Bon Appetit magazine has selected Willoughby Brewing Co.'s Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter as one of the "Weirdest Beers in America." Author Joshua M. Bernstein writes about his top 10 strange brews.

"Many beers are made with hazelnuts, pecans, and chestnuts, but peanuts have been largely overlooked," he writes "But on a recent trip to Cleveland, Ohio, I serendipitously discovered this ingenious porter from Willoughby Brewing. It tastes a bit like the love child of Starbucks coffee and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup."

Ohio tourists flock each year to Amish country to visit furniture stores, antiques shops, cheesemakers and restaurants. Soon, they’ll be able to sip a locally made craft beer, too.

Father John's and the Bryan Brewing Co. -- a new brewpub planning to open in a renovated church in Bryan in Northwest Ohio -- held a special Christmas Eve celebration that included Christmas carols and readings.

It was the first public event in the restored sanctuary, the brewery said on its Facebook page. The brewpub, which has yet to start brewing, posted 13 photos on its Facebook page. You can see one below. To view all the photos, click here.

Here are a couple interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Columbus Craft Beer Examiner writes about the top 5 places in Columbus to get a craft beer: Bob's Bar, World of Beer, Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace, Winking Lizard and Betty's Fine Food & Spirits. To read the entire report, click here.

Andy Tveekrem, the head brewer at Market Garden Brewery and Nano Brew in Cleveland, has been selected by Cleveland Magazine as one of the city's "Most Interesting People" in 2013.

His "most interesting" credentials include working at Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Dogfish Head Brewing before coming to Market Garden and Nano Brew, the magazine says. Other honorees include Cleveland Cav Kyrie Irving, journalist Russ Mitchell and 13-year-old actor Patrick D. Kennedy.

The festival list that will be updated throughout the year has been moved and is now located at www.ohio.com/blogs/the-beer-blog/ or simply click here.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Wiedemann's, an iconic beer brand in the northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area, is back on store shelves. “It feels great. It’s a big step, but really it’s just kind of the beginning still,” owner Jon Newberry, who developed the new recipe, told the newspaper.

The original Widemann Brewing Co. was founded in Newport, Ky., in the 1870s. The beer disappeared from production after 2006. Newberry bought the name and is now trying to revive the brand.

The Akron Beacon Journal will once again provide a rundown of the major beer festivals scheduled for Ohio in 2013. I plan to upload the lengthy list Monday (Dec. 24)  and it will replace the "2012 Ohio Beer Festivals" link at the top of the Ohio Breweries beer blog. It will be incomplete -- as it was at the beginning of this year -- because many organizers didn't respond to my inquiries or I wasn't able to track down the details on some events.

If you know of a festival or special beer-related event and would like to have it listed, please email me the details at rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. I also will update the list throughout the year.

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery has won a $10,000 business grant from the Athens County Economic Development Council that will help launch its new production brewery, the Athens Messenger newspaper reports.

The brewpub won the "Start It Up Athens!" contest, which was designed to help a business open or expand. (See the video below.)

The Gamekeeper's Taverne in Chagrin Falls will host a beer pairing dinner at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10 with Buckeye Brewing Co. of Cleveland. Buckeye owner and brewer Garin Wright will attend to talk about the beers.

The five-course meal, prepared by Chef Craig Fitzgerald, will include rock shrimp, a braised beef sandwich and funnel cake, and will feature Hippie IPA, Spicebush, Cleveland IPA, Cleveland Porter and Nighty Night. Tickets are $35.

Drunken-driving deaths fell to a record low last year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Fatalities in crashes involving drunken drivers declined 2.5 percent to 9,878 from the previous year and are down 53 percent since first measured in 1982.

“This new data is encouraging, especially as we approach the holiday season when it is so important that we promote responsible drinking,” Beer Institute President Joe McClain said in a prepared statement. “We recognize that even with these record lows, more work remains to be done. Brewers and beer importers are committed to continuing our work with lawmakers, law enforcement, community groups and others to promote legal, responsible drinking as a means to reduce drunk driving.”

Columbus Underground reports that Seventh Son Brewing Co. has opened -- but the new Columbus brewery isn't actually making beer yet. The production brewery, which also has a bar, is still waiting on some equipment before it can produce its own brands.

“It was supposed to be finished last week, then it was supposed to be this week, and now it might be next week,” co-owner Collin Castore told Columbus Underground. “But we’re almost there.” 

West Point Market in Akron will hold a special tasting from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 22) with Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co., best known as the maker of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

The beers sampled will be Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout, Kentucky Ale and Kentucky Light. Brewery representative Ashley Warner also will offer a demonstration on how to make "Kentucky Coffee," which is comprised of Bluegrass Sundown and heavy whipping cream.

ABC Channel 5 in Cleveland reports on Mayan Last Dog, a beer made by Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron to celebrate the supposed end of the world this week. The beer, a honey chocolate stout, has been a hit so far, co-owner John Najeway told the television station.

"If we get through the end of the world, I think we will have the rise of the Mayans and continue to brew this beer," he said.

CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries confirmed Wednesday that the Cleveland ChopHouse & Brewery, which has operated since 1998 in Cleveland's popular Warehouse District, will close permanently after Dec. 31. It is one of the longest-tenured brewpubs in Northeast Ohio.

“We have greatly appreciated the dedication of our Cleveland employees and would like to thank our loyal guests for their patronage over the years,” CraftWorks President and Chief Executive Officer Allen Corey said in a prepared statement.

The new MadCap Brewing Co. is the epitome of a nanobrewery. Housed in part of a garage — not the full garage, mind you — and tucked behind a yellow house along Graham Road and next door to Stow High School, it’s a mere 200 square feet.

If that big.

Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer -- claimed to be the United Kingdom's best-selling bottled beer -- recently made its debut in the United States and Ohio. As you might gather from the name, the beer is made with ginger and carries the advertising slogan "Refreshing Ginger Beer Only for Grown-Ups."

“Crabbie’s is a great alternative for people who like to drink beer or cider, with no equal in today’s American market,” St. Killian Importing general manager Phil Clarke said in a prepared statement. “With the current U.S. explosion of beers brewed with herbs and spices, we can’t imagine a better time to introduce Crabbie’s to America’s discerning drinkers."

A year ago, Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Marc Bona and Akron Beacon Journal writer Rick Armon sat down to taste Infinium, a holiday brew from Samuel Adams. This year, they blind-tasted a pair of popular local seasonal offerings — Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Christmas Ale and Thirsty Dog’s 12 Dogs of Christmas.

Both bottles were wrapped and labeled No. 1 and No. 2, and poured by an impartial observer. 

The Society of Akron Area Zymurgists is seeking entries for its Wizard of SAAZ 2013 Homebrew Competition & Fest.

Beers can be registered now through Feb. 1. The entry fee is $7 for the first beer, and $5 for each additional entry. Prizes will be awarded.

Cleveland Crain's Business reports that the Cleveland ChopHouse and Brewery is closing next month. The brewpub, located in Cleveland's Warehouse District, is owned by CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based chain that also operates Rock Bottom, Gordon Biersch, Old Chicago and other restaurant brands.

The ChopHouse opened in 1998. Despite being one of the longest-tenured breweries in the community, it has been overshadowed by other, well-known Cleveland breweries.

 Cincinnati-area brewers are teaming up to offer a special chartered bus tour next month of six brewery tasting rooms.

The "Tap Room Trolley" will visit the Moerlein Lager House, Rock Bottom Brewery, Rivertown Brewing, Listermann/Triple Digit Brewing, Mount Carmel Brewing and 50 West Brewing from noon to 7 p.m. Jan. 19.

Here are a few interesting beer-related stories, including some Ohio reports:

-- The Athens News reports on the seventh anniversary of Jackie O's Pub & Brewery and its latest bottle sale at the brewpub. The annual event draws plenty of visitors. "One time we counted and 14 different states were represented in the room," owner Art Oestrike said of the crowd. To read the full story, click here. 

Great Black Swamp Brewery in Toledo is celebrating its second anniversary and has released Anniversary Ale on draft to celebrate. The beer is an imperial India pale ale that's 10 percent alcohol by volume.

"We saw another year of growth so we’re pretty happy about that," co-owner and brewer Paul Traver said about the past year. "Hopefully the new year holds more growth for us again."

Boston Beer Co., maker of Samuel Adams, has seen its stock reach a record high this week thanks to increased demand for cider and seasonal beers, Bloomberg reported. The stock has climbed 15 percent since November 1995.

Boston Beer, which has a Samuel Adams brewery in Cincinnati, began distributing Angry Orchard cider earlier this year. To read the full Bloomberg report, click here.

Columbus Alive! has profiled BRU, the new brew-on-premise business opening in Columbus. BRU, which also will make its own beers, is the first brew-on-premise operation in the state capital.

“My goal is to educate people about craft beer. The vision here is for people to have the opportunity to experience brewing every step of the way … the comradery, the joking around, having fun in the brewery,” brewmaster Charlie Davis told the weekly newspaper. 

The New America Foundation has issued a new report that says the beer industry consolidation that has led to the creation of Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors is bad for consumers. And that's not all, the group says. Giant retailers like Costco also are controlling the beer market, it says.

"For consumers, it will become harder to get that special craft beer," the report concludes. "For independent brewers, it will become harder to get to market and to scale up business. For society, it will become harder to control where, when, how and to whom beer and liquor is sold, and at what price."

Fortune sat down with SABMiller Executive Chairman Graham Mackay to chat about craft beer and how national brewers are responding with their own craft brands. (SABMiller has a MillerCoors brewery in Trenton, Ohio.)

"There's a huge debate in the craft world about us, all big brewers, because we're like the enemy," Mackay said. "We're the other guys. They think we're stealing their authenticity. What we say is, 'Let the consumer decide.' If we're authentic enough for the consumer, that's authentic enough for anyone." 

Listermann Brewing Co. will release its 2012 Cincinnatus, a bourbon barrel aged stout, starting at 4 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 13) at the brewery in Cincinnati.

Listermann's Jason Brewer describes the beer this way: "Dark body with a rich, tan head. Nose gets notes of vanilla, bourbon and oak. Taste follows the nose with a touch of chocolate. Very balanced and not bourbon heavy. You can tell that this beer will age nicely. Hides the ABV (10%) very well." 

Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale won the annual blind Christmas beer tasting earlier this month at Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Boardman. Frosted Frog also topped the annual event the previous two years.

Southern Tier 2XMAS finished second, and Fat Head's Holly Jolly was third.

Rivertown Brewing Co. in Lockland unveiled its new website today. The site includes a rundown of all its beers, explanation of the brewing process and a page dedicated to the sale of T-shirts for $12. To check out the site, click here.

Experience Columbus, a website devoted to dining, shopping and playing in the state capital, has produced a gorgeous video about Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster. The brewery, located on a former horse farm, specializes in Belgian-style ales and has earned national recognition for its beers. Check out the brewery below:

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland is partnering with Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore., to make a Smoked Imperial Porter for Deschutes' Class of '88 series, which celebrates breweries that were founded 25 years ago.

Each brewery will brew its own version of the collaborative recipe, which will be available for a limited time in 22-ounce bottles and draft in May 2013, Great Lakes announced Monday. Both Great Lakes and Deschutes are known for award-winning porters: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Black Butte Porter.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery will release Frog Hops from Amager -- the third beer in its collaboration series with European breweries -- Friday and Saturday at the brewery in Akron. Frog Hops from Amager is a hoppy chocolate-wheat imperial stout.

The limited-release beer was developed with Amager Bryghus in Denmark. (Check out the video below.) "At 7.8 percent abv, it is rich, hoppy and balanced," Hoppin' Frog owner and brewer Fred Karm said in an email. "Frog Hops is made with an abundance of English and German malts, including the super-tasty German chocolate malt! And it is hopped with select American hops, including dry-hopping."

Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas -- and not Great Lakes Christmas Ale -- was selected as the best holiday beer by 60 people participating in the "12 Beers of Christmas" tasting this week at D'Agneses Trattoria in Akron. Earlier, I reported that Great Lakes was chosen as the top beer by mistake. My apologies.

Troegs Mad Elf finished a close second, and Southern Tier 2XMAS was third.

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau -- commonly known as the TTB -- has approved the labels for Jackie O's canned beers. (See Chomolungma and Firefly Amber labels below.)

"Over the next month or so, the cans will be produced," brewer Brad Clark said in an email. "Look for them to show up on shelves in southeast Ohio late January or early February. Pretty exciting!"

The Dayton Daily News reports that yet another brewery is opening in the Dayton area. This one, called Eudora Brewing Co. in Kettering, will be a brewpub and brew-on-premise operation, allowing people to come in and brew their own beer on Eudora equipment.

"Eudora will brew its own ales and lagers and serve them in its small taproom, which will be open to the general public and to brew-on-premise customers," newspaper food and dining reporter Mark Fisher writes.

Like many new brewery owners, Brady Duncan, Jeff Hunt and Kenny McNutt wanted the perfect name for their operation. It needed to be short, but also strong.

It had to convey the mad scientist/creative aspect of brewing while also communicating the nearly three years they spent developing the business plan and honing their recipes.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron is offering a special beer to celebrate the impending end of the world. Yes, the apocalypse is arriving Dec. 21. At least that’s what some folks are saying because the Mayan calendar doesn’t go beyond that date.

So Thirsty Dog has created Mayan Last Dog, a 7.5 percent alcohol chocolate honey stout.

Kona Brewing Co., located on the big island of Hawaii, is expanding its distribution early next year into Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri, the company announced today.

“This is a bit of uncharted territory for us but we are genuinely stoked to be bringing Liquid Aloha to the many craft beer lovers in our country’s interior,” Kona President Mattson Davis said in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the love for ohana (family) that Midwesterners have. In Hawaii, we have similar values of family and friendship and we look forward to finally sharing some warmth and a taste of Hawaii with more of our fans, especially during these cold winter months in the Midwest.” 

Fifty West Brewing Co., a new brewery in Cincinnati, opened its taproom last weekend. "The first weekend was great!" co-owner Whit Hesser said in an email. "The turnout at the brewery and taproom far exceeded our expectations. We were also very happy that just about all of the local brewers here in Cincinnati stopped by to show their support."

Fifth Street Brewpub, a new co-op owned brewery under construction in Dayton, will host an open house from noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 22 to benefit Toys for Tots. Attendees are asked not to bring a toy; instead, a cash donation will be made by Fifth Street to benefit Toys for Tots. 

Fifth Street, located in the city's St. Anne's Hill Historic District, is the state's first co-op brewpub and, according to the founders, only the second one in the nation. People who attend will be able to see the renovations done to the facility so far. The event also will include beverages, appetizers and live music.

The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood will hold its annual Christmas in Belgium event starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. (Dec. 8)

It features the following Belgian-inspired Christmas ales on draft: Affligem Noël, Delirium Noel, Ommegang Adoration, Corsendonk Christmas, Petrus Winter 9, Vicaris Winter, Wittekerke Winter, Scaldis Noel, DuPont Avec les Bons, N’ice Chouffe, Gouden Carolus Noël, Buckeye Nighty Night, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale and Buckeye Christmas Girl.

Tickets for the fourth annual Big Tap In beer festival in Boardman are on sale now. The event, billed as the biggest craft beer festival between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, is April 20 at the Shepherd Event Center.

The tickets went on sale Saturday and VIP tickets are already sold out.

The Fishers Foods NorthPointe store in North Canton will hold a beer tasting from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday. (Dec. 7)

The event, which costs $7, includes bottled beers from Thirsty Dog, Stone, Flying Dog, Leinenkugel, Indigo Imp, Elevator, Yuengling, Goose Island, Rogue, Lager Head’s, Samuel Adams, Rivertown, Sierra Nevada, Harpoon and Oskar Blues.

Flatrock Brewing Co. in Holgate -- Ohio's newest production brewery -- will hold its grand opening from 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 15. The brewery will have its Towpath Classic American Pilsner, Hopgoblin American IPA, Pritchard Lane Bourbon Barrel Aged Pale Ale and Mitternacht Schwarzbier available for sale in bottles and 32-ounce growlers.

"It's been a very interesting and rewarding journey to get to this point," owner and brewer Lawrence Pritchard said in an email. "With very limited funding, we couldn't have done it without the support of the community, family and friends."

Here are a couple interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Business Courier in Cincinnati reports that Rivertown Brewing Co. is in major expansion mode. “It’s catching on,” co-owner and brewer Jason Roeper told the publication about craft brewing in Cincinnati. “It used to be if you wanted to grow, you had to grow outside of Cincinnati. Now consumers are more educated. They know what kind of beer they like." To read the full story, click here.