Hammer & Ale

Every piece of woodwork and every beer has a soul, a combination of the hands that crafted it and the life required to grow it.

[hammerandale]

New Glarus Brewing Company’s Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale - New Glarus, Wisconsin

When a man who knows his IPAs (my father-in-law, Joe, AKA the IPA whisperer) is willing to haul a beer 478 miles for you to try it, chances are that it’ll knock yer socks off. However, when I saw it was a session beer called “Moon Man”, I had doubts: 1. As a child of the mid 80s, my memories of the Moon Man consist of terrifying McDonald’s commercials (YouTube it, i dare you) culminating in a McDonald’s dine-in showdown with a cardboard Moon Man on the receiving end of a ninja turtle high kick. 2. I generally don’t get the whole session thing…why buy a beer that usually has less flavor, bite and alcohol? That said, now I totally get it. This beer is bright, but not smack-you-upside-the-head hoppy. There is subtle complexity and even some light, bready malt on the finish. Alright Moon Man, you win this round… P.S. Thanks again, Joe!

Cheers.

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Madtree’s Identity Crisis - Cincinnati, Ohio

Bait and switch - Some beers out there have adopted this tactic by offering a “stout” with more hops than the average IPA or an “IPA” with malt out the wazoo. If I am in the mood for a stout, I buy a stout and I want it to be a stout. Not some IPA-stout love child/science experiment.

Identity Crisis bucks the trend by telling you what to expect up front. Like a warning label that says “Hey, just so you know, things are going to get weird”. Stout black in color, IPA hops on the front end and Porter roasted nuttiness on the finish. Thanks for the heads up Madtree.

Cheers.

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Hoppin’ Frog’s Barrel Aged Turbo Shandy - Akron, Ohio

March tends to be a tale of two seasons in Ohio. 70 degree days segmented by the occasional snow squall or late freeze. That being the case, I’m going give the ol’ taste buds some whiplash. Enter the barrel aged Turbo Shandy. Like a lemonade margarita, it’s lemon, it’s tequila, it’s a bright glass of lively flavor after a long, cold winter. It’s like a Bud Light Lemon-ade-rita… except it’s good and doesn’t make you want to vomit.

Cheers.

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The Dayton Beer Company’s The Java Man Cometh - Dayton, Oh

What is a good beer to go with a cold day and a late-night bathroom remodel? How ‘bout a coffee stout?

The malty chocolate bite and thick, oatmeal stout-like weight of this beer are perfect for the stick to the bones feeling you’d want on a cold day. Unfortunately, I’ll be looking elsewhere for the coffee flavors I’d hoped for. The little-if-any coffee flavors lead me to believe that while the Java Man may cometh, he definitely hath not yet arriveth.

Cheers.

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The Brew Kettle’s Vanilla Frambozen and Kitka - Strongsville, Oh

It’s complicated. That’s what you get when you mix coconut, chocolate, vanilla and raspberry. The suggestion for this concoction came from the manager of the nearby Discount Drug Mart - my local source for growler filling. While he had Brew Kettle over for a tasting, they mixed the two on a whim and created something unique.

Usually “complicated” isn’t a compliment. In this case, complicated means sweet, bready and smooth without being thick or overly heavy. If you prefer to drink your raspberry German chocolate cake, look no further.

Cheers.

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Elevator Brewing Company’s Horny Goat Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter - Columbus, Oh

These days, it isn’t uncommon for a brewery to have a bourbon barrel aged beer of some kind. However, it’s much less common for said beer to be done well. Smooth vanilla bean, roasted caramel malt and a lingering bourbon bite take turns on your pallet in a long, slow drag of flavors. Like a cigar, minus the cancer.

Cheers.

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Land Grant’s Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raison Stout - Columbus, Oh

Ahhh, oatmeal - the ramen noodles of breakfast. Simple, grainy, filling. But, all the qualities that make you a lame breakfast also make you a wonderful beer. Bready, roasty, thick and hearty. In this case, Land Grant adds a little raisin to round out the flavor with some earthy, fruity background noise. That’ll do, oatmeal, that’ll do.

Cheers.

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Wolf’s Ridge Brewing’s Dire Wolf Russian Imperial Stout - Columbus, Oh

With so many IPAs available year round now, it has been tougher than normal to find new Ohio brewed stouts on the shelves. My hunt for a decent stout led me to my first Wolf’s Ridge beer, and it didn’t disappoint.

Dire Wolf is like drinking a glass of engine oil from Willy Wonka’s car - jet black with a bitter dark chocolate nose and creamy milk chocolate finish.

Cheers.

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Rivertown’s Divergent Sour Ale - Lockland, Oh

Sours are an acquired taste and I admit that I am not as familiar with this type of beer as I am with most others.

That being the case, this has to be the most face-puckering beer I’ve ever had. Imagine sucking on a lemon covered in Warheads. All citrus sour and nothing else. If there is another flavor there, you’ll need a search party to find it. I honestly believe there is a time for every beer - a Corona on the beach or a Budweiser at a NASCAR race. The time for this beer is when you feel you need to be punished. If you are a glutton for punishment, you are in luck - it’s sold in a six pack.

Cheers.

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Thirsty Dog’s Siberian Night Imperial Stout- Akron, Ohio

Ok, so it is 57 degrees on January 31st and we are having a fire in the backyard. It’s still stout season damn it, and I’m going to drink a stout. That being the case, I’m going to make it a good one. Siberian Night has a roasted, nutty, coffee flavor. It is smooth enough to mask the 9.7% ABV, but bold enough to let you know it means business.

Cheers.

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Cellar Dweller’s Jeremiah Morrow IPA - Morrow, Oh

Ohio wineries have started to diversify. So much so that they are getting into the beer game. Debonne Vineyards spawned Cellar Rats Brewery, now Valley Vineyards has Cellar Dweller. But can a winery make a decent beer?

Not only can they make a beer, they have managed to carve out a niche in an already overloaded IPA market. While this is as hoppy as any run-of-the-mill IPA, it carries an unexpected sweet banana flavor throughout. It begs the question; is that a banana in your IPA or are you just hoppy to see me?

Cheers.

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Homestead Beer Company’s 3MC’s Double IPA - Heath, Oh

There are a lot of imperial or double IPAs out there that are nothing more than a sledge hammer - all hops, no finesse.

With a smooth finish and a 9.5% ABV, this IPA is more like 007, or the Hulk with a fresh shave - smooth and strong.

Cheers.

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[hammerandale]

Project update!

Cleaned, scraped, stripped and sanded. Now receiving new guts - a 10 inch full range, super tweeter and Bluetooth. It’s come a long way from the 4 watt speaker, 10 vacuum tubes and police band radio it had 82 years ago.

[hammerandale]

Thirsty Dog’s Old Leghumper Porter - Akron, Oh

Sometimes good beer isn’t good because of the flavors it has - it’s good because of the flavors it doesn’t have.

Not too smokey, malty or or sweet. Well balanced with no kitschy nonsense.

Cheers.

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The Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Imperial Stout - Cleveland, Oh

At last! Snow is here! There is something about the first decent snow of the year that begs to ring in the darkest beers of the season.

For those of you who have not been lured to the dark side - there is no better time to stick your toe in the water. This imperial is a great place to start. At 9% ABV, this stout is not for the faint of heart. Starting with roasted malt flavors and finishing with a smooth lingering bitterness, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the dark side.

Cheers.

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The Brew Kettle’s Kitka Milk Stout - Strongsville, Oh

One perk of it being January is that it’s girl scout cookie season. I’ve already laid claim to my share of Samoas for the year. Unfortunately, I don’t have the patience to wait for them to arrive.

For those of you in the same boat, meet my temporary replacement for Samoas. Since this is a milk stout, it’s much more creamy and sweet than a normal stout. This being the case, a sweet milk stout will usually drink like a desert. Add in chocolate and coconut and you have Kitka - a liquid Samoa.

Cheers.

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Four String Brewing Company’s Vanilla Porter - Columbus, Oh

This is one I’ve seen on the shelf for a while, but never tried. I didn’t realize that until I was looking for a dark beer on this cold day.

Bready on the nose with the sweetish-bitterness of dark chocolate on the finish. Think a s'more, hold the marshmallow. A good beer for a cold day spent watching movies…or baby proofing, as it were.

Cheers.

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