Penn Brewery head brewer Andrew Rich will visit Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted for a special St. Nikolaus Day beer dinner next week. Penn Brewery, which opened in 1986, is located in Pittsburgh. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. It includes seven Fat Head’s and Penn beers -- including their Christmas beers -- paired with food. The cost is $50. For details or reservations, call 440-801-1001.

The Big Tap In Real Craft Beer Festival is on the move. The third annual beer tasting will be held April 21 at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown. The event was held at the Shepherd Event Center in Boardman the first two years. "With our growth and inability to lease the event center we have used in the past, we felt as though the best-suited venue for our 2012 festival would be the Covelli Centre," organizer Sandy Reda said in a prepared statement. "The Covelli Centre is the premier event center in the Mahoning Valley and its atmosphere will enhance the already exciting and energized Big Tap In Festival." The event is expected to feature more than 75 breweries with even more specialty craft beers offered for the VIP attendees. There also will be area food vendors, local artists and unique entertainers. Tickets go on sale online at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at www.BigTapIn.com. The event will benefit Making Kids Count Inc., a Mahoning County nonprofit that focuses on assisting children. Proceeds will help to fund current programs and add new programs.

Jason McKibben is the brewmaster for the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Columbus, and previously served as the senior manager for quality assurance there. He has a bachelor’s degree in food science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in food science from the University of California, Davis. At UC Davis, Jason completed coursework in brewing science and winemaking.  Prior to joining the Columbus brewery, Jason had various assignments managing brewing operations with Anheuser-Busch, including positions at the company’s Research Pilot Brewery in St. Louis where new beers are developed, as well as the Fairfield, Calif., and Los Angeles breweries.  He has been with the company for 11 years.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Double Barrel Brewery plans to blast into the Cincinnati and Kentucky beer markets early next year – both with special tap handles that look like the butt of a shotgun and its signature beer. The production brewery plans to push Bad Tom Ale, a beer named after Thomas “Bad Tom” Smith, a not-so-nice fella who was the last man publicly hanged in Kentucky in the late 1800s. Bad Tom Smith is the great-great-uncle of Sean Smith, one of the three brewery owners. Bad Tom Ale is a hoppy Irish red. “It's very drinkable,” co-founder Greg Brown said. “It's something that's not too hoppy and people who aren't beer connoisseurs will be able to pour a pint and enjoy it, but it should satisfy the most experienced beer drinker as well”

Co-owner and brewer Charles Boucher also is making a yet-to-be-named India pale ale. Boucher, Brown and Smith, who were all homebrewers before launching their own brewery, are experimenting with other recipes, too. (So far, they have all kept their day jobs. Brown is in advertising. Boucher is in engineering and Smith works at an insurance company.)

Ohio Brewing Co. will hold its first-ever Christmas party from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 3 at the brewery in Akron. It also marks the first time the production brewery has been open to the general public. The event will feature the Average Joe Band, food and Ohio Brewing beers, including the holiday brew Jingle Bell Ale. The cost is $10. "We think it's a good way to show good cheer toward our fans," co-owner Chris Verich said. "We're at the point where we're bottling and we're full speed ahead with our brewing and we want to showcase our award-winning beers and show what we're all about." Ohio Brewing is located in the historic Selle Generator Works building on South High Street downtown. The brewery is asking people to make reservations but people also can pay at the door. You can check out the Facebook page for the event by clicking here.

Greg Koch, the co-founder of respected craft brewer Stone Brewing Co., recently traveled through Ohio promoting his new book The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes and Unabashed Arrogance. He also took the time to chat with beer blogger Robert Massie in Cleveland; and James Knott, who runs the Better Beer Authority online talk show in Columbus. You can check out Massie's extensive Q&A by clicking here, and watch Knott's interview here.

Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Boardman will hold one of the most unusual Christmas beer tastings and competitions in Ohio from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 11. What's so unusual? Well, it's a blind tasting. People have no idea which brands they are drinking. Vintage Estate provides at least 13 different Christmas beers and participants rate them on a variety of factors to determine an overall favorite. The beer with the highest score is declared the winner. The cost is $21 and all participants get a rating sheet and tasting glass. The event is limited to about 70 people. Jay Peters, the brewmaster for the Stegmaier brands at the Lion Brewery in Wilkes Barre, Pa., will serve as a special guest. Stegmaier's pumpkin beer won Vintage Estate's blind pumpkin beer tasting earlier this year. For more details, click here.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. is releasing a limited edition version of its barrel-aged 12 Dogs of Christmas. The beer is available in 1.5-liter bottles for the holidays. There are only 999 bottles and all are hand-numbered. Many are signed by brewery workers. The cost is $40. The beer itself was aged for nine months in 19-year-old Willett bourbon barrels. "It's a very unique beer and the perfect celebration beer at Christmas to share with the family and friends after a good meal," co-owner John Najeway said. At 10 percent alcohol, the beer is meant to be sipped and shared, he added. The bottles are expected to hit shelves this week at Lizardville in Bedford Heights, Riverside Wine and Imports in Kent, 101 Bottles in Kent, 101 Bottles in Kent, Heinen's stores, Acme Fresh Market stores, West Point Market in Akron, Chalet Premier in North Lima and Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Boardman. The majority of the bottles remained in Northeast Ohio -- although a few have been sent off to Michigan and Pennsylvania. "This is where we're based at so this is where we put it," Najeway said.

Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster picked up a special, albeit short, mention in this month's issue of Maxim magazine. The brewery -- which specializes in Belgian-style ales and is located on a former horse farm -- is highlighted in the magazine's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Food and Drink. The magazine says: "Three years ago Matthew Barbee moved to a farm in Ohio, where the water happens to be perfect for Belgian-style beers. The result: Rockmill Brewery's five incredible small-batch brews, each with unique flavors. Pick 'em up in Ohio, or contact Rockmill directly to get some." To read the gift guide, click here.

Ed Thompkins is the beer buyer for the Heinen's grocery chain in the Cleveland area. He's not just a beer buyer, though. He's also a major beer fan. He can be credited with coming up with the idea for Witless -- the Buckeye Brewing Co. beer that poked fun at LeBron James after he departed the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Thompkins has been with Heinen's for 20 years, spending 15 of those as the wine buyer and five as the beer buyer.

Question: How did you become the beer buyer for the grocery chain?

Ohio-made beer is hot. So are wine, mead and spirits. Small breweries, wineries and distilleries are popping up at a record pace across Ohio. And many, many more are on the way, as passionate amateurs are turning their alcohol-making hobbies into full-time professions. Fueled by the buy local and local food movements, many of these small businesses are riding a wave of sentiment against big, national brands. The Ohio Department of Liquor Control handed out more alcohol-manufacturing permits in the first six months of this year than it did all of last year. To read my full story in Sunday's Akron Beacon Journal, click here.

Alexandria's -- the state's newest nanobrewery -- opens at 4 p.m. today (Friday) in Findlay. But if you're in the mood to try their house beers, you'll have to wait a little bit. The brewpub has purchased a small Psycho Brew system that hasn't arrived yet. General manager Jacob Rowland said it might be another month before Alexandria's own beer is on tap. "We're looking at three to four house beers on tap at a time," he said. In the meantime, the restaurant has 36 taps and will focus on American craft beers, he said. Rowland added that the brewpub wants to work closely with local homebrewers and serve as a "community brewhouse" down the road. What's that mean? Well, Alexandria's will be happy to turn its Psycho Brew system over to an accomplished homebrewer to make a special batch for the brewpub, he said. One of the owners is also affiliated with the Rochester Mills Beer Co. in Rochester, Mich., Rowland said. Alexandria's is in a former warehouse built in the late 1800s, he said. There's even a vintage, working 12-lane bowling alley on the second floor. Alexandria's doesn't have a website yet, but you can check out its Facebook page by clicking here.

Marietta Brewing Co. in Marietta has a new top brewer. Chris Hopkins has taken over as director of brewing operations at the brewpub. He is a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and has been brewing professionally for the last 10 years. His name may be familiar to beer drinkers in southeast Ohio. He is the brewmaster at the North End Tavern & Brewery in nearby Parkersburg, W.Va. He's not giving up that job, meaning he will be brewing at both locations. "Chris has so much experience under his belt," Marietta Brewing owner Tony Styer said about the hire. "We wanted to take our brewery to the next level and Chris is the guy who can help us do that ... We're gonna wipe the slate clean and we're going to have a new line of beers coming out. He's very consistent with his beer and that's what we're looking for." He said Hopkins' beers should be on tap within a couple of weeks. He noted that a new India pale ale called Buck(I)PA is coming out, along with a pale ale, barleywine-style ale and a chocolate stout. Former brewmaster Mike Arnold is still at the brewpub and will serve as assistant brewer.

Samuel Adams is releasing four higher-alcohol, limited-edition beers in 22-ounce bottles: Tasman Red, a red India pale ale; Third Voyage, a double IPA; The Vixen, a chocolate chili bock; and Griffin's Bow, an oaked blonde barleywine. The beers will be sold by the bottle and range in price from $4.99 to $6.99. Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch even recorded video tastings of the beers. (Click on the beer to watch the video.) The Vixen is a bit of a headscratcher for me. A while back, Samuel Adams had experimented with a chocolate chili beer and sent out samples to the media. I was really intrigued by it. But the beer was never released to the public. When Koch and I met up last fall for a tour of the Samuel Adams brewery in Cincinnati, I asked him why and he told me that chili is a skin irritant and doesn't belong in a beer. We had a good laugh over that. I'm curious what changed his mind.

Meanwhile, the Samuel Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack will include a new beer: Black & Brew, a roasted coffee stout. The brewer used 1.5 pounds of Sumatran coffee beans per barrel, adding them late in the brewing process. The 12-pack, which retails for $13.99, also includes seasonal mainstays: Chocolate Bock, Holiday Porter, Winter Lager and Old Fezziwig Ale.

Barley's Brewing Co. in Columbus will hold its 19th annual anniversary party tonight (Thursday), celebrating with a special tapping of its Christmas beer, Bejun Noel, at 6:30 p.m. The brewpub also will release a batch of Barley's Christmas Ale ice cream.

Draft Magazine has put together its list of the top 25 beers of 2011. The list includes Goose Island's Pepe Nero, Brooklyn Brewery's The Concoction, New Belgium Brewing's Lips of Faith Le Terroir, Stone Brewing's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and Newcastle Brown Ale. Newcastle? Really? The list doesn't include any Ohio-made beers. But if you want to check out the full list, click here.

Weiland's Gourmet Market in Columbus will host a special beer tasting from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday featuring Rockmill Brewery. Brewer Matthew Barbee will be there serving his Belgian-style ales, which he makes on a picturesque, former horse farm outside of Lancaster. Barbee has been earning positive reviews nationally for his beers. The cost is 50 cents a sample. I also will be there signing copies of my book Ohio Breweries and am more than happy to chat with folks about the local beer industry.

Jackie O's Pub and Brewery in Athens has gotten clearance to expand its brewing operation. The Athens News reports that the city Board of Zoning Appeals has granted the business a variance so it can start brewing and kegging at an old "cheese barn" off Stimson Avenue. The brewpub needed the variance because city code requires a certain distance between "bottleworks" facilities and residences. Does that mean much-beloved Jackie O's is going to start bottling its beer on a regular basis? "While bottling is a key element to what we want to do, we wouldn't bottle for probably two years," owner Art Oestrike told the newspaper. "That investment in that bottling line is not something we want to do just yet." As for why the brewpub is expanding, he said: "We are really into our high-end products. We don't brew lagers or things along those levels. We're looking for a more full-flavored product, and in order to do that you need to be very clean and orderly with everything going on there." To read the full story, click here.

Portsmouth Brewing Co. in Portsmouth has unveiled a new website, which also touts the fact that the brewpub is now bottling. The first beer to be offered in bottles is Portsmouth Pilsner, with Red Bird Ale coming soon. The website says the beer is available in the Portsmouth area. You can check out the website by clicking here.

Granite City Food & Brewery, which has a restaurant in suburban Toledo, may lose its standing on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company was notified this week that it is out of compliance to be listed. Granite City fell below the minimum stockholders' equity requirement of $2.5 million for continued listing. As of Sept. 27, the company reported stockholders' equity of about $2.2 million. Under Nasdaq listing rules, Granite City has 45 calendar days from Nov. 14 to submit a plan to regain compliance. The company is evaluating its options.

The second batch of Infinium, the champagne-like beer created by Boston Beer Co. and German brewer Weihenstephan, should hit the store shelves soon, the Boston Globe reported. Newspaper beer columnist Steve Greenlee had this to say about the brew: "I shared a bottle of Infinium with a few other beer lovers last Thanksgiving. I thought it was an interesting beer -- a refined beverage that fell somewhere between a hoppy pilsner and a sparkling wine. It appealed more to the guests who preferred wine over beer, however. And at $20 a bottle, everyone agreed it was a bit too pricey, as beer goes." To read his blog entry, click here. Boston.com also has an interview with Jim Koch about Infinium. To read that, click here.

Christian Moerlein -- the real person, as opposed to the beer brand -- has been named Cincinnati's first inductee into the city's new Beer Barons Hall of Fame. The shrine will be housed at the Moerlein Lager House, a brewpub scheduled to open in February along the Ohio River. Moerlein, a Bavarian immigrant, founded Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. in 1853 in Cincinnati. "He was kind of the father of the brewing industry in Cincinnati," Hall of Fame selection committee chair Mike Morgan told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "At one time his brewery was the largest in Ohio and one of the five largest in the United States." To read the entire newspaper story, click here. The newspaper also has a story about the Hall of Fame. "The Beer Barons Hall of Fame will reconnect Cincinnati to its illustrious brewing heritage in a direct way," Christian Moerlein owner Greg Hardman told the newspaper. "We have a downtown that is basically divided into two parts — the central business district and Over-the-Rhine. With the Beer Barons Hall of Fame coming to the Moerlein Lager House in Smale Riverfront Park, we are tying those districts together and reconnecting the city to a vital part of its iconic history." To read that story, click here.

Rick Seibt took over earlier this year as the brewmaster at Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby. The brewpub, located in a former rail car repair building downtown, is worth a visit for one beer alone. There are plenty of other reasons, of course. But the Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter is one of the most unusual beers made in Ohio and a must-taste for those who enjoy sampling something different.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Looking for a great place to taste a lot of Ohio-made Christmas beers side by side? Check out the Winter Wine & Ale Fest in downtown Cleveland on Nov. 26. The following breweries are participating and bringing a holiday beer (in addition to other brews): Great Lakes, Thirsty Dog, Indigo Imp, Fat Head’s, Ohio, Willoughby, The Brew Kettle, Cellar Rats, Rivertown and Lager Heads.

Maumee Bay Brewing Co. in Toledo shot out a short email Wednesday announcing the release of its Christmas beer, Blitzen. The beer is available as of today (Thursday). I tried to get more information about the beer, but didn't get a return phone call.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, which has a brewery in Columbus, is planning to unveil Bud Light Platinum in January. The beer will not be made in Ohio, though, according to a news release. Bud Light Platinum will be produced at AB breweries in New York, Georgia and California. The company described the beer as slightly sweeter in taste with a higher alcohol by volume (6 percent). It will come in a cobalt blue glass bottle. "There are opportunities for light beer to expand into new occasions, and we think Bud Light Platinum is the beer to take us there," Bud Light senior director Mike Sundet said in a prepared statement. "Bud Light's ability to innovate and its social personality makes it the ideal brand to introduce Bud Light Platinum to a growing number of image-conscious beer drinkers." Click on the following to read their reports: PRNewswire, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will hold a beer tasting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 15) at D'Agnese's Trattoria & Cafe in Akron. Brewery owner and brewer Fred Karm will attend the event to discuss his beers. The cost is $25 per person and reservations can be made by calling 234-678-3612. The tasting also will include homemade beer nuts and chips; a sausage plate with grain mustard and homemade pretzel bread; and stout bread pudding with chocolate and coffee sauce.

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Columbus will hold a tapping party at 6:30 tonight (Wednesday) to release its WinterBock. "WinterBock is a strong, dark beer that was used by 11th century Bavarian monks to help sustain themselves during winter fasts," brewer Chris Alltmont said in an email. "These creamy bocks ensured that the monks would fast frequently." The beer features four malts: Munich malt, pilsner malt, dark roasted caramel malt and black malt. WinterBock -- which is 7.5 percent alcohol -- is available November through January.

Talk about your tasty beer pairings. Weasel Boy Brewing Co. in Zanesville is marrying chocolate, mint and stout in a new beer to be released Nov. 25. Dark Weasel Mint Chocolate Stout is aged on cacao nibs and infused with chocolate mint. It's the first time the brewery has made the beer -- one of the most unusual in Ohio, by the way. "Mint can be very tricky to use because it can be overpowering," co-owner Lori Wince said. "But obviously mint complements chocolate really well." So where did the idea come from? "I love chocolate and mint. So I would say I've been pushing for it," Wince said, laughing. The beer is still aging, meaning Wince hasn't even tried it and couldn't offer up a description of the flavor. It is expected to clock in a 7.5 to 8 percent alcohol. Weasel Boy, which doesn't bottle its beer, will release the brew on draft at the brewery during its Harvest Week celebration. That week, the brewery also will tap its holiday beer, Snow Ermine Holiday Ale, on Nov. 23. It's a honey vanilla porter aged on cacao nibs.

Meanwhile, Weasel Boy will host a Beer for Boobs breast cancer research fundraiser on Saturday (Nov. 12). The day will start out with a homebrew competition put on by the Columbus-area homebrew club Scioto, Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists. All proceeds from entry fees and money raised via a raffle will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The competition is closed to the general public. But the brewery will be open to the public later and tap its one-year-old, bourbon barrel-aged Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout at 7 p.m.

Columbus Underground has a Q&A with Trevor Williams, co-founder of Hoof Hearted Brewing Co., a production brewery that wants to open early next year in Marengo north of Columbus. The name is definitely unusual. "Hoof Hearted Brewing, like most successful businesses, took its name from a fart joke," Williams told Columbus Underground. "We wanted a brand name that reflected our personalities, that was fun, and didn't sound corporate. The name has also allowed us to connect with 80's Heavy Metal, Dungeons & Dragons, and Clash of the Titans type imagery which is totally up our anchor. Hooven animals like goats have been associated with German bock beers forever." To read the full interview, click here.

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted will hold a special beer party starting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16. First, let's talk about the beer. The brewpub will offer up two of its special collaboration beers that day: Brewno, a barley wine made at Columbus Brewing Co.; and Fat Scratch Fever, a beer made at Troegs Brewing Co. Brewno is the name of brewer/owner Matt Cole's dog who accompanied Cole to Columbus to make the beer. Cole jokes that the brew is a co-LAB-oration. You can see a video about the Troegs/Fat Head's collaboration by clicking here. As if the beers weren't enough reason to visit that day, I will be there signing my book Ohio Breweries from 6:30 to 7:30. And at 7:30, Fat Head's will screen the TV show Forum 360, a half-hour public affairs program on Time Warner. The episode features Cole and myself talking about Ohio breweries and beer. The program is available on Time Warner Local on Demand Channel 411 and also will be shown on Channel 23 at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 14; 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 15; 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16; 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 18; 4 p.m. Nov. 19; and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 20. It also will air on the radio at 6 a.m. Nov. 20 on WONE (97.5-FM) and at 8 a.m. Nov. 20 on WAKR (1590-AM).

The new Blank Slate Brewing Co. in Cincinnati plans to take full advantage of craft beer lovers’ passion for seasonal brews. Owner/brewer Scott LaFollette – who also carries the titles of janitor and yeast farmer – plans to launch his small production brewery early next year near the Lunken Airport and focus primarily on seasonal offerings. The business model is a tad different for an industry that likes to create flagship beers. But that’s all right with LaFollette who knows that craft beer fans are always looking for something new. Seasonal beers – from bocks to summer fruit beers to pumpkin ales to Christmas ales – are hot within the industry.

“I want to build a little bit of a fan base where they don’t know what they are going to get from season to season but they want to try it,” he said. “It’s a way to keep things fresh and keep from stagnating.” “Stouts are great,” he added. “But I don’t want to drink a stout in July. So why brew a stout year-round when you’re going to have poor sales in the summer time?”

Little Mountain Brewing Co. in Kirtland and Rid-All: Urban Agriculture & Youth Education in Cleveland are teaming up to support the Green 'n tha Ghetto project. Rid-All will use waste products from Little Mountain’s commercial brewing process to develop compost for the green effort -- a recently constructed greenhouse at East 81st Street and Kinsman Avenue. The project transformed an abandoned, illegal dumping site into eco-friendly “vertical farming.” Green 'n tha Ghetto uses organic waste as raw material, and then raises worms and fish to develop compost and provide nutrients to enrich vegetable plants. The goal is to create green jobs and transform waste once destined for landfills into locally grown produce for local residents, businesses and markets. Little Mountain is a brew-on-premise business and nanobrewery.

Paul Traver and Bob Morris are the two brewers and owners behind Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. in Toledo. Great Black Swamp -- one of two breweries in Ohio that uses a frog in its logo -- opened in late 2010. The production brewery makes draft beer only that's available throughout the Toledo area.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Plain Dealer writer John Petkovic has penned a profile on Sam McNulty, one of the men behind the Bier Markt, Bar Cento and Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. McNulty -- along with Great Lakes Brewing Co. -- is credited with helping revive the urban neighborhood, which also houses the venerable West Side Market and St. Ignatius High School. "My partners would kill me if they heard me say this, but I'm not in this for the money," McNulty told the newspaper. "This is my passion -- to be part of a walkable urban neighborhood that's making a comeback." To read the full story, click here.

Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery in Chardon will release its Christmas beer -- The Third Gift -- at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 as part of the brewpub's Unity Celebration. Brewmaster Mike Nedrow will tap the beer to kick off the event. The 7.8 percent Christmas beer is spiced with orange peel, cinnamon and fresh ginger. According to "legend" being spread by the brewpub, the three magi presented the newborn Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and beer. Not myrrh. Meanwhile, the brewpub also will hold a homecoming party Nov. 23 and tap its Muzzy Cream Ale.

Men's Health magazine has put together a list of the "Top 20 Bars in America" and selected a Cleveland joint as one of its favorites. The magazine cites Der Braumeister, a German restaurant, bier haus and market on Lorain Avenue, as the "Best bar for wintertime insulation." The short write-up says: "You can choose from 140 beers and order an authentic meal like geshmorter schweinsbraten (roast pork loin) at this German beer hall. But the coolest part of your visit? You can leave with a pound of imported bratwurst from the pub's market next door." To read the full article -- which is more of a listing -- click here.

Columbus Dispatch travel writer Steve Stephens wrote a story about my book Ohio Breweries last Sunday. You can read the article by clicking here. If you haven't gotten a copy of the book yet, shame on you. But seriously, there will be plenty of opportunities this month to grab a copy if you are so inclined. My schedule includes visiting the Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster all day Saturday (Nov. 5); a book signing at the Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson at 6 p.m. Nov. 10; a tentative book signing at Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted on Nov. 16 (more details to come later on that one); a talk before the Little Mountain Homebrewers Association at Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery in Chardon at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19; and a book signing at Weiland's Gourmet Market in Columbus tentatively set for 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 20.

Craft beer will continue to grab a larger share of the overall beer market for the next five years as consumers keep switching to high-quality beers, according to a new report by IBISWorld, an industrial researcher based in Los Angeles. Consumers are showing a preference for craft beers that not only support their local economy but also feature a more unique taste, the company said. IBISWorld projects that revenue in the overall industry will grow at an annualized rate of 1.9 percent over the next five years, reaching $30.3 billion in 2016. IBISWorld analyst Agata Kaczanowska said much of the increase will occur in the craft beer segment. Also, beer drinkers ages 21 to 24 are experimenting more with and seeking out unusual flavors, which provides opportunities for craft and microbreweries like the Boston Beer Co., Craftworks Restaurants & Brewery Inc., New Belgium and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. to expand their market reach, the company said. To read a company news release on the issue, click here.

Boston Beer Co., which brews Samuel Adams beer and has a brewery in Cincinnati, said this week that its profit grew in the third quarter as shipments increased, the Associated Press reported. The company reported net income of $16.3 million, or $1.19 a share, for the three months ended Sept. 24. That compares with net income of $15.4 million, or $1.09 a share, in the comparable period last year. Net revenue surged 8 percent to $134.8 million from $124.5 million a year earlier, driven by a 7 percent gain in shipment volume. "We are happy with the health of our brand portfolio and remain positive about the future of craft beer," said Jim Koch, chairman and founder. To read the full story, click here.

MillerCoors has unveiled a new look for Miller Genuine Draft that will appear at retail stores in a few weeks. MGD will feature a black label. The company, which has a brewery in Trenton, Ohio, said the brand has become a popular choice among drinkers worldwide and the new design is in a "more stylish, internationally-alluring bottle and can." "The growing global presence of Miller Genuine Draft inspired the change back to the iconic black label, creating a classic, uniform look for the brand across the world," Jennifer Anton, Miller Genuine Draft marketing manager, said in a prepared statement. "MGD will now look and act like the global brand it is -- the world's original 'draft beer in a bottle.' " Meanwhile, MillerCoors said its third quarter net income fell 44 percent on continued weak beer sales, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. The company said net income in the quarter ended Sept. 30 fell to $176.4 million, from $313 million last year. Excluding one-time items, net income fell 14 percent. Higher priced seasonal craft brands, like Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, were popular. But sales of Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft fell, as did sales of the company's lowest-priced beers following a price increase. To read the full story on the finances, click here. Meanwhile, Advertising Age reported that MillerCoors hopes to combat the slump with its new packaging and an ad campaign. To read that story, click here.

The new Four String Brewing Co. in Columbus is ready to bring a little rock ‘n roll attitude to the Ohio beer industry. Dan Cochran, a homebrewer since 1994 and a bassist with the band Big Back 40, is launching the production brewery in the Grandview Heights area and plans to start distributing draft beer to bars and restaurants in the Columbus market by late November. “I’m trying to mix rock ‘n roll and craft beer,” he said. “I think it’s a great combination and I haven’t seen it done really well.” So what does that really mean? Cochran is still working that out. “A lot of it is in the attitude of how I live my life and how I do business,” he said. “I believe in supporting local things and I’m excited to own my own company and create my own product.”

The Four String name comes from the four strings found on a bass guitar. He’s starting with two flagship beers: Brass Knuckle APA, an American pale ale; and Backstage Blonde, a Belgian-style blonde ale. Four String will focus on draft beer initially, but Cochran said he’d like to expand into bottles a few years down the road. His brewhouse consists of hand-picked and converted dairy equipment.

Sometimes, it's just flat-out difficult to keep up with Matt Cole. He was in England earlier this fall brewing a special beer at Shepherd Neame, the oldest brewery in the country. Then he was at Troegs Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania making a collaborative beer called Fat Scratch Fever. And, it turns out he's been in Columbus making a collaborative beer with Columbus Brewing Co. That effort, called Brewno Black Barley Wine, will be released at 6 p.m. today (Nov. 2) at Bodega, a hip bar/restaurant in Columbus, according to a Facebook post today. Cole will be at Bodega for the release. I tried to reach out to Cole and Columbus Brewing's Eric Bean to find out a little more about the beer, but alas couldn't immediately reach them. Fat Head's Citra Pale Ale also will be on tap.

Lorain County is getting a craft nanobrewery. Ed Urban is launching Edbin Brewing Co. in Amherst and hopes to be selling his beer within a few months. Edbin will be a little unusual in the industry. It’s not a brewpub. Just a production brewery focused on bottled beer. Nothing strange there. The unusual part is that Urban won’t be pushing his own brands. Instead, he wants to market his beer to bars and restaurants and have them sell it as their house beer. For example, he's willing to make a beer with a label featuring "Joe’s Bar and Grill" or "Sally’s Restaurant." "I want to sell your beer," he said. "It’s an untapped market."

Urban had a lucrative, yet unsatisfying, career in the packaging and bottling industry. (He also does an online radio show under the moniker "Ed Money" that can be heard here.) As he tells it, he spent two decades "basically working for evil, greedy people who didn’t care if you were alive or dead tomorrow as long as they are making money." So as he approached 50, Urban, a homebrewer, decided it was time to take the leap into professional brewing and something he loved.