AleFest Columbus returns to the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 2). The event will feature more than 250 beers.

Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. To read a story about the event from Examiner.com, click here.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit to stop Anheuser-Busch InBev’s proposed $20.1 billion purchase of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, which would unite the ownership of popular beers like Budweiser and Corona.

Crafted Artisan Meadery in Suffield Township has signed a distribution deal with Cavalier Distributing and its meads will be available in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Florida.

“Partnering with a trusted distributor such as Cavalier that has a firm understanding of the craft beverage market makes all the difference” Crafted owner Kent Waldeck said. “Quality in, quality out,” he added. “We pride ourselves on our approach to making mead and Cavalier reflects a similar hands-on, local approach to their business.”

The Portside Distillery in downtown Cleveland -- which already is serving its own rum -- expects to have its first two beers ready for sale in a few weeks. The distillery-brewery hopes to serve the beers, a double India pale ale and an imperial maple stout, at the Winter Warmer Festival on Feb. 23.

Both high-alcohol beers are fermenting now. The double IPA clocks in at 8.8 percent and the stout is expected to be between 8 and 10 percent, co-owner Dan Malz said.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale cleaned up in sales last year. The popular holiday beer — sold only eight weeks out of the year — was the top craft beer brand in dollar sales at grocery stores in Ohio last year and finished ninth overall in the U.S. for the final 13 weeks of the year, according to market research firm SymphonyIRI Group.

Considering its limited release and lack of nationwide distribution, Christmas Ale just might be the most popular craft beer in the country, Great Lakes Brewing co-owner Patrick Conway said Tuesday.

Two Ohio breweries -- Willoughby Brewing Co. and Fat Head's Brewery -- will showcase their beers at this year's SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience in New York City. The annual high-end event, organized by the Brewers Association, holds a lottery to determine the breweries, with hundreds applying to participate.

"It's really nice," Willoughby head brewer Rick Seibt said. "It's a chance for us to showcase our beers to a bigger audience."

Weasel Boy Brewing Co. in Zanesville will offer two special barrel-aged beers in February. Owner and brewer Jay Wince said he has a barrel-aged English brown ale with raspberries and another one with concord grapes.

Both soured a bit and have a nice tartness, he said. The beers will be available at the brewpub only, and there's only about a barrel and a half available so they will go fast when they are released, Wince said.

Here are a few interesting Ohio-related beer stories:

-- The Sun News reports that a Lakewood resident wants to launch a coffeehouse, bar and brew-on-premise business on Detroit Avenue. Dave Clifford is calling the venture Lakewood Brew. To read the full story, click here.

Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. in Toledo has partnered with the Medical Mutual Glass City Marathon to serve as the craft beer supplier for this year's race. The brewery will make a yet-to-be-named wheat beer specifically for the competition, which takes place April 28.

The marathon also has launched a naming contest for the beer. After all the suggestions are gathered, there will be a poll open to participants and beer fans through Facebook to choose the name, brewery co-owner Paul Traver said.

Brewing icon Jack McAuliffe will leave his visit to Cleveland impressed with the local beer scene. During his short trip, McAuliffe, founder of the first modern microbrewery in the U.S. back in 1976, stopped by Market Garden Brewery, Willoughby Brewing Co. Chardon BrewWorks, Great Lakes Brewing Co., the Greenhouse Tavern and the two Lizardville locations while promoting the return of New Albion Ale.

"It's all kind of amazing," he said Thursday night while at the Lizardville in Bedford Heights. "The population seems to support it all."

MadTree Brewing Co. in Cincinnati received its brewing permit from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control and has inked a distribution deal with Cavalier Distributing, the brewery announced Thursday.

Co-owner Brady Duncan said the brewery has started brewing some test batches and the hope is to have its beer out in the Cincinnati market in mid-February. MadTree also hopes to serve its brews at the Cincy Winter Beerfest.

B&G Events and Cityfolk are partnering to sponsor the Ultimate Craft Beer Extravaganza on March 8 and 9 at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton. The festival will feature three sessions each day, more than 350 craft beers and ulimited sampling, organizers said.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories, including several from Ohio:

-- The Cincinnati Enquirer reports on the vision and growth of Mt. Carmel Brewing Co. “My goal in life was to do something, to make a difference, to make a difference in this city. To make a mark,” co-owner Kathleen Dewey told the newspaper. “And Mike always wanted to make something. So we did.” To read the full story, click here.

The Lantern, the student-run newspaper at The Ohio State University, profiles OSU grad Patrick Kelleher and his Neil House Brewery in Reynoldsburg. Kelleher tells the newspaper that his friends encouraged him to open a brewery.

He also reveals that the brewery's most popular beverage, Cranberry Cider, was developed after losing a bet.

Cincinnati-area brewers had such a good time with the Cincinnati-brewers-only Oktoberfest that they are planning another bash -- this time focusing on high-alcohol beers. Listermann Brewing Co. will host the StarkBier Fest from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. March 23.

It will feature Blank Slate, Fifty West, Christian Moerlein, Rock Bottom, Rivertown, Mt.Carmel, Mad Tree, Cellar Dweller, Wiedemann, Quaff Bros., Triple Digit and Listermann. Some of the breweries are making special beers for the event. 

State Rep. Dan Ramos, D-Lorain, plans to re-introduce a proposal this year to increase the legal limit on the amount of alcohol allowed in beer sold in Ohio. Right now, the limit is 12 percent alcohol by volume. Ramos' proposal would boost that to 21 percent.

"Of course, with Ohio’s growing brewing industry, we see this as good for state tax revenue, as consumers won’t cross the border into a neighboring state with less prohibitive restrictions to purchase similar products, and good for business as it allows the industry to continue to grow and distribute its products across the state and country," Ramos' legislative aide John Tyler said.

Here are a few interesting beer stories:

-- World of Beer will open its Lakewood location by St. Patrick's Day, the website Lakewood Patch reports. The bar will offer 500 bottles and 50 drafts. “We don’t consider ourselves beer snobs, but our concept is to encourage people to try something a little bit outside of their comfort zone,” co-owner Mark Pottschmidt told the website. “There’s already a great beer culture in Lakewood.” To read the full story, click here.

The Homestead Beer Co., a new production brewery in Heath, will release its beer to the public starting this week. Great Granville Riot, an India pale ale, will be delivered Wednesday to Brews Cafe in Granville, The Broadway Pub in Granville, Bella/Da Vinci Lounge in Granville, Snapshots in Granville and the Red Oak Pub in Newark. Tenpenny Ale, an amber, should be available this weekend or next week.

"It’s super exciting," co-owner Kevin Atkinson said. "We’ve been at this for nearly 24 months now. We finally got everything in order. We’ve brewed four beers. We’re just super psyched to get them out to the bars. We think the public will enjoy them and we’re excited for them to come along for the ride with us." 

When the New Albion Brewing Co. — considered the first microbrewery in the U.S. — went out of business in 1982, pioneering owner and brewer Jack McAuliffe slid into obscurity.

And that was fine with him.

Tom's Deli in New Carlisle will hold a special beer tasting at 7 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 19) with Rivertown Brewing Co.

The tasting will feature Unit 6, Dunkel, Hop Bomber, Hop Baron, Helles Lager and a few others. There also will be food pairings with bratwurst swiss cheese soup, apple cranberry pork roulade, spicy Thai pizza and other food.

D'Agnese's Trattoria & Cafe in Akron will hold a "Stoopid Cupid" beer dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 featuring the Lagunitas Brewing Co.

The five-course meal will feature scallops with Little Sumpin' Sumpin', polenta cake with Censored, duck with Hop Stoopid IPA, beef cheek ravioli with Wilco Tango Foxtrot and panna cotta with Cappuccino Stout. The evening also will kick off with a tasting of Lagunitas IPA.

MadTree Brewing Co. in Cincinnati is featured in a lengthy interview on the Time Warner cable show Community Report. Co-owners Brady Duncan, Jeff Hunt and Kenny McNutt sat down with host Vicki Prichard to talk about their soon-to-open brewery, their influences, long beards and the beer scene in Cincinnati. (See video below)

"Currently Cincinnati is behind the times in the craft beer scene but it's getting there quick," McNutt says.

Crave is launching a series of monthly beer pairing dinners. The restaurant in downtown Akron will start off with a six-course dinner with Goose Island Beer Co. at 6 p.m. Feb. 4. The restaurant also has lined up Abita and Kona for future dinners, and will reach out to local breweries, co-owner and head chef Aaron Hervey said.

"We are very excited," he said. "We have been wanting to do monthly beer and wine dinners for sometime. It gives the kitchen staff a chance to really get creative, and it is just another event folks in our area deserve to be able to attend, above and beyond just going out to dinner."

Great Lakes Brewing Co. co-owner Pat Conway will serve as the host for a special beer tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Cleveland brewery, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. "Here's your chance to ask those burning questions about the history of our brewery and the stories behind our beers, as Pat shares his favorite tales from 25 years in the beer industry," the brewery says.

The tasting, which costs $45, includes appetizers, a beer sampler, souvenir tasting glass and T-shirt. Tickets are limited. For more details, click here.

The Full Pint website is doing an online poll to find the "Best Craft Beer of 2012."  The poll features only beers that were introduced last year.

There's one Ohio brew among the 50 choices. That honor goes to Hoppin' Frog Hopped-Up Goose Juice Rye IPA. Brewery worker Elmer Steingass developed the recipe as a homebrew, and owner and brewer Fred Karm thought it was so good that he decided to brew and sell it. Hoppin' Frog Brewery is located in Akron.

The second annual Montessori School of Dayton Brew Ha-Ha fundraiser will feature a beefed up beer line-up and some breweries that are brand-new to Ohio. Participants last year were more interested in sampling bigger, bolder brews so there will be more of them offered this year, organizer Michael Taylor says.

The participating breweries so far are: The Brew Kettle, Fat Head's, Maumee Bay, Hoppin' Frog, Rivertown, Triple Digit, Blank Slate, Great Lakes, Dayton Beer, Founders, Bell's, New Holland, Dark Horse, Jolly Pumpkin, Revolution, Two Brothers, Weyerbacher, Troegs, Stoudts and Upland.

The 37th annual Sugartown Express fundraiser, which benefits the American Diabetes Association of Northeast Ohio, will include a craft beer sampling this year. The event is from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at the University of Akron's Quaker Station in Akron.

The following breweries will participate: Hoppin' Frog, Indigo Imp, Lagerheads, RooBrew and Thirsty Dog. People will receive six tasting tickets, good for two-ounce samples. Additional tickets will be available for purchase.

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens has posted a short, new video about its bottle release party held in mid-December. The video captures the excitement of the day, when the brewpub sells special beers in 22-ounce bombers. (See video below.)

The quarterly bottle release parties have become major events for the brewpub, as beer fans have traveled hundreds of miles or more to take part. It's no wonder given Jackie O's reputation. It was ranked last year as the 56th best brewery in the world by Ratebeer.com.

Growlers are usually hulking, 64-ounce brown jugs. But not at the new Flatrock Brewing Co. Owner/brewer Lawrence Pritchard wanted to bring a little local flavor to his nanobrewery in rural Holgate in Northwest Ohio, where many folks can their own fruits and vegetables.

So Flatrock sells a 16-ounce — yes, a pint-size — growler that’s actually a mason jar. And the brewery’s tasting glasses are none other than mini mason jars.

When the Akron Beacon Journal published a list of beer festivals in Ohio this year, there was one major omission. And that has beer fans wondering what happened to the International Beer Fest in Cleveland. Last year's event -- both a tasting and a juried competition for brewers -- attracted nearly 10,000 people to the I-X Center. But it's nowhere to be found on the I-X online calendar and I-X officials at first didn't respond to calls about the future of the event.

Several Ohio brewers have heard -- in the immortal words of Monty Python's John Cleese -- that the festival has ceased to be. But not so fast. The festival isn't canceled, a spokeswoman said. "It is changing." No other details were provided. Stay turned.

Draft Magazine has released its list of the 100 best beer bars in America for 2013 and three bars in the Cleveland area made the cut.

The magazine honored the Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood, McNulty's Bier Markt in Cleveland and La Cave du Vin in Cleveland Heights. To read the reasons why and check out the entire list, click here.

The 2013 Ohio Beer Festivals list has been updated with several new events. As I mentioned when it was first posted earlier this month, the list will be updated throughout the year.

The latest updates include dates for the North Market Microbrew Festival in Columbus (Sept. 13-15) and five separate Fat Head's events: the Headstrong Strong Ale Fest (March 22-23), Hippy Sippy Festival (May 4), Heavyweight Brewer's Brawl (June 8), Celebration of the Hop (Oct. 5) and Trucktoberfest (September).  To check out the full list, click here.

West Point Market in Akron will hold two special tastings this month.

Weasel Boy Brewing Co. from Zanesville -- which won a gold medal for its Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout at the Great American Beer Festival last year -- will take over the taps of the grocery store's growler station from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 26. Owner and brewer Jay Wince will visit to chat about his beers. The following beers will be available: Dancing Ferret IPA, Plaid Ferret Scottish Ale, Bitter Sable Black IPA and Bourbon Barrel Aged Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout. Samples will be 25 cents and growlers will be available for purchase.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has introduced a new Shock Top beer: Honeycrisp Apple Wheat. The beer, brewed with Belgian Candi Syrup and apple flavor, is designed to combine "the taste of Shock Top Belgian White beer with the sweet, slightly tart apple profile of a cider," the brewery says.

It is available nationwide in six- and 12-packs of bottles and on draft through July 31. The beer, at 5.2 percent alcohol by volume, retails for about $6.99 a six-pack. 

Fat Head's -- the award-winning brewery in suburban Cleveland -- is interested in opening a brewpub in Columbus. Partner and brewer Matt Cole confirmed the interest Friday, saying they are looking at the Short North, German Village, Brewery District and Polaris areas.

Cole said he'd like to open a brewpub with a seven-barrel brewhouse that could produce a "massive variety of small-batch beers."

Fat Head's Brewery is delving into the world of Willie Wonka for the first seasonal beer to be released from its production brewery in Middleburg Heights. Oompa Loompa Chocolate Cream Stout will be available in bottles and on draft beginning in February.

"It’s kind of a unique beer," brewer Matt Cole said. "It utilizes a lot of choclate malt as well as Belgian unsweetened baker’s chocolate." There's also milk sugar that adds some creaminess and bourbon-aged Madagascar vanilla beans.

Here are a couple interesting beer-related stories:

-- The News-Herald newspaper has a report on the Granite City Food & Brewery opening in the Legacy Village shopping area in suburban Cleveland. It will be the Minnesota-based chain's second site in Ohio, with the other being in suburban Toledo. Granite City hopes to open in the summer. "Cleveland is a natural extension of our footprint," company president Steve Wagenheim toldl the newspaper. "Our focus is to develop up I-75 from Nashville to Detroit. We're looking forward to operating in Cleveland. We're very honored, truly, to have an address that has the prestige of Legacy Village. Our food is very distinct and we're very much into craveability. We think we're coming in with a dynamic food product and great beer." To read the full story, click here.  To

Blank Slate Brewing Co. in Cincinnati will start to bottle its beer beginning in April, owner and brewer Scott LaFollette says. The brewery opened last year and has been offering only draft beer so far.

LaFollette unveiled the bottling plans in a new blog post that also provides more details about which beers he will release this year and an update on a possible tasting room.

Hoperatives, the informative beer blog that covers the Cincinnati area, reports that Rock Bottom Cincinnati's award-winning brewer Mitchell Dougherty has left the company to take over Eight Ball Brewing, a new operation being set up at The Party Source in Bellevue, Ky., across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati.

The website also says Rock Bottom has already found its new brewer: Gerry OConnell, who was the head brewer at the Cleveland ChopHouse until it shut down last week. The move amounts to a transfer for OConnell because the ChopHouse and Rock Bottom brands are both owned by CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries. To read the Hoperatives report, click here.

The Fifth Street Brewpub in Dayton, the first co-op brewpub in Ohio, is featured in a new video by Reinvention Stories. The nearly six-minute video profiles the brewpub building and neighborhood effort that led to the brewery. Brian Young and Maureen Berry narrate the film. (Watch the video below.)

Reinvention Stories -- according to the credits -- is a collaborative project created by a team of filmmakers and WYSO 91.3 as part of LOCALORE, a national public media initiative created by AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio. 

The first major Ohio beer festival of the year is this weekend in Columbus. The Columbus Winter Beerfest, which is Friday and Saturday at the Columbus Convention Center, features more than 60 breweries and 300 beers.

Regular admission is $35, with VIP tickets going for $45. Organizers are hoping to attract 10,000 people this year -- a big bump from last year's 7,200.

The new Cleveland Brew Shop will offer its first beer-making class Saturday. The monthly classes include a tasting, demonstration and "general beer geekery," owner Paul Benner said. The cost is $12.

The tasting will be held at the Bac restaurant next door. This Saturday, the class will make a Belgian-style blonde ale.

The Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Columbus will be one of four breweries nationwide to make the new Budweiser Black Crown beer, the company said Tuesday. Black Crown was the winning brew from Budweiser's "Project 12" competition, which involved brewmasters taking a crack at a new Budweiser recipe.

Black Crown will be available for purchase starting Jan. 21. The company also said it will promote the beer in its first 30-second television commercial during Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3.

The Magic Tree Pub & Eatery in Boardman will hold a five-course beer pairing dinner with Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. of Akron at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17.

The dinner features a bisque, salad, shrimp appetizer, blackened amber apple chicken and lava cake paired with Irish Setter Red, Raspberry Ale, Smoked Black Lager, Citra Dog IPA and Siberian Night Imperial Stout.

Granville Brewing Co. in Granville will make its debut Feb. 2 at a fundraiser for The Works museum in Newark. The event, Cocktails by the Fire, begins at 6:30 p.m. and the cost is $35 for members and $40 for non-members.

Granville, a nanobrewery that specializes in Belgian-style ales, expects to hit the retail market the following week with three beers in 22-ounce bottles: The Betrayer, a tripel; The Reaper, a saison; and The Oppressor, a Belgian-style amber.

Business Insider put together a list of the "Most Hungover Cities in America" and five Ohio communities made the top 25. The list was based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics on binge drinking and the number of bars per household. Here's the Ohio recap:

-- No. 18: Columbus with 16.8 pecent of people admitting to binge drinking and 5 bars per 10,000 households.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that a new brewery is planned for the Eden Park Pump Station. A group of investors, called the Cincinnati Beer Co., have received $1.1 million in state tax credits for the effort through the Ohio Development Services Agency.

The Pump Station, built in 1894, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It needs a substantial make-over, the newspaper says. The brewery is expected to be up and running by the end of next year, it says. To read the full story, click here.

Cellar Dweller Brewery is already expanding. The brewery, located at Valley Vineyards in Morrow, opened last year and is one of the few winery-breweries in Ohio. Cellar Dweller is upgrading to a five-barrel brewhouse and adding four 10-barrel fermenters and other equipment.

The brewery also is building a 3,500-square-foot addition, and has added an outdoor beer garden and taproom. It's all because of the demand from craft beer drinkers, brewer Steve Shaw said.

D.G. Yuengling & Son made quite a splash when it started distributing in Ohio in late 2011. America's oldest brewery -- and the largest American-owned brewery -- rolled out Yuengling Traditional Lager, Yuengling Light Lager and Yuengling Original Black & Tan to great fanfare. Yuengling Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale arrived a little later. Yuengling Bock and even a seasonal Oktoberfest hit the state.

But there are two beers in the Yuengling portfolio that have yet to arrive in Ohio. And loyal Yuengling fans are wondering when Yuengling Premium and Yuengling Light will be here. The brewery previously had indicated those brews would be distributed in Ohio starting around August 2012.

Boston Beer Co. will release a new Samuel Adams beer and put one of the award-winning brews from its Small Batch collection on draft.

Samuel Adams Double Agent India Pale Lager is slated to hit the market in February and be available year-round. It's a lager made with American Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Ahtanum, American Zeus and New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. "The result is this boldly hoppy and flavorful brew with the crisp smoothness of a lager," the company says. The beer is 5 percent alcohol by volume.

Burning River Barley's Angels, an organization for women who enjoy and want to learn more about craft beer, will hold its inaugural event from 7 to 10 p.m. Jan. 12 at the ABC Tavern in Cleveland. The event will feature a three-course beer pairing dinner guided by ABC Tavern owner Trace Althoff. Tickets are $25.

The Burning River Barley's Angels chapter was founded last month by local hombrewer Heather Ramsey "as she recognized the female contingent of beer lovers in Cleveland," a news release said. There are Barley's Angels chapters in six countries. The Cleveland chapter is the only one in Ohio, according to the website.

Bloomberg News reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev will release Black Crown, a stronger version of Budweiser, this year. The beer has an alcohol content of 6 percent, and was one of the experimental beers developed by brewers at its U.S. breweries.

"Black Crown's bringing Bud to a more sophisticated crowd and occasion," AB InBev Chief Marketing Officer Miguel Patricio told Bloomberg. To read the full story, click here.

Hear are several Ohio-related beer stories:

-- Bru, the new brew-on-premise business in Columbus, is open, Drink Up Columbus reports. "Bru has a full bar boasting 30 taps, five of which are currently filled with Bru’s own beers, 10 total by the end of next week," the website says. To read the full story, which includes photos, click here.