UPDATE: This event has been canceled.... The United Way hopes to reschedule in the future.

The United Way of Portage County will hold a five-course beer pairing dinner at 5:30 p.m. June 27 at Ray's Place in Kent. The event will feature six beers from six different craft breweries. In a twist, the beers won't be announced until the night of the dinner.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Akron Beacon Journal reports on a Knox County man who built a brewery in a treehouse. Well, not an actual brewery, but a bar. The treehouse will appear on the new television series Treehouse Masters on Animal Planet. To read the full story, click here.

The website Dayton Most Metro reports that Lock 27 Brewing, a new brewpub in Centerville, plans to open June 21. The Lock 27 beers, though, won't be available until about three weeks after the opening, the site says.

"Craft beers, made in-house will rotate seasonally. They will be brewed one or two barrels at a time. With small batches, there are no commitments and this will allow for a constantly changing, and evolving brewery ," Dayton Most Metro says.

Wooster Fire Fighters Local 764 and the Wooster Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association have teamed up with the JAFB Wooster Brewery for a fundraiser to help a woman who was critically burned in an arson.

The event is 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday (June 18) at the brewery, which will donate $1 for every beer sold to the Nicole L. Reischman Benevolent Fund at First Merit Bank. There will be free appetizers, 50/50 raffles, door prizes and silent raffles.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery on Friday released the latest version of its award-winning B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout. Exclusively available at the Akron brewery, Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Bairille Aois was aged in Irish whiskey barrels. Check out the video of owner and brewmaster Fred Karm talking about the beer while standing in the soon-to-open Hoppin' Frog tasting room.

Goose Island brewer Dave Tohtz has a favorite beer to brew.

And it should come as no surprise to knowledgeable beer fans that it’s Bourbon County Stout, a 14.5 percent imperial beast that has earned a "World Class" ranking from the sometimes persnickety reviewers on BeerAdvocate.com.

Avery Brewing Co. from Boulder, Colo., will take over the draft taps at the Acme Fresh Market in Montrose from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 21. The following beers will be available: Joe's Premium American Pilsner, White Rascal, Salvation, The Reverand, India Pale Ale and Twenty XX India Pale Ale.

Samples will cost 25 cents or 50 cents, depending on the beer. Growlers will be available for sale.

Scene Magazine this week announced details about its fifth annual Ale Fest, which takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. July 20 at Lincoln Park in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood. The one-day event will feature more than 100 beers.

General admission tickets are $20 until July 1, then rise to $30 or $35 at the gate. Patrons will receive an eight-ounce cup and 10 drink tickets. VIP tickets, which allow you to enter at noon and have access to special beers, are $55 in advance or $75 at the gate.

Ohio craft beer lovers are trumpeting the news that the state ranks as the fourth-largest in the U.S. in terms of craft beer production. That statistic stood out when the cerebral The New Yorker magazine compiled an online, interactive map breaking down craft beer stats by state.

Ohio’s craft beer industry certainly is growing by leaps and bounds — especially in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton — but make no mistake that there’s one reason, and one reason only, that Ohio ranks so high for craft beer production.

The World of Beer Easton will hold its first Craft Brew Fest on Saturday (June 15). The event, which begins at 7 p.m. for general admission, will feature more than 150 craft beers and live music. Tickets are $35 for general admission, or $45 for VIP. Tickets include a tasting glass and 20 five-ounce samples. For more details or to get tickets, click here.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- Columbus Business First reports that Zauber Brewing Co. is expanding and adding a full bar that will sell craft beer other than its own. “If all goes well,” brewer Geoff Towne told the publication, “we’ll be swinging hammers on July 2.” To read the full story, click here. 

Beer & Sweat, the world's largest keg-only homebrew competition, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. The event, organized by the Bloatarian Brewing League of Cincinnati, will be held Aug. 17 at the Holiday Inn near the CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Erlanger, Ky.

Homebrewing continues to grow in popularity. The fourth annual Homebrew Supply Shop Survey released this week by the American Homebrewers Association shows gross revenue increased by 26 percent for shops last year.

Other highlights include 80 percent of shops reporting an increase in sales of beginner kits, 43 percent of shops saying they have been open for less than three years and the sales of beer-making ingredients outpacing wine ingredients (35 percent compared to 21 percent).

Several Ohio breweries are competing in the sixth annual Global Warming Open, a competition sponsored by The Brewing News. The contest judges beers against each other in brackets -- similar to the NCAA March Madness tourney -- until there is one winner left.

The long-awaited restaurant and bar at Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will open "around July 1," owner and brewer Fred Karm said. He didn't want to announce a specific date this week because of an upcoming health inspection.

Bartenders are now being trained and two chefs have been hired. Recipes also are being finalized, Karm said.

West Point Market in Akron will hold a special beer tasting from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday (June 15) featuring Hungry Bee ReHive Ale. The beer, made with honey from Geauga County, is the brainchild of Chef Kimberly McCune Gibson and brewed by Black Box Brewing Co. in Westlake.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Daily Jeffersonian newspaper reports that plans are under way for the second annual BrewBQ in Cambridge. The event, set for Sept. 21, will include Buckeye Lake, Weasel Boy, Marietta and Millersburg breweries. To read the full story, click here.

The Grandview Digfest this Saturday (June 15) will feature four special cask ales from Columbus breweries, organizers said Monday. Here's the rundown of when each will be tapped:

-- 5 p.m.: Four String Big Star White IPA dry hopped with Falconer's Flight and Citra hops.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels as a brewery-only exclusive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday (June 14). It's called B.O.R.I.S. Bairille Aois, which is Celtic for barrel aged.

"Aged in very special Irish whiskey barrels to add a super-smooth, buttery and complex whiskey character to our multi-award-winning B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout," owner and brewer Fred Karm said in an email. "Cleaner and crisper than our standard Bourbon Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Stout, this rare version is a testament to our hard work and dedication in bringing our customers the very best."

Rivertowne Brewing Co. from Pittsburgh will start distributing in the Cleveland market at the end of the month.

The brewery -- not to be confused with Rivertown Brewing in Cincinnati -- has hooked up with Beverage Distributors Inc. of Cleveland.

The West Point Market in Akron is accepting submissions for its second annual Bottle My Brew Ohio Homebrew Challenge. The deadline is July 13.

The Akron Zoo will host its first of three Brew at the Zoo tastings this year from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday (June 12). The entire zoo will be open and guests can enjoy beer from several local breweries, snacks and live music.

Beer samples will be offered from each brewery and full-sized beers will be available for $4. The participating breweries are: Indigo Imp, Thirsty Dog, Ohio, Elevator, Great Lakes, Alltech and Roobrew.

Listermann Brewing Co. in Cincinnati will celebrate its five-year anniversary with a customer appreciation and pig roast party at 5 p.m. Saturday (June 8) at the brewery. Dan Listermann launched his small brewery -- which now includes the Triple Digit brand -- in 2008 inside his homebrew shop.

Weasel Boy Brewing Co. in Zanesville will release three hop-oriented beers and a summer fruit beer this month (June).

War Dance Wheat IPA will be available at the brewpub and in the Columbus market starting next week. War Dance is a wheat-based India pale ale finished with Cascade and Saaz hops. It's 5.4 percent alcohol by volume and 40 IBU. Brewers Jay and Lori Wince described it as "a great summer IPA that drinks crisp and light in body with a pleasant bitterness, hop flavor and aroma."

The brewery also will release Weasel Meets Dog English-style IPA, Wiley Wolverine Rye Pale Ale and Weasel Paw Pawpaw Pale Ale in time for Ohio Brew Week, which runs from June 21 to 29.

Since opening earlier this year, the Granville Brewing Co. has focused on bottling its three Belgian-style beers. But the small nanobrewery — operating out of a former horse barn on co-owner and brewer Ross Kirk’s property in Granville — will release some beer on draft soon as it participates in local beer festivals and starts to raise its profile in central Ohio. (Granville Brewing will be at the upcoming Grandview Digfest.)

"We’ve been very quiet about our opening as a whole," Kirk said. So far, marketing has been limited to word-of-mouth.

Jackie O's Firefly Amber Ale and Chomo-lung-ma are now available in cans. Jackie O's, a brewpub and production brewery in Athens, fired up its new canning line a few weeks ago and started distributing the two beers mainly in the local community, brewer Brad Clark said.

The two beers have gone over well with beer fans, who have snatched up about 700 cases in three weeks.

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS: Elevator Brewing Co. in Columbus has opened a small tasting room at its production brewery on North Fourth Street. The taproom will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday, closing when the nearby brewpub on North High Street opens.

The tasting room, which had a soft opening last Saturday, has 11 tap handles and sells beer by the pint and growler. Prices range from $3 to $6 a pint, and $10 to $15 for a growler fill. Elevator also plans to sell T-shirts, hats and other promotional items.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron is releasing two of its special draft-only beers in bottles. Both Citra Dog, an India pale ale, and Rail Dog, a smoked black lager, proved popular enough that they are going into bottle production, co-owner John Najeway said. (See both labels below.)

"They haven't been out there for mass audiences before," he said. "They've only been at special events and at the brewery. ... They are both great sessionable beers ."

When Holly Nesbitt was named Miss Ohio Brew Week earlier this year, she did cartwheels. Literally.

The over-the-top reaction isn’t that surprising given the 21-year-old Canton resident is a physical education major with a minor in dance at Ohio University. Oh, and she’s a Zumba instructor, too.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Lima News reports on the ongoing beer battle in Ohio over big brewers owning wholesale distributors. The latest fight involves Anheuser-Busch's interest in buying a distributor in Lima. To read the full story, click here.