As per usual, I end the year with a pictorial review of the breweries and taprooms that I have visited during the previous twelve months. While the situation with respect to COVID-19 did improve during 2020, the virus did hang around, restricting my travel for significant parts of the year. While personal travel was a little easier this year, professional travel to academic conferences continued to be highly restricted. With respect to visiting breweries and taprooms, I did visit 22 in 2021, slightly less than the 26 that I visited in 2020. In a non-COVID 19 year I typically visit over 60 breweries/taprooms.

Before providing more statistics on my 2020 visits, let me explain the difference between a brewery and a taproom. The difference is quite simple. A brewery is an establishment where beer is produced, whereas a taproom is an establishment owned by a brewery that sells but does not produce beer on-site.

Of the 20 breweries that I visited, 10 were in my home state of Ohio and 10 were in other states. Outside of Ohio I visited breweries in Indiana (4 visited), Michigan (3), Colorado (2), and Texas (1). Most of the Ohio breweries that I visited were in the northwest Ohio region, the two exceptions being in Cincinnati. Both of the taprooms that I visited were in northwest Ohio. Of the 12 Ohio establishments that visited, six were ones that I visited for the first time. Of the 10 non-Ohio breweries that I visited, all but one were new visits – the exception being Hop & Sting Brewing Co. in Grapevine, TX. In the lists below, establishments that I had visited before are indicated in italics.

As per usual, I have posted one photograph from each of the breweries/taprooms that I visited during 2021. I hope you enjoy them. At the time of writing, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu , Director-General of the World Health Organization , is optimistic that COVID-19 will be “beaten in 2022“. I hope that his optimism is well-founded and that we can all look forward to a happy and healthy New Year.

Ohio Breweries (10)

• 60cc Brewing, Toledo, OH
• American Brewery, Wauseon, OH
• Buffalo Rock Brewing Company, Waterville, OH
• Dead Low Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
• HEAVY Beer Company, Toledo, OH
• Inside The Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
• March First Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
• Maumee Bay Brewing Company, Toledo, OH
• Neon Groundhog Brewery, Grand Rapids, OH
• Wild Side Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, OH

Non-Ohio U.S. Breweries (10)

• Dead Bear Brewing Co., Grayling, MI
• Denver Chop House & Brewery, Denver, CO
• Ellison Brewery + Spirits, Indianapolis, IN
• HOMES Brewery, Ann Arbor, MI
• Hop & Sting Brewing Co., Grapevine, TX
• Metazoa Brewing Company, Indianapolis, IN
• Paddle Hard Brewing, Grayling, MI
• St. Joseph Brewery & Public House, Indianapolis, IN
• Sun King Brewing (downtown), Indianapolis, IN
• Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver, CO

Ohio Taprooms (2)

• Earnest Brew Works (downtown), Toledo, OH
• Inside the Five Brewing Company, Perrysburg, OH