Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its new Gangster Frog IPA next week.

"It's a clean and crisp American IPA, loaded with the absolute finest American hops," brewer and owner Fred Karm said in an email. "A lot of research has gone into Gangster Frog IPA to feature our new, highly-acclaimed and sought-after Citra hops that we just received for the very first time. And it also has our favorite highest grade Amarillo and Centennial hops, as well, to strike the perfect balance."

Here are some interesting beer-related stories, including plenty with Ohio connections:

-- Columbus Brewing Co. has been named the "Best Brewery" in Columbus by readers of Columbus Alive!, a weekly magazine in the state capital. Elevator Brewing and Barley's Brewing were runners-up. Meanwhile, World of Beer won for "Best Beer Selection." To see all the "bests," click here.

MadTree Brewing Co. in Cincinnati made brewing history today in Ohio by becoming the first modern craft brewery to start canning its beer in the state. The first brew off the line -- which is pumping out 27 cans a minute -- was psycHOPathy, an India pale ale.

"As cool as it is, it’s about the liquid in the cans more than the can," co-owner Brady Duncan said.

The Grove City Lions Club will hold a Spring Craft Beer Fest from 2 to 6 p.m. April 27 at Beulah Park in Grove City. The event will raise money so the group can purchase a guide dog through Pilot Dogs Inc. for a local sight-impaired individual.

The Spring Craft Beer Fest will feature 120 different craft beers and a silent auction. The cost is $35 in advance or $40 at the door. That includes 20 four-ounce samples. Designated driver tickets are $5.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s new seasonal brew Alchemy Hour Double IPA will disappear after this year -- at least its name will. Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. in Portland owns the trademark for "Alchemy" and is putting the kabosh on Great Lakes using the name in the future.

Brady Walen, brand manager for Widmer, said his brewery has great respect for Great Lakes and its beers, but has to protect its brand identity. Widmer — which released its own year-round Alchemy Ale on Monday — has owned the trademark since 2006.

The Ohio Beer Drinkers Association has scheduled a slew of beer-tasting events over the next few months. Here's the rundown:

-- Saturday (March 30) at the Village Cafe in Cridersville. There will be 14 beers, including two from Flatrock Brewing in Holgate. Flatrock brewmaster Lawrence Pritchard will be there to chat about his beers. The tasting begins at 8 p.m. and costs $10. For more details, click here.

Fat Head's Brewery will release a North German-style pilsner on Monday. (April 1) Güdenhoppy Pils, made with European malt and whole flower Noble hops, will be available in bottles and on draft.

"Our head brewmaster traveled to Europe and scoured the Bavarian countryside, researching old-world styles of brewing and learning techniques from the masters," the brewery said in a news release. "In search of the perfect pilsner, he created this award-winning beer. Are you güden ready?"

Portland State University says it has created the nation's first certificate program focused on the business of craft brewing.

"There are several good programs in the U.S. that teach how to brew, but none that focus on the business skills it takes to run a craft brewery, distillery or cider facilities,” Mellie Pullman, a Portland State professor and a former brewer, said in a prepared statement. "That's where we come in."

Jeff Berghoff of Stow won the third week of the Akron Beacon Journal's online Ohio Beer Quiz. He will receive a $50 gift certificate to Willoughby Brewing Co.

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Columbus will host a tapping party for its seasonal Maibock at 5:30 p.m. April 3. The beer recently was named one of the top 10 spring beers by the website Gayot.com.

The party is open to the public and attendees can taste the beer plus sample the new seasonal menu items.

Gordon Biersch describes its Maibock as "a strong Einbeck-style lager with a bronzed bounty of warming  caramel malt goodness, balanced to perfection with noble Hersbrucker hops."

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland will release its new seasonal beer Rye of the Tiger IPA this week. The beer will be available on tap exclusively at the Great Lakes brewpub starting at 4 p.m. Thursday (March 28). The Great Lakes gift shop will begin selling bottles at 5 p.m. Friday, and the beer will go into distribution on Monday (April 1).

"Our Rye of the Tiger has claws," the brewery said in a news release. "Named for its fierce hop profile and sharp rye content, Rye of the Tiger is a thrilling India pale ale with bite. Rye of the Tiger is crafted for the fighter in all of us, a powerful beer meant to inspire feats of strength and skill. At 7.5 percent, mind those cat-like reflexes if your bout goes into extra rounds. If you can handle this hopped-up kitty, you’ve earned your stripes."

Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens — the 97th best brewery in the world, according to Ratebeer.com — is partnering with Acme Fresh Markets to bring its beer to the Akron area.

“They recognize that Akron could be a great market for them and want to pair with a local retailer to help spread the word about their product,” Acme beer buyer Jon Albrecht said.

MadCap Brew Co. is up and running. The new nanobrewery in Stow — one of the smallest brewing operations in Ohio — made its public debut recently at Bellacino’s Pizza and Grinders, 3657 Fishcreek Road.

"It was sort of electric in the room," co-owner and brewer Ryan Holmes said about the reaction.

Fat Head's Brewery and Columbus Brewing Co. collaborated on a special beer for the inaugural Fat Head's Headstrong Strong Ale Fest, which takes place tonight and Saturday (March 22-23) at the brewpub in North Olmsted.

The beer, called Motley Brew, is a Belgian-style dark strong beer made with Belgian yeast, carmelized California golden raisins and rosemary. "It has an earthiness to it and some wine character," Fat Head's brewer and co-owner Matt Cole said. "It's really cool."

Yellow Springs Brewery, a new production brewery in Yellow Springs, will open its tasting room to the public at 1 p.m. April 13. Co-owner and brewer Nate Cornett said he'd like to have eight to 10 beers on draft for the grand opening. Many of those will be pilot batches, providing a sneak peak of what's to come as the brewery ramps into full production.

The brewery also hopes to have a food truck there. The tasting room will be open until 9 p.m. that first night.

The Ohio beer industry contributed $10 billion to the state and U.S. economies last year, according to a new economic impact study released Thursday by the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

The biennial report, called Beer Serves America, estimates that beer contributed $3.98 billion directly in Ohio through brewing, distributing and retail businesses — and another $6 billion indirectly.

The Ohio Craft Brewers Association is now accepting applications for the newly created position of executive director. The nonprofit group has posted the job description on its website.

The group had announced late last month that it planned to hire for the position and was working on developing the job description and duties.

The Dayton Daily News reports that a new brewpub hopes to open this summer in Centerville. Lock 27 Brewing will have an international flair, the newspaper reports.

“We’ll look to stretch the style guidelines and will brew everything from traditional to high-gravity to sour beers, and we’ll do some barrel-aging on-site in wine and whiskey barrels,” owner Steve Barnhart told writer Mark Fisher.

Get ready to see your favorite television character from Dallas, Franklin & Bash and other Turner Broadcasting shows hoisting a MillerCoors brand beer. MillerCoors -- which has a brewery in Ohio -- has inked an exclusivity deal with Turner Broadcasting to push its products on TBS, TNT, CNN, truTV, Funny or Die and other platforms.

"Through this one-of-a-kind, category-exclusive arrangement, writers for TBS and TNT originals now have access to incorporate a MillerCoors product wherever it makes sense to incorporate a beer, neons, barware, tap-handles and even trucks," the brewer said in a news release, which makes no mention of the financial terms of the deal.

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery is taking over four tap handles at the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. tasting room in Akron starting at 4 p.m. Thursday (March 21). Jackie O's opened a new production brewery this year and is now distributing its beers on draft.

Jackie O's is rated as one of the best breweries in the world by Ratebeer.com. The following beers will be available: Mystic Mama IPA, Firefly Amber, Razz Wheat and Chomo-lung-ma, a nut brown. 

The Cincinnati Craft Brewer's StarkBier Fest 2013 -- an outdoor celebration dedicated to beers made by Cincinnati-area brewers -- will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday (March 23) at Listermann Brewing Co. in Cincinnati.

Thirteen brewers are participating and bringing special beers for the event: Blank Slate (Shroominous), Rivertown (Infinite Shilling and Hop Barron), 50 West (Punch you in the EyePA), MadTree (Identity Crisis), Rock Bottom (Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale and Scotch Ale), Christan Moerlein (Coffee Bock), Mt Carmel (Snapshot Series Ardennes Quad), Great Crescent (TBD), Wiedemann (Special Lager), Cellar Dweller (Goat Violator), Triple Digit (Gravitator), Listermann (Smoked Bock) and Quaff Bros (Corn on the Knob.

Crafted Artisan Meadery in Suffield Township won a silver medal last weekend at The Mazer Cup International Mead Competition for its Tupelo Mead. The mead won in the "Varietal - Semi-Sweet" category.

The Mazer Cup, held in Boulder, Colo., is the largest mead-only competition in the world, with 300 commercial entries this year.

Fred Karm is not only a decorated brewer, but he’s also one sly fella. He’s been pestered for years by beer fans about when his Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron — the 17th best brewery in the world, according to Ratebeer.com — would open a tasting room.

But every time he was asked, Karm demurred, saying he wasn’t really interested or it would be too much trouble. Not true.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland was featured Monday on the Discovery Channel show The Profiles Series with Larry King. (See video below.)

The episode includes a six-minute segment on the brewery's focus on the environment and sustainability, and mentions the brewery's farm in Bath Township and the Burning River Foundation. "We are environmental stewards but we're also huge advocates of water conservation and keeping high water standards," co-owner Pat Conways says in the show.

Granite City Food & Brewery -- which has a restaurant in Maumee and is opening one in Lyndhurst -- reported Monday that same store sales increased 4.5 percent for the fourth quarter of last year and 2.6 percent in the last fiscal year. Total restaurant sales increased 33.3 percent to $30.9 million for the fourth quarter, and total sales for last year rose 29.7 percent to $120.9 million.restaurant sales increased 29.7% to $120.9 million for fiscal year 2012 from $93.2 million in fiscal year 2011   

"2012 was an incredible year for the company and we accomplished a lot in a very short time period," Chief  Executive Officer Rob Doran said in a prepared statement. "This past year we focused on setting the stage for growth and then executing on the steps we put in place to grow both organically and externally. Organically, we were able to increase our store level revenue and our store level operating margin pushing more store level income to the bottom line."

Chris Vartenuk of Akron won a $50 gift card to Willoughby Brewing Co. in the second week of the Akron Beacon Journal's month-long Ohio Beer Quiz contest. The third week is now under way and includes video questions from Stone Brewing co-founder Greg Koch and James Knott of the Better Beer Authority in Columbus.

The winner of the third week will receive a $50 gift card to Willoughby Brewing.

World of Beer will open its first location in the Cleveland market on Tuesday. (March 19). The 39th World of Beer -- and the third in Ohio -- will open at 14701 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood.

It will offer more than 500 bottles of beer, 50 rotating taps and two cask engines.

Craft brewers continue to increase their share of the U.S. beer market. The Brewers Association, a Boulder, Colo.-based trade group, reported Monday that both volume and sales shares for craft brewers grew last year.

Craft brewers now control 6.5 percent of the market by volume, up from 5.7 percent the previous year. Also, the dollar share rose to 10.2 percent. The retail sales for craft beer was estimated at $10.2 billion, up from $8.7 billion a year earlier.

Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. is expanding its distribution into Northeast Ohio and Columbus. In Northeast Ohio, the Toledo brewery is available now exclusively at West Point Market in Akron. The grocery started carrying the brewery last week.

"At some point this year, we're hoping to move into the Cleveland area and Columbus," co-owner and brewer Paul Traver said.

One of Ohio’s most popular summer tourist destinations is getting a new brewery. Catawba Island Brewing Co., a production brewery and tasting room, hopes to open in May just as tourist season begins in full force for the Lake Erie Islands region.

Partners Shad Gunderson and Mike Roder are launching the brewery with a 10-barrel brewhouse on the mainland between Catawba and Port Clinton.

The Jackie O's tasting room, located at the new production brewery in Athens, is open. The tasting room is having soft openings from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (March 14-15), brewer Brad Clark reports.

There are four beers on draft: Chomolungma, Mystic Mama IPA, Firefly Amber and Razz Wheat. Earlier this year, Ratebeer.com ranked Jackie O's as the 97th best brewery in the world.arl  E a

Miller Lite is partnering with 20th Century Fox’s summer comedy The Internship to offer four friends a special two-week "internship” that will take them across the country in a customized recreational vehicle for a series of Miller Lite events.

Now through April 7, beer drinkers who are 21 and over can enter on the Miller Lite Facebook page. Sets of four friends must enter together. 

Bill Metzger, publisher of the Great Lakes Brewing News and other beer publications, will be the featured speaker at the eighth annual Ohio Brew Week. The event is June 21-29 in Athens.

This year, there are more than 40 Ohio craft breweries participating with more than 200 Ohio-made beers available, said Dan Gates, executive director of the event. “Ohio Brew Week continues to grow in stature around the country and among the craft brew industry,” Gates said in a prepared statement. “We are fortunate that the Athens community embraces this excellent event and welcomes more than 20,000 people from all over the country.”

The Cleveland Brew Shop is partnering with the Tremont West Development Corp. and Ohio Department of Transportation to convert a vacant city lot into a small-scale hop farm.

The corporation recently approached the homebrew shop about using an undeveloped piece of land along W. 14th St. just south of the Interstate 490 bridge in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.

Christian Moerlein and Arnold’s Bar and Grill will re-release Arnold’s 1861 Porter starting at 6 p.m. March 22. In honor of the occasion, the beer will sell for $1.52 -- one penny for every year Arnold’s has been in business -- from 6 to 7 p.m.

Arnold’s 1861 Porter was brewed on a small test pilot system in 2011, becoming the first beer made by Christian Moerlein in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood in more than 90 years. "So it is fitting that after being unavailable for nearly two years, it will be the first beer to roll out of their facility now that it is fully operational," Arnold's said in a news release.

The Brewers Association reported Tuesday that the American craft beer industry set a new record for exports last year. Craft beer exports increased 72 percent compared with the previous year, with a value estimated at $49.1 million, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based trade group. (See graphic at the bottom.)

Fred Karm, brewer and owner of Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron, said he isn't surprised by the growth because other countries are still learning about U.S. craft beer.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the Fifth Street Brewpub will hold an open house from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday (March 16) to show off its progress. The co-op brewpub hopes to open this spring.

The event will feature two Fifth Street Brewpub beers crafted for St. Patrick’s Day: a Dry Irish Stout and an Irish Pale Ale, the newspaper said. To read the full story, click here.

Four Cincinnati attorneys and homebrewers are intent on launching a different kind of brewery in the Queen City. They want to open a brewing educational center — their take on a community recreation center.

Matthew Baltes of the Aurora area was the first-week winner in the Akron Beacon Journal's monthlong Ohio Beer Quiz. He will receive a $50 gift card to Willoughby Brewing Co. Eighty people correctly answered all 10 questions. Baltes' name was then selected at random as the winner.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports on a new brewery planned for the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Rhinegeist Brewing will be located on the second floor of the Christian Moerlein bottling plant.ill b

Co-founder Bryant Goulding told the newspaper that they had plenty of options of where to open the brewery. “I was just charmed,” Goulding said about Cincinnati. “People are friendly here; they’re excited about where the city’s going."

All hail Big Vic. The imperial wheat ale from Elevator Brewing Co. won the Best of Show award Friday night at the annual Art & Ale beer tasting at the Akron Art Museum.

It was deja vu for the Columbus brewery, which was named "Best Brewery" at the event last year. This year, a panel of three judges (I served as one of them) sampled two beers recommended by each brewery to determine a Best of Show winner. It was a difficult assignment to pick a winner among the entries.

Black Box Brewing Co. in Westlake has undergone a major expansion over the last year that more than doubled its brewing capacity. The small brewery, which also includes a homebrew and wine-making shop, added new fermenters, a grain room, mill and larger walk-in cooler.

"We were doing between 300 to 600 barrels and we’re now on schedule to do 2,000 this year," brewer and owner Jerome Welliver said. "The expansion was a big deal."

Here are two interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Cincinnati Business Courier reports that Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati features plenty of local food and beverage options, including Mt. Carmel and Christian Moerlein beer. To read the full story, click here.

The sixth annual Akron Art Museum Art & Ale beer-tasting will feature a major raffle prize for anybody who has ever wanted to brew at the professional level. The winner will be able to brew a batch of beer at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron.

Art & Ale is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday (March 8) in the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby. It features Ohio breweries and regional food makers. For the first time this year, the galleries also will be open for the first hour.

The Brew Monkeys homebrew shop in Cincinnati will sponsor a free "Brew Like a Pro" class featuring Blank Slate brewer/owner Scott LaFollette at 10 a.m. March 30.

LaFollette will provide tips on making craft beer. People wanting to attend must register in advance. To register or for more details, email chris@brewmonkeys.com or click here.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories. I haven't put one of these lists together in awhile so this is a little lengthy as I catch up:

-- There's no such thing as "beer goggles," a researcher says. “We still see others basically as they are,” Dr. Amanda Ellison told the Telegraph, a British newspaper. “There is no imagined physical transformation -- just more desire." To read the full story, click here.

The Akron Beacon Journal's Ohio Beer Quiz is up and running. The quiz, which tests people's knowledge about the Ohio beer industry, features 10 questions a week for a month. It also includes video questions.

Ohio Brewing Co. in Akron will hold a St. Patrick's Day Party at the brewery after the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Akron on Saturday. (Yes, the Akron parade is March 9.) The event, which includes live music and Irish food, is expected to begin at 1 p.m. and go until at least 8 p.m.

The party will include the brewery's new seasonal beer on draft: Double Irish Red. "It's a big malty red ale," co-owner Chris Verich said.

Kona Brewing Co. is releasing its new Hang-10 Pint Pack at stores this week. The pack, which features Longboard Lager, is made up of 10 16-ounce cans.

“The name suits our Longboard Island Lager perfectly, and this pint pack gives craft drinkers another occasion to enjoy our Liquid Aloha,” Kona Brewing President Mattson Davis said in a prepared statement. “The 10-pack occasion is great for small gatherings because you can quickly grab it and head to the beach or barbecue knowing you’ve got enough brews to share. Plus each can is a full pint, which means more Longboard per can and more time to talk story with friends and family, like we do in Hawaii.”

West Point Market in Akron is asking brewers to create their best black & tan during a special beer tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. March 15. The event will feature 11 breweries and the "Black & Tan Challenge," in which each brewery will create its own black & tan using its beers.

People attending the event, held in honor of St. Patrick's Day, will be able to vote on their favorite and the winner will walk away with bragging rights.

Chris McKim is downright giddy. For 18 years, he and his wife Pam have run The Brew Kettle, helping it blossom from a little mom-and-pop shop in Strongsville into an award-winning brewery and, arguably, the most popular and respected brew-on-premise operation in the state. Along the way, they called all the shots.

But now the McKims are partnering with an investment group, with an eye on improving the restaurant and expanding the production brewery that makes such well-known beers as White Rajah, 4 C’s Pale Ale and Jack Hammer Barley Wine. The group, called The Brew Kettle Strongsville LLC, also wants to open other locations.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its seasonal Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale at the brewery on Friday. (March 8) The brewery will open at 10 a.m. A 22-ounce bottle is $6.99.

The Zydeco Bistro food truck also will be at the brewery at lunchtime.

The Brew Kettle owner and original brewer Chris McKim is making the transition to the title "founder." He confirmed in a post on the Beer Advocate website that he and his wife Pam have entered into a partnership with an investment group that plans to update the brewpub and franchise The Brew Kettle name.

"I just could not financially do it all myself anymore and my time management skills had reached their limits," McKim wrote. "This is going to be a great improvement for customers, the dedicated staff, the business, our products and The Brew Kettle brand."

The Brewers Association, the Colorado-based trade group for craft brewers, has added two new beer styles to its "2013 Beer Style Guidelines," which are used in competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup.

With the addition of Adambier and Gratzer, the guidelines now include 142 styles. Both Adambier and Gratzer are historically smoky ales, with the former thriving in and around Dortmund, Germany, and the latter brewed primarily in Poland, the association said.

Four String Brewing Co. in Columbus will soon release a new Belgian-style beer conditioned with tart Michigan cherries. Cherry Blonde Ale is the brewery's spring seasonal, owner and brewer Dan Cochran said in an email,

He sent along this logo, which notes that the beer will be 5 percent alcohol by volume.

The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake will host a beer tasting and pairing dinner March 23 featuring Cellar Rats Brewery in Madison. The event will begin with an hour-long tasting followed by a four-course dinner with beer used as an ingredient and beers paired with the course.

The Beer Tasting Dinner getaway includes the beer tasting and dinner, overnight accommodations and breakfast. It starts at $245 plus tax per couple. For reservations, click here or call 866-442-9765. The promo code is BEER.

Clark Myers always got a good response when he handed out his homemade beer to friends. So he figured why not turn professional.

Myers is launching Bucks Brewing Co., a new nanobrewery in Newark. It’ll be the fourth brewery in Licking County, joining Buckeye Lake Brewery in Buckeye Lake, Granville Brewing in Granville and Homestead Beer in Heath. (CORRECTION: I previously reported there would be three, forgetting that Buckeye Lake is in Licking County.)

Neil House Brewery in Columbus is closing. The brewery and homebrew shop opened in 2010 and perhaps was best known for its Cranberry Cider.

"Unfortunately yes, we are closing the doors on the brewery," owner and brewmaster Patrick Kelleher said in an email. "The last of our inventory of cider will be available through Superior [Beverage] and will stay on shelves until it's gone. We're working on getting rid of the rest of our grains, ingredients and equipment currently. It's sad for us all, but thanks for being a fan through this endeavor." "