Chris Verich is the co-owner and director of brewing operations at Ohio Brewing Co. The production brewery -- which also features a tasting room -- is located in the Selle Generator Works building in downtown Akron. Verich previously has run a brewery in the Youngstown area and had a brewpub in downtown Akron.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

The The Plain Dealer's Marc Bona (right) and Akron Beacon Journal beer writer Rick Armon sat down together last month and sampled 31 budget beers. You know the kind -- the brands that sell dirt cheap. These are brews with the names Old Milwaukee, Pong Lite, Schlitz Malt Liquor and Schaefer.

The Plain Dealer and Beacon Journal newspapers will jointly publish a large graphic Wednesday highlighting the beers and provide a quick review. Bona and Armon also wrote about the experience and their columns will appear online here on the Beacon Journal beer blog and on The Plain Dealer's website www.cleveland.com/taste.

The new Wooster Brewery will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. this weekend, according to a brewery post on Facebook.

Paul Fryman, a Wayne County native, is launching the brewery after stints at Great Divide Brewing, Snake River Brewery and Great Adirondack Brewing. Its the first craft brewery to open in Wayne County.

Dayton History has unveiled plans to open the Carillon Brewing Co. next year in Carillon Historical Park, the Dayton Daily News reports.

Dayton History President and Chief Executive Officer Brady Kress tells the newspaper that the $2 million brewery will use historical techniques in its brewing. Heidelberg Distributing Co. is helping to build the brewery, which is one of four projects unveiled.

Beer drinkers in Northeast Ohio will have the choice of two beer festivals to attend Saturday.

The eighth annual Blues & Brews festival is at Lock 3 park in downtown Akron. The fourth annual Cleveland Scene Magazine Ale Fest is at Lincoln Park in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. For more details, including times and how to buy tickets, click on the links above.

A Canton native will take a flight Saturday in a specialized Zero G plane and experience weightlessness thanks to Shock Top Belgian White.

Jason Harless, a University of Akron law student, was the second winner in Shock Top’s Final Challenge competition on Facebook. The contest plays off the predictions that the world will end on Dec. 21. Fans submitted bucket list items with a chance to have their wish come true.

The Willoughby News-Herald newspaper has a story and video on Cellar Rats Brewery, located at the Debonne Vineyards winery in Madison. The brewery/winery has seen an influx of new customers since the brewery began in 2008.

“Good winery customers I’ve seen maybe five times a year now are out here drinking beer,” Tony Debevc Sr. told the newspaper. “I ask them about it only to find that they love to come here and have only been drinking wine because that was all we had. They consider themselves, first and foremost, beer drinkers.”

Vitruvian Brewing Co. in Yellow Springs is turning to the Internet to raise capital for its new brewery, the Dayton Daily News reports. Founder Shane Creepingbear tells the newspaper that banks aren't interested in providing small loans so the brewery is seeking financial help through the website IndieGoGo.

“Beyond that, it's not exactly appealing to be in debt right out of the gates,” he told the newspaper. “There are a lot of success stories right now for people using crowdfunding options for their start-ups, everything from films and video games to education and travel. It's a great idea: draw on small contributions from a wide net community."

The West Point Market in Akron received 138 entries in its Bottle My Brew Ohio Homebrew Challenge. The contest was open to all Ohio homebrewers and entries were due July 11.

The winning beer will be brewed by Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and available in bottles and on draft at the grocery store and at Winking Lizard Tavern restaurants in Northeast Ohio.

The Columbus Dispatch has a story on the Bottoms Up Beer Dispenser being used at Huntington Park, where the Columbus Clippers play. The dispenser is supposed to create "the perfect pour."

His device fills the beer glass from the bottom.

Mt. Carmel Brewing Co. from Cincinnati will hold a special release party at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Lizardville in Bedford Heights in suburban Cleveland. The brewery will offer its Third Shift Imperial Coffee Stout, which is part of its Snapshot Series.

"It's a unique offering -- blended with the cold-brewed roast of Cincinnati's La Terza Artisan (Coffee) Roasterie," assistant brewer Patrick Clark said in an email. "We've remained true to our brewery's balanced trademark -- contributing notes of coffee in both the nose and finish, but with the unmistakable roasted body of a true stout. It's a draft only offering cellaring with a 10 percent ABV exclusively brewed for our Cincinnati backyard, but now available Wednesday to our neighbors in the North."

Jim LaRose is president and chief operating officer of The House of LaRose, a beer distributor based in Brecksville in Cuyahoga County. The company employs about 305 workers and serves more than 5,200 customers in eight counties in Northeast Ohio. Its brands include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Yuengling, Goose Island, Corona and Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Question: How did you get into the beer distributing business?

The Great Lakes Burning River Fest is Saturday and Sunday on Whiskey Island in Cleveland. The annual event, presented by the Burning River Foundation and Great Lakes Brewing Co., features more than 30 bands on three stages, food, Great Lakes beer and educational displays on the environment.

A big highlight for many people is the release of a fresh batch of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. The festival runs from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. For full details, including the cost of tickets, click here.

WSYX-TV (Channel 6) in Columbus has a Road Trippin' report on Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster. Rockmill specializes in Belgian-style ales. You can check out the video here:

Anheuser-Busch InBev plans to release three new small-batch beers under the brand Budweiser Project 12 this fall -- and perhaps one of them will be "Budweiser Small Batch 43229," an amber lager designed by brewers in Columbus.

Samuel Adams is releasing a limited edition beer made for wedding celebrations. The beer will be available for purchase on only one day, though, and only at the Samuel Adams brewery in Boston. (Samuel Adams also has breweries in Cincinnati and Pennsylvania.)

Brewlywed Ale is a Belgian-style pale golden ale. Only 500 cases were made. The cost is $14.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Christopher Schaeffer of Lakewood won the "Best of Show" award at the Ohio State Fair's homebrew competition for a cream ale. The fair, which kicks off July 25, announced the contest winners this week.

Schaeffer also won a third place award for a brown porter, and a fourth place for a sweet stout.

The eighth annual Blues & Brews beer festival returns July 28 to Lock 3 park in downtown Akron.

“I think it will be one of our best beer selections ever,” said organizer John Najeway, one of the owners of Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron. “There are so many to choose from.”

 Bruce Stevenson is the superintendent of the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. He was appointed to lead the agency in January 2011 after working at there in various roles for two decades. For 13 years, he served as deputy superintendent of the Division’s Licensing Section, which is responsible for issuing and renewing the state’s 23,000 manufacturer, wholesale distributor and retail permit licenses. Stevenson, who is a graduate of Youngstown State University, also has served as chief of the Permit Division, and chief of the Beer and Wine Division.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland issued a news release late last week detailing its efforts to brew an accurate version of what may be the first recorded beer recipe from ancient Sumeria. The news isn't new, considering co-owner Pat Conway talked about it at the International Beer Festival earlier this year. But Great Lakes released specific details about the brewing effort, which also involved the University of Chicago, Conway's alma mater.

Pottery students at the university created porcelain vessels, and brewers used sunlight and wooden tools for malting and mashing. The brewery also used research by Tate Paulette, a PhD candidate studying near eastern languages and civilizations at the university. Great Lakes said it had difficulty getting a yeast from the Middle East. (An archaeologist couldn't get yeast samples through customs.)

Goats often butt heads to determine who's the alpha male in the herd. Now, two Horny Goats may be butting heads to determine who's the top goat in the Ohio beer market.

The Office Bistro & Lounge in Akron will hold a five-course beer pairing dinner with Goose Island at 6 p.m. Sunday (July 15). The event will feature the following Goose Island beers: Summertime, Sofie, Matilda, Juliet, Pepe Nero and Night Stalker.

The dinner courses include duck confit, roasted beet and melon salad, pork belly, beef tips and chocolate espresso mousse.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron will release a cask-conditioned chocolate raspberry imperial stout at 5 p.m. today (July 12) at the brewery tasting room.

The Bloatarian Brewing League's Beer & Sweat, the world's largest keg-only homebrew competition, is seeking sponsors for the first time this year. Sponsorships range from $25 to $1,000.

Donors will be recognized both at the event -- the extent depends on the amount of the donation -- and on the Bloatarian Brewing League website.

The Cincinnati Beer Story, a documentary film chronicling the history of beer-making in the Queen City, will have its world premiere at 7 p.m. July 28 at Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati.

Several members of the film team -- author Don Heinrich Tolzmann, author Michael Morgan, former Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Co. worker Paul Abrams and Executive Producer Mark Sweeney -- will make remarks before the film is shown.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is launching a new online campaign asking adults to take a pledge to drink responsibly and then encourage their friends to do the same through Facebook. The pledge can be found by clicking here.

Thirty years ago, Anheuser-Busch unveiled its "Know When to Say When" campaign to promote responsible drinking.

The new Cincinnati brewery being launched by friends Whit Hesser, Blake Horsburgh and Bobby Slattery is getting closer to opening. (But they still haven't chosen an official name for their brewery, which is located in the former Heritage Restaurant on Wooster Pike in Mariemont.)

Hesser and Horsburgh posted a progress update this week on their blog Brewing with Friends, noting that they are hoping for state approval this week and to start brewing beer "very, very soon." They also posted some pictures of their brewing equipment.

Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale took home the top prize at the Brewing News' fifth annual Global Waming Open, which wrapped up last weekend. The beer beat out Black Diamond Wheat Wacker.

There were plenty of Ohio beers represented in the competition, which pitted beers against each other in a format similar to the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. Willoughy Brewing Co.'s Hazy Days survived into the Elite 8 and was the last-standing Ohio beer. Other Ohio breweries that participated were: The Brew Kettle and Fat Head's,

Aleheads, a beer website, has compiled its list of the best beer in every U.S. state based on ratings on BeerAdvocate.com. The winner for Ohio? Columbus Brewing Co.’s Bodhi Double IPA.

"I was thinking Great Lakes would take the Ohio cup with something like their Blackout Stout, but nope…Columbus swooped in for the victory with their big, brash Bodhi. I haven’t had it, but it sounds like a tropical fruit-bowl of goodness," the writer says.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron is releasing a new version of Naked Evil Belgian-style Barley Wine-style Ale called Sweet Evil Belgian Barley Wine. Naked Evil is barrel-aged, but the brewery made one batch "un-barrel-aged."

"We call it Sweet Evil Belgian Barley Wine because it's sweeter than the original, bringing its alcohol bite and Belgian spiciness into balance without the barrel aging," owner and brewer Fred Karm said in an email. "That adds its own sweetness by concentrating the beer and adding the vanillin and other oak flavors to the Barrel Aged Naked Evil.  Sweet Evil is a different twist on this interesting beer. It will never be made again, so get Sweet Evil Belgian Barley Wine while it lasts!"

Mike and Donna Schwartz, owners of the well-respected Belmont Party Supply beer store and BrewTensils homebrew shop in Dayton, have added a sandwich shop to their business empire, the Dayton Daily News reports.

Stackers Subs & Grub, co-owned by Doug Magoch, opened Sunday in the same shopping plaza as the beer store and homebrew shop. To read the full Dayton Daily News story, click here.

Fifth Street Brewpub, a co-op brewery launching in Dayton, is reporting "a blazing start" to its membership drive. Organizers say they signed up 200 members in less than two weeks. The volunteer group behind the brewpub is selling one share per person for $100. All owners, including the founders, own an equal share of the brewpub.

Fifth Street Brewpub also has an investor’s initiative, with investment levels as low as $1,000.

Kent Waldeck is the owner and mead-maker at Crafted Artisan Meadery, a meadery in rural Suffield Township just east of Akron. Waldeck, a former homebrewer, launched the meadery two months ago. Crafted has a tasting room that is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, and Waldeck recently inked a deal to have his mead sold at the Acme Fresh Market store in North Canton. 

Question: Why did you become a brewer/mead-maker?

Granite City Food & Brewery, a Minneapolis-based chain, plans to open a restaurant in Cleveland. The news was reported last week in the Ohio Brew Week program.

Brewer Scott McDole told the publication that the company is opening six more brewpubs, including one in Cleveland. It already operates a restaurant in suburban Toledo.

The Solon Center for the Arts will hold Rhythm & Brews from 1 to 6 p.m. July 21 at Solon Community Park.

A festival of music, art, and beer, Rhythm & Brews will feature local food vendors; a marketplace with 30 artists; music by 7 Mile Isle and Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean; and more than 15 breweries and wineries.

UPDATED: It’s July and for Ohioans that can mean only one thing: Christmas beer.

Ohio has an insatiable appetite for holiday beers and every brewery seems to put its own spin on the yuletide style. That’s especially true in Northeast Ohio thanks to Great Lakes Christmas Ale — a beer that has a crazy, cult-like following.

UPDATED: Ohio beer drinkers know that the craft beer business is booming here in the state. As part of my job writing the Akron Beacon Journal beer blog, I try to keep up with all the new breweries and beer news statewide. It's not an easy task. In fact, it's downright overwhelming at times.

During a recent trip to Dayton to speak before the DRAFT homebrewing club, I decided to compile a list of all the breweries that had opened within the last several months or had announced they planned to open either this year or next. It was a good exercise for me.

The Youngstown Vindicator reports that Rust Belt Brewing Co. has signed a deal to have some of its beer brewed on contract at Pennsylvania Brewing Co. in Pittsburgh. The Youngstown production brewery was having a hard time keeping up with retail demand, the newspaper says.

“Contracting with Pennsylvania is a short- to medium-range way to address problems in meeting this demand," co-owner Ken Blair told the newspaper.“It’s not a solution,” he added. “You address that with equipment and other means.”

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will be open today (July 3) and the Fourth of July for retail sales and to release its seasonal Wild Frog Wheat Ale, a German wheat beer. The beer is made with white wheat.

The brewery will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Hoppin' Frog is then closed for the remainder of the week.

The Food Experiments, a national cook-off organization, will be in Columbus on July 15 as part of a 16-city national tour sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. The event will feature about 25 local amateur chefs who have prepared food with smoke. The Columbus Smoke Experiment will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Skully’s Music-Diner.

The chefs compete for prizes and a chance to be flown to Brooklyn to compete against the winners from each city to become The Food Experiments' 2012 National Champion.

Here's some Ohio-related beer news:

-- The website 614 Magazine has a profile of Zauber Brewing Co. in Columbus. Brewer and owner Geoff Towne tells the site that he always had an eye on the state capital for his brewery. “It’s always been a place we circled on the map,” he said. “I thought, ‘Why doesn’t Columbus have a microbrewery of size? It’s got such perfect demographics for craft beer … why isn’t it better spoken for?’ I always just felt Columbus was prime, and that there was no particular reason why there wasn’t more action. It was just an exposure issue. There is no reason why Ohioans’ taste buds are any different than anyone else’s taste buds in the country.” To read the full story, click here.

Scott LaFollette is the owner/brewer of Blank Slate Brewing Co., a new production brewery that just opened in Cincinnati. Blank Slate is selling its beer on draft to bars and restaurants in the Cincinnati area. LaFollette chronicled his journey in an entertaining and honest blog that talked about the nonglamorous side of setting up a brewery. It’s a must read for any wannabe professional brewers.