Tag Archives: Inside the Five Brewing Company

Craft Breweries

2021 Year In Review

Leave a comment

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)

Non-Ohio U.S. Breweries (10)

Ohio Taprooms (2)

Buffalo Rock Brewing Company, Waterville, OH
Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Sun King Brewing (downtown), Indianapolis, IN
Dead Low Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
Metazoa Brewing Company, Indianapolis, IN
Denver Chop House & Brewery, Denver, CO
Wild Side Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, OH
HOMES Brewery, Ann Arbor, MI
Neon Groundhog Brewery, Grand Rapids, OH
Hop & Sting Brewing Co., Grapevine, TX
Inside The Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
Ellison Brewery + Spirits, Indianapolis, IN
March First Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
Maumee Bay Brewing Company, Toledo, OH
Dead Bear Brewing Co., Grayling. MI
American Brewery, Wauseon, OH
60cc Brewing, Toledo, OH
Paddle Hard Brewing, Grayling, MI
St. Joseph Brewery & Public House, Indianapolis, IN
HEAVY Beer Co., Toledo, OH
Inside The Five Brewing Company, Perrysburg, OH
Earnest Brew Works (downtown), Toledo, OH
Craft Breweries

2020 Year in Review

2 Comments

So another year is about to draw to a close. And with that, it is time to look back on my brewery and taproom visits for the year. At the start of the year, I set myself a goal of 52 breweries/taprooms, an average of one per week. By the middle of March, I had visited 17 breweries and 5 taprooms, so I was well on course to meet my target. And then, as we all know, large parts of the United States started to go into lockdown mode in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was one of those individuals who took the threat of Covid-19 seriously, its appearance severely curtailed my brewery and taproom visits. Indeed, in the period since mid-March I have only visited 3 breweries and 1 taproom (all in my home state of Ohio). So, in total, I visited 20 breweries and 6 taprooms during 2020 – exactly half of my original target. This compares with 46 in 2017, 66 in 2018, and 63 in 2019.

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 5 were in Ohio and 15 were in the United States but outside of Ohio. All of my non-Ohio brewery visits were in California, Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska – states that I had the opportunity to visit before Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented. Of the 20 breweries, I had visited 4 before (all in the Toledo metropolitan area and indicated by italics in the list below). Of the 6 taprooms that I visited 4 were in San Diego, CA, 1 was in Omaha, NE, and 1 was in Hudson, OH.

Unfortunately, there are no international breweries or taprooms on this year’s list. For the first time since 2003 I did not venture outside of the United States. With several vaccines now available hope that I will be able to resume my travels and brewery/taproom visits during 2021. Due to the uncertainty that still exists with regard to the impact that Covid-19 will have on our activities during 2021 I will not set myself a target.

As is my tradition, I have provided one photograph from each of the breweries/taprooms that I visited during 2020. To me they capture the beauty and diversity of the world of craft beer. I hope that you enjoy them.

Ohio Breweries (5)

Non-Ohio US Breweries (15)

Ohio Brewery Taprooms (1)

Non-Ohio Brewery Taprooms (5)

Pizza Port, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg, FL
Inside The Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
Swamp Head Brewery, Gainesville, FL
Brickway Brewery & Distillery, Omaha, NE
Black Frog Brewery, Holland, OH
Cigar City Brewing Company, Tampa, FL
Salt Springs Brewery, Saline, MI
Blue Monkey Brewing Company, North Royalton, OH
First Magnitude Brewing Company, Gainesville, FL
Thorn Brewing, San Diego, CA
St. Pete Brewing Company, St. Petersburg, FL
Upstream Brewing Company, Omaha, NE
4KD Crick Brewery, Defiance, OH
Patron Saints Brewery, Toledo, OH
Ypsi Alehouse, Ypsilanti, MI
Cycle Brewing, St. Petersburg, FL
Coronado Brewing Company, San Diego Tasting Room, San Diego, CA
3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg, FL
Coronado Brewpub, Coronado, CA
Iron Fist Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
Thunderhead Brewing Company, Omaha, NE
Mike Hess Brewing, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Border X Brewing, San Diego, CA
Pure Project, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
The Brew Kettle, Hudson, OH
Craft Breweries

2019 Year In Review

Leave a comment

As has been my tradition for the last couple of years, my final blog entry for the year reviews my brewery visits during the previous 12 months. This year I visited a total of 63 different breweries. That is an average of one brewery every 5.79 days. Overall, I visited three less breweries in 2019 than I did in 2018. Of the 63 breweries, 14 were in my home state of Ohio, 46 were in other parts of the United States (excluding Ohio), while three were outside of the United States. In addition to Ohio, I visited breweries in 10 different states – California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Of the 63 breweries I visited, I had been to 15 before (indicated in italics in the lists below). Late in the year, I did manage to visit some breweries outside of the United States. A late-November trip to the Netherlands afforded me the opportunity to visit three breweries in Amsterdam, two of which I had been to before. The most breweries I visited in one day was six – when I participated in The Napa Beer Mile in Napa, CA in February. The city where I visited the most breweries was Charlotte, NC. During a trip there in October I visited nine breweries. At the start of 2019, I set myself a target of visiting 52 different breweries during the year. I easily hit that target. I will set myself an identical target for 2020.

Below you will find a list of all the craft breweries that I visited during 2019. Following this list, you will find one photograph from each of the places that I visited. I hope that you enjoy these. They are intended to capture the beauty and diversity of craft beer and the places that brew and sell it.

Ohio Breweries (14)

US Non-Ohio Breweries (46)

Non-US Breweries (3)

Downtown Joe’s Brewery & Restaurant, Napa, CA
Bierfabriek, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
St. Elmo Brewing Company, Austin, TX
Round Barn & Brewery Public House, Baroda, MI
Catawba Island Brewing Company, Port Clinton, OH
Lazarus Brewing Co., Austin, TX
Pilot Brewing Company, Charlotte, NC
Goodwood Brewing Co., Louisville, KY
Inside the Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
Pavlov’s Brewing Company, Temperance, MI
Earnest Brew Works, Toledo, OH
Black Narrows Brewing Company, Chincoteague Island, VA
Carillon Brewing Co., Dayton, OH
Birdsong Brewing Company, Charlotte, NC
Oddwood Ales, Austin, TX
Tannery Bend Beerworks, Napa, CA
Wooden Robot Brewery – The Chamber, Charlotte, NC
Sonder Brewing, Mason, OH
Against the Grain Brewery, Louisville, KY
Working Draft Beer Company, Madison, WI
Springfield Manor Brewery, Thurmont, MD
Resident Culture Brewing, Charlotte, NC
Fifty West Brewing Company, Cincinnati, OH
Brouwerij de Prael, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Southern Tier Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA
Neon Groundhog Brewery, Grand Rapids, OH
Live Oak Brewing Company, Austin, TX
Corner Brewery, Ypsilanti, MI
Protagonist, Charlotte, NC
South Bend Brew Werks, South Bend, IN e
Atwater Brewery, Detroit, MI
RAR Brewing, Cambridge, MD
Draught House Pub & Brewery, Austin, TX
Brewers at 4001 Yancey, Charlotte, NC
Ghost Isle Brewery, New Buffalo, MI
Der Bekeerde Suster, Amsterdam. The Netherlands
Hillsboro Brewing Company, Hillsboro, WI
Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company, Austin, TX
Findlay Brewing Company, Findlay, OH
Two Bandits Brewing Co., Hicksville, OH
Stone Brewing, Napa, CA
Patron Saints Brewery, Toledo, OH
St. Clair Winery & Brewery, Napa, CA
Pinthouse Pizza, Austin, TX
Bluegrass Brewing Company, Louisville, KY
Heist Brewery, Charlotte, NC
Hops & Grain Brewing, Austin, TX
Beer Church Brewing Co., New Buffalo, MI
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Charlotte, NC
Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, CA
Bait House Brewery, Sandusky, OH
4KD Crick Brewery, Defiance, OH
Napa Palisades Brewing, Napa, CA
Grainworks Brewing Company, West Chester Township, OH
Railroad City. Brewing Company, Altoona, PA
Tapistry Brewing Company, Bridgman, MI
Legion Brewing, Charlotte, NC
Dented Keg Brewing Company, Mars, PA
Maumee Bay Brewing Company, Toledo, OH
Haymarket Brewing, Bridgman, MI
Trade Brewing, Napa, CA

Bars, Breweries, Craft Breweries

2018 Year in Review

Leave a comment

So another year is about to draw to a close. And with that, it is time to look back on my brewery visits for the year. This year, I visited a record sixty-six breweries. At the start of the year, I set myself a goal of fifty-two breweries, an average of one per week. So I more than met my target.

Of the breweries that I visited, twenty were in my home state of Ohio, forty-one were in states other than Ohio, and five were outside of the United States. In addition to Ohio, I had the opportunity to visit breweries in five other states – Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, and Texas. Outside of the United States, I visited breweries in Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Of the sixty-six breweries that I visited, I had been to thirteen of them at least once before (indicated in italics in the lists below), which means there were fifty-three breweries that I visited for the first time.

This year, I also kept track of the craft beer bars that I visited. Throughout the year, I visited nine craft beer bars – three in Austin, TX, and one each in  Toledo, OH and Ann Arbor, MI. I also visited craft beer bars in Rome (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Zurich (Switzerland), and Innsbruck (Austria).

Creating a list of craft beer bars visited did raise some interesting definitional questions. To qualify as a craft beer bar, does that mean that all beer that it sells must be craft beer? If not, what proportion of the beer must be craft beer? Does a bar that sells predominantly macro-beer, but has a couple of craft beers on tap, qualify as a craft beer bar? I did give this some thought as I set out to create this list. Here is where I ended up, from a definition perspective. To qualify as a craft beer bar, the beers available must be predominantly craft beers. It is ok to have one or two macro-beers, but no more than that. Also, it must have craft beers from more than one brewery. For example, while most of the beers available at the Brewdog bar in Rome are brewed by Brewdog, the bar does have a nice, albeit, small selection of other craft beers. While you may debate the criteria I used to define a craft beer bar, it worked for me.

Below you will find a list of all the craft breweries and craft beer bars that I visited during 2018. Following this list, you will find one photograph from each of the places that I visited. I hope that you enjoy these. They are intended to capture the beauty and diversity of craft beer.

For 2019, I will once again set a target of fifty-two craft breweries. While I am tempted to try to beat my 2018 total of sixty-six breweries, I want to keep this a fun, non-stressful, venture – fifty-two seems a reasonable target.

Ohio Breweries (20)

US Non-Ohio Breweries (41)

Non-US Breweries (5)

Craft Beer Bars (9)

Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH
Torn Label Brewing Company. Kansas City, MO
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, Ann Arbor, MI
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO
Basecamp Brewing, Portland, OR
Ethereal Brewing, Lexington, KY
Casual Animal Brewing, Kansas City, MO
Draught House Pub & Brewery, Austin, TX
Hair of the Dog Brewery, Portland, OR
Grapevine Brewing Company, Grapevine, TX
Border Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO
McMenamins John Barleycorns, Tigard, OR
Earnest Brew Works, Toledo, OH
Elbow Lane Brew and Smokehouse, Cork, Ireland
Nano Brew, Cleveland, OH
Great Black Swamp Brewing Co., Perrysburg, OHBlue Tractor BBQ & Brewery, Ann Arbor, MI
Maumee Bay Brewing Company, Toledo, OH
Black Fire Winery & Brewery, Tecumseh, MI
Flatrock Brewing Company, Napoleon, OH
Rising Sons Brewery, Cork, IrelandCatawba Island Brewing Company, Port Clinton, OHBlack Frog Brewery, Holland, OH
Patron Saints Brewery, Toledo, OH
Twin Oast Brewing Company, Catawba, Island, OH
Vanguard Brewing Company, Wilsonville, OR
Anbra Brewery, L’Aquila, Italy
Blueskies Brewery, Onsted, MI
Armadillo Ale Works, Denton, TX
Market Garden Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH
Franciscan Well Brewery, Cork, IrelandDeception Brewing, Dundee, OR
Brink Brewing Company, Cincinnati, OH
Blue Owl Brewing, Austin, TX
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH
Austin Beerworks, Austin, TX
Mirror Twin Brewing Company, Lexington, KY
Wayfinder Beer, Portland, OR
Butcher and The Brewer, Cleveland, OH
B. Nektar, Ferndale, MI
Blue Stallion Brewing Company, Lexington, KY
Brewer’s Table, Austin, TX
Wild Side Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, OH
Brewery Emperial, Kansas City, MO
Little Beast Brewing, Beaverton, OR
Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Dallas, TX
Windermere Brewery, Ings, United Kingdom
Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor, MI
Denton County Brewing Company, Denton, TX
Urban Artifact, Cincinnati, OH
10 Barrel Brewing, Portland, OR
Ill Mannered Brewing Company, Powell, OH
Country Boy Brewing, Lexington, KY
Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery, Ann Arbor, MI
Rock House Brewing, Lexington, KY
Cotton Brewing Company, Adrian, MI
Atwater Brewery, Detroit, MI
Black Cloister Brewing Company, Toledo, OH
Barley & Board, Denton, TX
Inside The Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
Adelbert’s Brewery, Austin, TX
Double Shift Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO
Max’s Fanno Creek Brew Pub, Tigard OR
Brewdog Craft Beer Bar, Rome, Italy
Cerveteca Craft Beer Bar, Lisbon, Portugal
Banger’s, Austin, TX
The International Beer Bar, Zurich, Switzerland
The Casual Pint, Toledo, OH
Beer Plant, Austin, TX
Hop Cat, Ann Arbor, MI
Tribaun, Innsbruck, Austria
Growler USA, Austin, TX

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Craft Beer, Education, Ohio

Beer 101

Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with Terry Keller ,Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH.  Terry is the driving force behind Lourdes’ recently announced Bachelor of Science degree in Craft Beverages. I was curious to learn more about the degree, and so Terry invited me to the Lourdes campus for lunch.

The degree requires the completion of 120 credit hours. As with any degree program, there are general education and core requirements, such as courses in English Composition, Theology, and Philosophy. It is when the students get to courses in the Major that the options get interesting. Students must complete forty-eight credit hours of Major Courses. Courses that they can choose from include General Microbiology, Introduction to Brewing Science, Fermentattion, Styles & Flavors, and Advanced Brewing & Distilling.

I had lunch with Terry Keller on the beautiful campus of Lourdes University

Students in the program will also be required to complete nine credit hours of internship study. Lourdes’ internship partners range from the local to the international. Local partners are Inside The Five Brewing Company,  Black Cloister Brewing Company, Twin Oast Brewing,  Upside Brewing, and Heidelberg Distributors. Lourdes also has partnerships with a number of vineyards in California, as well as Galway Hooker Brewery and Nephin Distillery (both in Ireland). The latter two will provide Study Abroad opportunities for the program’s students. Two of the program’s local partners have already concocted two brews in recognition of  Lourdes’ new initiative. Inside the Five Brewing Company have brewed Gubi The Gray, a Smoked Amber Wheat, which it named after the school mascot. Upside Brewing have brewed Gray Wolves Wheat, a Pale Wheat Ale.

Twin Oast Brewing in PortClinton, OH will be one of Lourdes University’s local partners

The  new degree program will launch in the fall semester of 2019. For that first semester, Terry hopes to enroll between eight and ten students. Part of the program’s mission is to “provide students the knowledge and practical skills for success in the craft beverage industry.” It is clear from the courses that the student will take in order to complete the degree that it is a comprehensive and holistic program. Even if another institution in the region were to mimick Lourdes’ example, and introduce a similar program, Lourdes will have the benefit of what is known as first-mover advantage. In other words, they now have the opportunity to establish a reputation and develop a brand identity in the area of craft beverage education. It is essential, however, that they do this well, and focus on developing an excellent program that provides students with a quality product. Having spent just under an hour with Terry, I have a feeling that Lourdes are going to do just that.

Talking about potential competition, back in 2016, I attended a meeting at Terre State Community College in Fremont, OH. They were interested in developing a curriculum for a certificate program around the topic of beer, and brought together a few local experts to brainstorm. As far as I know, the initiative never got beyond that one meeting. A few years ago, I suggested to someone in the upper administration at my institution, the University of Toledo, that they explore the possibility of developing a certificate or degree program around the theme of craft beer. Unfortunately, the University of Toledo is not a particularly forward-thinking institutuion and the suggestion fell on deaf ears. So kudos to Lourdes University. I wish them every success in their new degree and hope to hear and read about its success in the coming years.