My local brewpub, The Black Cloister, had a couple of bagpipers entertain patrons last Tuesday evening. These weren’t your run-of-the-mill bagpipers (if indeed there is such a thing). Andrew Bova and Dan Nevins are World Champion bagpipers – both members of the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipeband who were crowned the Grade 1 World Champions at the 2015 World Pipeband Championships. Continue reading Beer and Bagpipes
Tag Archives: Black Cloister
Community Space
Community space. Lots of craft breweries have this – a space where members of the local community can come together for the purposes of hosting or attending some kind of event. At my own local craft brewery, The Black Cloister, this space comprises a room. It is called the Wittenberg Room. You see, the CEO and Founder of The Black Cloister Brewing Continue reading Community Space
Around The World in 800 Beers
Last week I got a visit from two fellow Geographers – Mark Patterson and Nancy Hoalst Pullen. Mark and Nancy are faculty members at Kennesaw State University which is located about twenty miles north of Atlanta, GA. I first met Mark and Nancy in New York City in 2012 at the annual conference of the Association of American Geographers. I was Continue reading Around The World in 800 Beers
The Mug Club
Last Sunday was Fathers Day in the United States. Fathers Day is always a struggle for those who buy me gifts. I neither need or want much and when I do need something I typically go out and buy it (which sometimes frustrates my wife). Well this particular Fathers Day my wife and Continue reading The Mug Club
Beer in the Old West End
The Old West End is a beautiful historic neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio. Comprising over 25 city blocks the tree-lined neighborhood is home to one of the largest concentrations of Victorian, Edwardian, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Arts & Crafts, Neoclassical, and Colonial Revival homes in the country. Every June the people that Continue reading Beer in the Old West End
Toledo’s Black Madonna
Last month I was sitting in the taproom of the Black Cloister Brewery. It was a late Thursday afternoon and myself, Spencer, and Tony (all regulars) were there. The three of us were chatting with Black Cloister’s owner, Tom Schaeffer. The conversation was wide ranging but at one Continue reading Toledo’s Black Madonna
Brew Good Do Good
The Black Cloister Brewery in Toledo, Ohio has a motto – Brew Good Do Good. I have been a regular patron of the Black Cloister since it opened in March of this year. I have tasted every single one of the beers Continue reading Brew Good Do Good
Michael’s Memory
On April 8 of this year I went to Mutz Bar at the Maumee Bay Brewing Company. Maumee Bay is an excellent brewpub that appeared on the Toledo scene in 1995. There I met up with Mike Moore, a doctoral Continue reading Michael’s Memory
Building Community
There is a new microbrewery in the city where I live – Toledo, Ohio. It is called Black Cloister and it has been open for about a month. One thing I noticed after my first couple of visits to the Black Cloister was the Continue reading Building Community