February is shaping up to be a great time to be a beer drinker in the Cincinnati area. The weather’s cold and the nights are long, but there are an amazing number of events coming in the next few weeks. Here’s a quick rundown:

In a few weeks, it will be the inaugural celebration of Cincinnati Beer Week. An official site has popped up to try and track the various events around the city, but I recommend hopping over to the Hoperatives blog for their take on the latest information. Here are a few of the events about which I’m excited:

Thursday February 2
Party Town Local Breweries Backroom Brawl from 6:00 – 8:00pm
Party Town kicks off Cincinnati’s Inaugural Beer Week with a “Backroom Brawl” of only local craft brews featuring the “Cincinnati Beer Week Barleywine,” a collaboration between local brewers, and our 18 tap growler program voted “Best of 2011″ by Cincinnati Magazine! Cost $2.00

Friday February 3
Arnold’s Bourbon Barrel 1861 Porter Happy Hour Tapping at 5pm
In honor of beer week Christian Moerlein has remixed a batch of the Arnold’s 1861 Porter. Arnold’s is already the only place that you could get the Porter, but for this special release, Christian Moerlein will be aging the same beer in a bourbon barrel.

Saturday February 4:
Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha! from 07:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Cincy Brew Ha-Ha Winter Edition will bring all that has been enjoyed over the past 5 years indoors to the Cintas Center on Xavier University’s campus for its Winter Edition. This one-of-a-kind local event features top beers and top comedians creating the perfect recipe for a great time. From ales to lagers and pilsners to stouts, there is something for every type of beer aficionado – including 6 firkins! Cincy Brew Ha-Ha Winter Edition will feature over 80 selections of beer to sample and multiple comedians on 2 stages.

Additionally, there are a bunch of other events, including a 3 Floyds beer dinner at Tellers (2/8) and a selection of Left Hand beers on tap at the Hyde Park Cock and Bull (2/9) . This all leads up to the Cincinnati Winter Beer Festival on the 10th and 11th. Last year, this event was a great time and apparently it’s going to be even bigger this year. Click over to their site for more information and tickets.

On Feb 25, the Moerlein Lager house will be opening as part of the Banks, adding the first alternative to the Holy Grail, which opened last March. Tickets are $150 and the doors open at 6:30. More information can be found over on the Lager House official website.

I’m off to drink a Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere. That should help keep me sated until next month.

Although the temperature in Cincinnati has been all over the place, the first official day of winter is Thursday. If you haven’t already been partaking in seasonal brews, the time is now.

Fox News published a Best Holiday Brews article this week and it reminded me that these seasonal selections won’t be around forever. Although I don’t usually drink darker, heavier beers, they are great for warming you up on cold winter nights.

I have had – and do like – the top beer on this list: Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale, a holiday beer brewed with honey and spiced with ginger and cinnamon. It’s medium-bodied, not too heavy, and a repeat World Beer Championship Gold Medal winner. My sister-in-law was nice enough to share her stash over Thanksgiving (Thanks, Laurie).

Not on this list, but a popular choice - Sierra Nevada Celebration. While Celebration tastes good for a change, I can’t drink many as it’s a very robust, rich ale. But it’s great for bringing along to your holiday parties and for toasting friends and family.  

Do you have a favorite winter beer? Leave a comment here and let me know what you like and what I should try before they all disappear.

Last night I went on the Queen City Under Ground Tour from American Legacy Tours and I was amazed. I’ve been on at least three of their tours and every time I go I learn something new about the greater Cincinnati area. This tour was focused on the Over the Rhine area where there were over 163 saloons, beer gardens, theatres, and breweries were on Vine St. in the late 1800s. The breweries would store and make their beer underground the buildings in these huge tunnels/rooms (the rooms are the sub and sub-sub basements). Some of the tunnels/rooms I was standing in were at least 20 feet high, it was amazing. They had tunnels that were underneath the streets that go in between the barreling and bottling buildings and onto other buildings.

Pictured: One of the tunnels underneath the Guild Haus on Vine Street. This was one of the barrel tunnels underneath the Barreling room.

Did you know that Cincinnati drank over two and a half times more beer than the national limit in the late 1800s? That’s a lot of beer! Besides seeing the underground breweries and historical buildings we saw where the new Christian Moerlein brewery will be located. There was a tunnel that was boarded up from the one building that led into the Christian Moerlein brewery but we didn’t get to see that tunnel. The future home of the Christian Moerlein Brewery was once the Malt and Lager house of the Kaufman Brewery that was one of the breweries during the late 1800s.  Christian Moerlein Brewery was the only Cincinnati beer from that time that was exported internationally.

The tour was a great history lesson and shows how much Over the Rhine have developed in the last decade.  Please note that the tour is a walking tour and to get to the tunnels you will have to go down a few flights of steps. The tour runs till the end of November every Saturday and Sunday. Please check their website for more information.

A quick post on one of our almost local breweries: Schlafly of St. Louis. Michelle and I had the chance to stop in here on our way through Missouri and enjoyed the visit. On tap were two cask conditioned alternate versions of the 80/- (80 Schilling) and the Golden Ale.

I sat down with the cask conditioned 80 schilling. Cask conditioning allows a secondary fermentation to occur within the storage container. In this case it added an extra layer of smokiness that I usually don’t find in the normal Schlafly offering. AbV was in line at 4.7 to create a very enjoyable drink.

I also tried a small sample of the Pumpkin Ale from draft and found a pumpkin-pie flavor along with a very noticeable sweetness. This was pumpkin pie filling with a touch of whipped cream. The 8% alcohol was not apparent.

The food was also impressive. I had a pulled pork sandwich along with a side of the Beer Cheese soup. Michelle had a ham and egg sandwich. We could have easily split either entree between the two of us. The portions were generous and the food itself was well prepared and matched the beer.

Overall, I would give a to the Schlafly brewery experience. We did not have time to take the tour at the Bottleworks location, but if any readers have been on that tour, let us know in the comments. For anyone visiting the St. Louis area, I recommend a quick stop by the brewery to split a meal and try something from their large selection.

You can always follow me on Untappd to see what I am enjoying.

Hope you all don’t mind me writing about beer…

It’s been a fun, busy summer for me.  Seems like I’ve had a lot of social events to attend, which is always exciting.  In the midst of all of these events, I became re-acquainted with one of my favorite beers…and now there’s no turning back.

I’ve always been a “light” beer drinker, but tasting Hoegaarden changed that.  I first tried Hoegaarden about a year ago at The Pub in Crestview Hills Town Center.  And I fell in love with it.  Lately I’ve been buying it to enjoy at home.

Hoegaarden is a wheat beer from Belgium.  I think this beer has a very different taste. With a touch of coriander and a hint of orange peel, the flavor is sweet and spicy at the same time. It is an unfiltered beer and therefore a bit cloudy in appearance.  If you get it out on tap, Hoegaarden is served in its traditional hexagonal glass with an orange slice.

Hoegaarden is very refreshing so it’s one of those beers that’s perfect for a warm summer day. Wonder if we’ll have any more of those.

When I first started buying Hoegaarden, it was not widely available. But I’ve noticed it more in area liquor stores and even in some grocery stores. The downside is I’ve never seen this beer on sale. It’s typically $9.99 a six-pack.

This is not really a review, but I’m gonna give it a big HAPPY face anyway!

It was announced today that Anheuser-Busch has purchased Goose Island. Now remember, Anheuser-Busch itself is owned by global conglomerate InBev, so in essence, InBev now owns Goose Island.

I know this is probably a good thing for Goose Island, and the deal was worth a lot of beer: $38.8 million. According to WBEZ Chicago, not much will change:

In a statement, the head of Goose Island, John Hall, said the Chicago company has grown so rapidly in the last five years that demand for Goose Island beers has outgrown the capacity of its brewery. Hall said the company has had to limit production of some of the beers. Hall said the deal with Anheuser-Busch will help Goose Island continue to grow.

“This agreement helps us achieve our goals with an ideal partner who helped fuel our growth, appreciates our products and supports their success,” Hall said in a statement.

In announcing the acquisition, Goose Island said Hall will continue to be responsible for the Chicago brewery, which the company says will remain in operation.

So I have my fingers crossed I won’t see a Matilda Select or Fleur Lime anytime in the near future.

The kit that I have is from an Australian outfit called Coopers.  The rad thing about the kit (aside from the hilarious Australian instructional video) is that it comes with some of the bells and whistles that I did not have before like a hydrometer and a sticker thermometer.  Being from Australia, all the temperatures are in Celsius, so I may look into a Fahrenheit one as well.  But if you can deal with some metric conversions, this is a solid kit to have.

My favorite thing about this kit is how easy it is to use.  Everything is streamlined and simplified from the instructions to the malty goodness in the can.  With that in mind, this kit is perfect for beginning brewers who are just looking to try it out.  However, one of the best parts about homebrewing is tampering with recipes and trying new ideas.  I would recommend a gift certificate to Listermann Brewing Company for an intermediate or advanced home brewer in the Greater Cincinnati Area.

The first part of the process from the kit is the mix.  Mixing beer is very similar to baking or cooking.  You have ingredients, temperatures, and methods to mix them all together.  The kit makes this process super easy by premixing your hops and malt.  You essentially boil some water then dump it in the fermenter, add in the can of malt and hops, add in the pre-measured amount of sugar, stir, add more water, wait until the fermenter reaches a certain temperature, throw in the yeast, jam in the air lock, and seal it up.  It is that easy.

The hardest part about this whole process may be the waiting involved!  Soon, I’ll complete the second and third steps in the process, brewing and bottling.

Cheers to your good health!
Steve

I got a chance to talk with Corey on Saturday during the first tasting this past weekend. The cost for the selection of beers will be $2. This week featured recent closeout acquisitions on sale for 11.99 a case or $1-3 for a 22 oz bottle. Overall a solid first outing for the new beer tasting format.

Upcoming Wine tastings can be seen over on the DEP’s tasting page. Beer tastings will be announced weekly.

Cigar City Brewing is located in Tampa, Florida. The goal at CCB is two-fold: make great beer, and educate people about Tampa’s culture. The first part is understandable and the second part is very intriguing. They are trying to reverse the notion that Florida is a “beer wasteland” and their Jai Alai IPA is making great strides toward that goal.

I thought this was a bizarre name for a beer, but they tie it into Tampa’s past as a Jai Alai mecca. Apparently, there used to be a bustling Jai Alai “fronton” or arena in Tampa but it has since closed. CCB named their IPA in honor of the sport.

This is a good beer from start to finish. It has a very hoppy aroma with hints of grapefruit in the nose. It’s a honey-brown color with lacing that lingers on the side of the glass. The mouthfeel has a substance but is not sticky. The taste has a bitterness to it that reminds you that you are drinking an IPA. The finish is also very balanced. Overall, it is very drinkable which can be unusual for an IPA.

I would definitely recommend a Jai Alai to an IPA drinker visiting Florida. It’s a solid beer and it’s reasonably affordable ($1.99 per bottle, cheaper in 6-packs). I feel lucky that I was able to find good beer brewed locally. I had their Maduro Brown earlier this week and it was excellent as well.

Cheers to your good health!
– Steve

What better way to embrace your inner jolly than to grab a winter ale or two and cozy up to the fire (chestnuts encouraged).  I have tried a few winter beers this season and hope to guide you to a warm-up-your-toes selection in the same way that Rudolph guides Santa’s sleigh. *Disclaimer: I did not drink all these beers in a single sitting.*

Delirium Noel 2009
Fact: Delirium makes great beer.  It is a tad pricey, but this Christmas beer would be perfect for the beer lover on your list or a Secret Santa who enjoys a craft brew.  A 22 oz. will cost around $10, but you get what you pay for.  It has an opaque brown color, a quickly dissipating head, thin lacing, and a spicy aroma.  Medium body, with full flavor.  Most Delirium beer you drink has a very fruity flavor and this is no exception.

Stone/n0gne-0/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale 2009
Now this is an interesting beer.  Sometimes brewers do a collaboration project with one other brewery, but the three-headed team of Stone, n0gene-0, and Jolly Pumpkin came up with something special.  Of all the Christmas beers, this was the most interesting that I tried.  It has a complex flavor profile which makes it a beer to drink by itself.  It has a decent amount of carbonation, and it tastes like a Bonnaroo tent in your mouth.  This serving of liquid incense contains Caraway, Juniper, White Sage, and Chestnuts flavors.  I highly recommend this for anyone looking to try something outside the box.

Alesmith Yulesmith
A solid Christmas beer that starts with a spicy aroma.  It has a near perfect mouthfeel, not too heavy but not too light.  And the flavor finds a way to balance malt and hops very evenly and ends with a hoppy, dry finish.  A recommendation for anyone who enjoys I.P.A.s, but this would probably turn off the occasional beer drinker.

Anchor Brewing Company Our Special Ale 2010
Every year Anchor tweaks its Christmas beer recipe.  I can respect that.  If Bob Dylan taught us anything it is that the times they are a-changin’.  It has a dark, chocolate brown color with some flecks of ruby when you hold it up to the light.  The aroma contains ginger, caramel, and roasted malt.  A combo of sweetness, ginger, and toffee make you want to keep drinking this beer.  I will be waiting patiently for next year’s release!

Bell’s Christmas Ale
Bell’s is one of my favorite breweries, so I had high hopes for this beer and I was not disappointed.  It is a light brown color, almost amber with a slightly hoppy smell.  The taste has a delicious malt flavor with some citrus and hop notes.  The mouthfeel is smooth and rich.  And it has very well done balanced finish.  I hope my stocking is stuffed with a few of these come Christmas morning.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale
I feel like this is a middle of the road Christmas Ale.  It has a brown, slightly red color with a spicy, cinnamon nose.  The flavor is malty and spicy with a bubbly, carbonated mouthfeel.  One surprise is the amount of alcohol in this beer at 7.4% ABV, which can help you loosen up around those pesky in-laws.

Christian Moerlein Christkindl
A beer that most Cincinnatians hold dear to their hearts.  Moerlein’s Christkindl is a unique take on the Christmas beer.  It plays off the memory association of Christmas and a particular taste, chocolate.  This is not a chocolate beer.  But the chocolate flavor reminds you of being a kid opening presents on Christmas morning.  There is definitely something nostalgic about this beer.  It has an amber color with a spot of gold, and a hoppy, caramel aroma.  The malt taste carries throughout the beer and meshes well with the chocolate.  A great 6-pack gift option for loved ones or yourself.

Christmas comes only once a year which is a bummer that you can only experience some of these beers for a short time.  I have a nagging suspicion that mid-April I will find myself jonesing for Special Holiday Ale 2009.  Luckily spring beers are around the corning.

Cheers to your good health!

- Steve