach to their wheats.  The result is a very light and likeable, crisp and calculating, seasonal yet sessionable, drinks fine and lasts a long time, beer.

The color of this beer is a great, bright summer color that beckons to be held up to the sun for review.  The nose on this beer is decidedly but in a tricky way, a zesty whiff.  I picked up both grapefruit and lemon on the nose, more lemon than grapefruit which was interesting.  But don’t confuse this for a fruity beer, much less a lemon beer because it is nothing of the sort. 

Quickly moving from eyes to nose then to mouth it presents a great first drink that beckons for a quick repeat (which I of course chose to oblige gladly).  This beer has a dry and semi -short finish. The zest hits you up front with the first taste then with a slight after taste of an undecidedly tiny yet sweet taste which is undoubtedly from the malted wheat.  

After the first beer, the palate adjusts a bit and the beer presents a different side which is less on the zest and more on the ale side of the house. For this reviewer, this is what I find to be one of the most interesting aspects of this beer.  One can easily lose sight of the fact that they are drinking a wheat beer. 

This beer would be great with any sort of seafood, particularly grilled seafood.  It would also go great with grilled chicken or any sort of breaded entrees like pork chops (schnitzel).

This is not only great summer beer, but also would be a great beer in the winter months after a hard day of skiing!

5 RANDOM COOL BREW CLUES- MadTree: Pleasant Wheat

(Things to talk about and impress with whoever will listen with while partaking…)

1.        Hop haters have no fear, this beer only sports an IBU of 29. 

2.       ABV is only 4.7%

3.       Malts 2-row, wheat, carapils, Munich 10L and Hops : galena, fuggle, falconers flight, zythos

4.       The folks at MadTree source their water for their brewery from their well! Plus they have a water recipe for each beer that they brew. 

5.       Today they took delivery of two 60 barrel which will increase capacity to 210 barrels! Good news for Madtree fans!!!

 

Blank Slate: "Lesser Path"

The Brew Truth

Breweries are beginning to pop up in Cincinnati like uh, uh weeds in my mulch bed, no…knee high corn in July, no…….OK...calling "do over" now

Ehem...

Nestled, or better said, hidden in corner of a parking lot lurking behind a discreetly marked and inconspicuously common front door is an oasis for the connoisseur of fine local brew; otherwise known as The Blank Slate Brewery.  I’ve chosen Blank Slate and their India White Ale, Lesser Path to review as the first brew review simply because I am “out of my mind” crazy about this beer. 

OK…on to the “Brew Truth”…

The first thing that catches your eye is the distinctive summer color of this beer bouncing back and forth between a golden and light amber color that really shines when you hold it up to the sun.  The nose on this beer pulls your face straight into the glass, nose first.  It has a light citrus feel to the smell followed with a concise yet alluring quick whiff of the hops.

If you haven’t been sold yet by the color or the scent of this brew, what comes next is what will grab you and force you to savor this brewed nectar and look for the bottom of the glass only because it gives a reason to fill it back up again. The Lesser Path will take  your mouth on a ride.  Those of you that might be worried about IPAs having “too much of a bite”, shouldn’t give this a second thought with this beer.  It’s smooth; the hops are almost secondary to the crisp “beerness” that encapsulates the taste of this brew.  Like the amber waves of grain themselves, the wheat, oats and honey malts combine for a smooth and dry finish with zero bite from either the abv (Alcohol by volume) or the IBUs (International Bittering Units)

Anything you make on the grill would go great with this beer…anything…

You will, after the first drink want another one and isn’t that what drinking good beer is really about anyways?

The yeast farmer (self-proclaimed) that gave birth to this wonderful creation is Scott LaFollette.  Hands down one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, seriously.  He shares his time and expertise tirelessly with other beer enthusiasts to help spread the gospel of good brew. He is the king of the rumble in the jungle of hops.  But it’s not only his good nature that lends itself to delivering the goods on the brews, Scott is a Siebel graduate, certified beer judge and Cicerone…AND a chemist!  It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyways) Scott has some serious beer chops.

Here is Scott’s digital home:  www.blankslatebeer.com

5 RANDOM COOL BREW CLUES- Blank Slate:  Lesser Path

(Things to talk about and "beer-brag" with whoever will listen while partaking…)

1.        Lesser Path is part of the Traveling IPA Series of Blank Slate.  There are three brews; “Fork in the Road” color coded as an India Amber for Fall, “Long Way home”, which is an India Black for the  cold Winter months and then, fan-fare please………….”Lesser Path”, the white IPA for the summer months.  Note the “traveling theme” of the names…Feel free to interchange the names to tell stories of travel and great brew consumption!

2.       The hops used are: Columbus, Cascade and Nugget hops

3.       Also contained are wheat, oats and honey malts (yes you can have it for breakfast!)

4.       It is an white IPA or India White Ale

5.       Time is Running Out!  Scott just finished his last batch of the year!

6.       Lesser Path was just voted the #1 IPA in Cincinnati by a very cool group of local beer geeks.  http://queencitydrinks.com/2013/08/13/king-of-the-cincinnati-ipa/

7.       One of the most interesting aspects of this beer is the alcohol content at 6.5%.  I would have guessed it to have been much lighter on the ABV than that.  Everything about it drinks like a great summer refreshing beer. 

8.       There is not a tasting room at the Brewery but that is in the works for next year!

9.         On the tap handle of every Blank Slate brew "should" be a QR code that lets you travel across cyper space and beer warp speed to their website to read about said brew.

10.       Yes, I lost count….

I have included a picture of the inside of the Blank Slate Brewery.  Also attached is a picture of one of the fine brews strategically placed on my deck.  You might notice that the glass is not quite full.  The truth is, it was a long walk from the basement kegerator to outside on the deck, and I got thirsty along the way.  That’s right…I have it on tap at home…. Muahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Clyde

The Brew Truth

Recent Lesser Path Sightings:

•Allyn’s

 •Arnolds

 •Bar Louie

•Beer Sellar

 •Dilly Deli

 •Firehouse Grill

•Flip Daddy’s – Mason

 •Liquor Box

 •Mios Blue Ash

 •Northside Tavern

 •Remke Hyde Park

 •The Comet

 •Valley Wine & Spirits

 •Vito’s Cafe

 •Washington Platform Saloon

 •Whole Foods – Mason

 •Yard House