The Ohio Craft Brewers Association plans to hire its first full-time executive director to lead the organization. A steering committee is now working on the job description and other details, including the specific salary. (Don't expect a caviar wage).

"I’m hoping by summer we have that all done," said association President Eric Bean, owner and brewer at Columbus Brewing Co. in Columbus.

Think you know a lot about the Ohio beer industry? The Akron Beacon Journal will launch an online beer quiz Friday allowing you to put your knowledge to the test — and win prizes from Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron, Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby and Havana House in Bath Township.

The New York International Beer Competition has named Listermann Brewing Co. in Cincinnati as its 2013 Ohio Brewery of the Year. The competition features trade-only judges, including retail store owners, restaurant owners, beverage directors, distributors and importers.

The judges are selective, awarding medals to only 24 percent of the entrants. Listermann, along with its sister brewery Triple Digit, won three bronze medals:

The Associated Press reports that beer fans across the country have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits against Anheuser-Busch InBev, accusing the world's largest brewer of watering down Budweiser, Michelob and other brands.

The water cuts the alcohol content of the beers, lead lawyer Josh Boxer told the wire service.

Barley’s Smokehouse & Brewpub in Columbus will hold its annual winter-edition Oysters & Stout event starting at 4 p.m. Thursday. (Feb. 28) "We always pack some world-class porters and stouts into the ‘House and pair them with fresh blue point oysters on the half-shell, shucked right out of the brewery," co-owner Lenny Kolada said in an email. "We smoke some in the back over hickory to serve on the half-shell with garlic butter and we also serve them crisp-fried."

Meanwhile, Barley’s Smokehouse also has unveiled a new website that includes a rundown of the beers on tap and a beer blog written by Kolada. To check it out, click here.

Riverside Wine in Kent will hold a special beer tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 28) featuring Main Street Grille and Brewing Co. in Garrettsville.

Brewmaster Joe Kearns and assistant Mike Mallone will be on hand to talk about the brewery and their beers. The tasting will feature 6-ounce samples of Black Ninja Black IPA, Gothbock Doppelbock and Main Street Joe Espresso Porter.

The seventh annual Glass City Beerfest this year will feature more than 40 craft breweries serving more than 175 beers. It also will involve a new venue because of the growing popularity of the event, organizers said.

The festival is from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday (March 1) at the Lucas County Recreation Center Hall No. 2 in Toledo.

The three-day Bockfest begins Friday (March 1) in Cincinnati. The festival, which celebrates bock beer, kicks off at 6 p.m. with a parade starting at Arnold’s Bar & Grill. The parade is lead by a goat pulling a keg of bock beer and the Sausage Queen.

For a full list of events, which are held in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and around downtown Cincinnati, click here.

Dayton Most Metro, a website that covers Dayton, has an entertaining report on last week's Thrilla in Waynesvilla  -- a head-to-head competition between Rivertown Brewing Co. and Mt. Carmel Brewing Co.

The event, held at the Stone House Tavern, paired Rivertown and Mt. Carmel beers with food and allowed the patrons to choose which they enjoyed the most. According to the website, Rivertown won 3-2.

Father John’s and the Drunken Monk will be a first for the Ohio brewing industry when it opens in Bryan this year — a jaw-dropping, heavenly first. The brewery is being incorporated into the footprint of a former Methodist church built in the 1890s.

“I think it’s perfect,” owner Dr. John Trippy said during a tour last month. “Praise the Lord and pass the brew.”

Indigo Imp Brewery in Cleveland is expanding its distribution to south central Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The brewery announced deals with Brown Distributing within Ohio and Galli Beer in Pennsylvania.

The brewery also said Spring, its Belgian-style saison, will return in March. The beer was inspired by farmhouse ales of Belgium, and is "a gold-colored ale with esters of spice and fruit and a smooth body from a fine pilsner malt," the brewery said in an email.

To help celebrate its 25th anniversary in September, Great Lakes Brewing Co. announced its bottled beers will feature a limited edition silver crown this year. The crown includes the words "25 Years." The 25th anniversary seal also will appear on Great Lakes packaging and point-of-sale materials.

Great Lakes, located in Cleveland, is Ohio's oldest craft brewery. It started as a brewpub producing 1,000 barrels the first year. Last year, the brewpub and production brewery made 131,777 barrels. The brewery bottles and distributes 14 year-round and seasonal beers, and also produces many draft-only brews.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a story profiling two new Cincinnati breweries: MadTree and Fifty West.

MadTree made its big debut last weekend at the Cincy Winter Beerfest. “We’re really happy with the quality of the first batches, and although there will be some tweaking it won’t be a substantial change to the beer,” co-owner Brady Duncan told the newspaper.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its new Karminator Imperial Doppelbock at the brewery starting at 10 a.m. Friday. (Feb. 22)

The beer is a "rich and malty, German-style lager with a very traditional double-bock flavor," brewer Fred Karm said in an email. "It is brewed with an over-abundance of the absolute highest quality imported Munich malt to create an irresistible toasted barley flavor, with hints of caramel and toffee. It will be brewed just once this year, tasting great right out of the shoot, and gaining depth and smoothness as the months go on."

The sixth annual Art and Ale will return March 8 to the Akron Art Museum. The beer-tasting event, which will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby, features Ohio breweries and regional food makers. For the first time this year, the galleries also will be open for the first hour.

The participating breweries are: Hoppin’ Frog, Indigo Imp, Main Street, Rockmill, Thirsty Dog, Lagerheads, Ohio and Elevator. Crafted Artisan Meadery and House of LaRose, a distributor that represents many craft brands, also will be there.

Brews Cafe in Granville will hold a "Spring Forward" beer tasting featuring many new Ohio breweries from 7 to 10 p.m. March 9. The participating breweries are: 50 West Brewing from Cincinnati, Bru from Columbus, Buckeye Lake Brewing from Buckeye Lake, Granville Brewing from Granville, Homestead Beer from Heath, Hoof Hearted Brewing from Marengo, Jackie O's from Athens and Weasel Boy Brewing from Zanesville.

Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. For more details, call 740-587-0249.

Here are a few interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Coloradoan newspaper reports that brewers are finding it more difficult to come up with unique names for their beers. “It’s like anything else. With music it’s hard to come up with an original band name that suits the style of music you make,” beer buyer Jeff Matson told the paper. “It’s like that with the style of beer you make.” To read the full story, click here.

Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby will hold a special cask event at 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 21) as part of the brewpub's ongoing 15th anniversary celebration.

The brewpub will feature casks of dry-hopped Cosmic; Peanut Butter Cup with cacao nibs; Gutterpup porter with cacao nibs and orange peel; and a special mystery beer.

Cellar Dweller Brewery, located at Valley Vineyards in Morrow, will hold a party at 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 21) to celebrate the brewery's one-year anniversary.

Head brewer Steve Shaw will be there to chat about the brewery. Cellar Dweller also is expected to release its Port Barrel Ale. Music will be provided by Them Bones.

It’s been a year of incredible highs and one big low for Jackie O’s so far. On the positive side — always lead with the positive — the Athens brewpub was named the 97th best brewery in the world by Ratebeer.com. But that’s not the only good news.

Jackie O’s also has started brewing at its new production brewery, which features a 20-barrel brewhouse. (See video below.) For comparison, the brewpub has a seven-barrel system.

The Acme Fresh Market on Bailey Road in Cuyahoga Falls will hold a special tasting from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday (Feb. 22) featuring Bell’s Brewery.

The tasting will include the new Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout, a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout that’s aged in oak bourbon barrels. Only 25 places in Ohio received the beer, said Jon Albrecht, beer buyer for the Akron-based grocery chain.

Huge. That’s the best way to describe the two-day Cincy Winter Beerfest.

The sampling glasses are big.

The 19th annual Akron Home & Flower Show will include something new this year -- a place to get a glass of beer or wine. Guests can visit The Cambria Courtyard area to grab a beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. or wine from The Winery at Wolf Creek.

Here are several beer-related stories, including many involving Ohio breweries:

-- The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on the upcoming Winter Warmer Fest and the decision by the I-X Center to retool the International Beer Fest and combined it with the Fabulous Food Show in the fall. "We originally set out to launch the largest beer fest in the Midwest," Jeremy Levine, director of events for the center, told the newspaper. "We accomplished that goal, but not without sacrifice. In lieu of producing three separate events, we decided . . . we needed to focus the event, to celebrate the culinary arts." To read the full story, click here.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- The Athens Messenger reports that Jackie O's Pub & Brewery received the 2012 Jon Sparhawk Small Business of the Year award from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. To read the full story, click here.

Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby will tap a special 15th Anniversary Ale at 6 p.m. Monday (Feb. 18).

The beer is Supernova Double IPA, which is 10 percent alcohol by volume. The brewpub will have food and merchandise specials and music from Austin "Walkin' Cane."

Crain's Cleveland Business reported two interesting nuggets in its lengthy profile on the flourishing brewing scene in Northeast Ohio. Great Lakes Brewing Co. co-owner Pat Conway mentions that the state's oldest craft brewery may buy a canning line. And Sam McNulty, co-owner of Market Garden Brewery & Distillery, Nano Brew Cleveland and other sites in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, says construction will begin this year on Fermentation Place, a 43,000-square-foot building on West 24th Street that will include space for more brewing and distilling. To read the full article, click here.

The seventh annual Winter Warmer Fest, a fundraiser for the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the FirstEnergy Powerhouse at Nautica in Cleveland.

The festival will feature 25 Ohio craft breweries and offer beer drinkers an opportunity to sample their winter ales, big brews and rare releases. Entertainment will be provided by blues artist Austin Walkin’ Cane.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- WKRC-TV Channel 12 in Cincinnati has a report on Fifty West Brewing Co. as part of its regular "So Cincinnati" feature. To watch the video, click here.

JAFB Wooster Brewery owner and brewer Paul Fryman admits he’s been caught off guard by customer demand since opening last year in Wooster. On a couple of occasions, he sold more than 700 pints in a single day.

“We’re at 100 percent capacity and we’re selling 98 percent of it on premise,” he said during a visit to the brewery last week. “I didn’t think it would be like that right away.”

Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland will hold the second annual Ohio City Ice Carving Festival and release its new Ice Breaker Ale, a Belgian-style India pale ale, at noon Feb. 24.

The family-friendly event will feature the University of Akron Ice Carving Club. The Lake Erie Energy Development Co., which plans to install nine wind turbines in Lake Erie, is partnering with the brewpub on the event. There also will be fruit and vegetable carving demonstrations throughout the day.

The International Beer Festival in Cleveland will be scaled down this year and it likely won’t include a judged competition with medals being handed out to winning breweries. I-X Center officials announced earlier this week that the festival — which attracted more than 9,500 people last year — is moving from May to November and being combined with the Fabulous Food Show.

“We have not ruled out continuing the sanctioned competition; however it is likely our medal awards will be suspended for 2013 to focus on integrating event programming and pavilion features with [the] Fabulous Food Show,” I-X Center Director of Events Jeremy Levine said Tuesday in an email. “Popular features including, but not limited to, the Real Ale Bar, Meads & Ciders, and Brew U will all be incorporated, as well as elements of The SPEAKeasy and The Tasting Room.”

West Point Market in Akron has two upcoming beer tastings to introduce new breweries that have hit the local market.

House of LaRose will pour samples of Kona Brewing Co. from Hawaii from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 16). The featured beers are: Longboard Lager, Big Wave Golden Ale, Fire Rock Pale Ale and Koko Brown Ale, which is brewed with toasted coconut. Samples are 25 cents and six-packs will be available for purchase. Koko Brown also will be on draft for growler sales

Ohio brewers are well-represented in the sixth annual Brewing News National IPA Championship and inaugural National Imperial IPA Championship, which begin this weekend.

John Evans is gung-ho on the craft beer scene in Ohio. He’s so upbeat, in fact, that he’s opening the Ohio Tap Room, a retail business in Columbus that will be dedicated to Ohio-made brews.

“All Ohio. Only Ohio,” said Evans, who’s opening the business with his wife Stephanie. “We’d love to have everyone represented and we’ll strive to get everybody from around the state on tap at some point.”

The International Beer Fest -- which attracted more than 9,500 people last year to the I-X Center in Cleveland -- will be combined this year with the eighth annual Fabulous Food Show and moved to the fall, organizers announced Monday. The event is scheduled for Nov. 8-10.

"The move to integrate with the Fabulous Food Show stemmed from a desire to provide more content and value to attendees – and the International Beer Fest was deemed the perfect fit," the I-X Center said in a news release.

Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub in Columbus will tap a special beer on Valentine's Day honoring former Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes, who was born on Feb. 14, 1913.

"We call it Woody Haze 100," owner Lenny Kolada said in an email. The beer is a Scottish export ale aged in a Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel. As the promotional materials say: "Unfiltered, like the man." The beer includes smoked malt and clocked in at 9.7 percent alcohol by volume before it was put in the barrels, Kolada said.

The sixth annual Cincy Winter Beerfest -- billed as one of the top 10 largest craft beer festivals in the U.S. -- returns Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) to the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. The event attracted more than 12,000 people last year.

The event this year will include a record 105 breweries and more than 375 beers to sample. All proceeds benefit the Big Joe Duskin Music Education Foundation. Last year, more than $40,000 was raised.

The Traveler Beer Co. in Burlington, Vt., has declared 2013 as the "Year of the Shandy." The brewery, formed last year, has released two year-round brews: Curious Traveler Shandy, a wheat ale with lemon and lime, and Tenacious Traveler, a wheat beer with ginger and clover honey. The beers are available in Ohio.

"You're going to see big growth in the shandy beer category this year, with a number of new players coming to the table," Alan Newman, founder of
Traveler Beer, said in a prepared statement. "It's our mission to introduce drinkers to a craft beer Shandy that is deliciously refreshing, sessionable, and true to the spirit of the American craft beer movement."
 

U.S. Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., and Richard Neal, D-Mass., have reintroduced the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act) in Congress. The bill is designed to adjust the federal beer excise tax that small brewers pay on every barrel of beer they make.

Under current law, brewers making less than 2 million barrels a year pay $7 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels, and $18 per barrel on every barrel after that, the Brewers Association said. The Small BREW Act would create a new rate for smaller brewers.

The Portside Distillery, a new distillery-brewery in downtown Cleveland, will debut its first two beers at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 12) at 101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall in Kent as part of the beer store's Fat Tuesday party.

Portside will serve Man O'War, a 9 percent double pale ale, and Hop Death, a 6.66 percent "hop bomb." The distillery-brewery also is expected to serve the brews at the upcoming Winter Warmer Festival in Cleveland.

Cincinnati Beer Week, a weeklong celebration of beer in the Queen City, kicked off Wednesday night at Fountain Square with the tapping of Embree’s Northern Baltic Porter, a collaboration beer made by Cincinnati-area brewers. The week includes a ton of beer-related events at bars and restaurants throughout the community.

“Cincinnati Beer Week is a time to recognize the evolution and significance of flavorful beer in America, along with its impact on our region, nation and world,” chair of the organizing committee Jay Ashmore said in a prepared statement, “It’s time our community recognizes this gift, celebrates and encourages its progress. Cincinnati Beer Week is a week to enjoy community, culture, and fun.”

 The Brew Kettle in Strongsville will hold its ninth annual Ogrefest, a weeklong celebration of big beers, starting Monday. (Feb. 11) The event runs through Sunday. (Feb. 17)

"We have 60-plus kegs of 8.5 percent and up beers that we will be pouring," owner Chris McKim said in an email. "Many are rare, vintage or very hard to come by offerings."

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will hold a public party at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Baxter's in downtown Akron to celebrate being named the 17th best brewery in the world by Ratebeer.com.

Owner and brewer Fred Karm promises that they will tap "some tasty and rare Hoppin' Frog kegs, including the new Karminator Imperial Dopplebock."

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a story about chocolate beers. The story focuses on Pittsburgh-area breweries, but also features Fat Head's Oompa Loompa Cream Stout (since the original Fat Head's is in Pittsburgh). "Chocolate beers in general seem to be growing in popularity," brewer Matt Cole tells the newspaper. To read the full story, click here.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland will release its new surf-inspired beer called Alchemy Hour Double IPA this week. The beer will be available exclusively on tap at the Great Lakes brewpub starting at 5 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 7). The brewpub gift shop will start selling bottles in four-packs at 5 p.m. Feb. 15 and the beer will be distributed Feb. 18.

"On the West Coast, surfers have a term for that perfect time of day, when the waves are breaking just right and it feels like you can ride forever," the brewery says. "They call it Alchemy Hour. Alchemy Hour Double IPA pays tribute to the North Coast’s unlikely surf bums and the ancient quest for liquid gold, wherever it may live: on the ocean, in a lake, in a bottle."

Beer is big, big business in Ohio. A new economic impact study released by the National Beer Wholesalers Association says beer distributors employ 4,527 workers and contribute $1.6 billion to the economy.

Ohio beer distributor activities also contribute $351 million in federal, state and local taxes, and that doesn't include $417 million in federal, state and local alcohol excise and consumption taxes on beer sold in the state, according to the report America's Beer Distributors: Fueling Jobs, Generating Economic Growth & Delivering Value to Local Communities. There are 95 beer distributors in the state.

Here are some interesting beer-related stories:

-- Nightwire Magazine out of Pittsburgh profiles Indigo Imp Brewery in Cleveland. "Bigger is not always better, proves one craft beer maker, who keeps quality high by ensuring quantity stays low," writer Steph Doan reports. "Well, at least low enough to brew things on a small scale, like seven barrels at a time small. It’s a focus on quality." To read the full story, which includes a Q&A,  click here. 

Draft Magazine has highlighted 10 must-try chocolate beers, including Fat Head's Oompa Loompa Chocolate Cream Stout.

Here's what the magazine says about it: "The brewery debuts this brand-new stout any day now in bottles and on tap (though, sadly, only in Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania). It’s brewed with Belgian dark chocolate and balanced with a bit of vanilla bean."

MillerCoors has released its Third Shift Amber Lager nationwide. The beer was designed by a group of MillerCoors brewers called The Band of Brewers who experiment with recipes during their downtown at a brewery in Golden, Colo.

Third Shift Amber Lager is described as "a smooth and easy drinking amber lager -- well balanced with a sweet maltiness, lightly toasted character, subtle hops and a beautiful color at 5.3 percent alcohol by volume."

The Budweiser television commercial featuring its famous Clydesdales was the most effective ad during the Super Bowl, according to Ace Metrix, a California comany that analyzes such things. The American Dairy Association's milk ad with Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson was second.

“The broad range of creative executions in this year’s Top 10 list — from product intros, iconic storytelling, philanthropy, user generated content, comedy, and hyperbole – show that at the end of the day, it’s great creative – not elaborate social campaigns — that win the hearts and minds of consumers on Super Bowl Sunday,” Ace Metrix Chief Executive Officer Peter Daboll said in a prepared statement.  “Budweiser used its beloved Clydesdale to tell a compelling story, while milk’s action-packed tale edged out Coke, Pepsi and even Doritos who relinquished their crown as 2012 and 2011’s best Super Bowl advertiser.”

Bluto and Stifler would be flabbergasted.

Fewer college freshmen are drinking beer. A lot fewer.

The Dayton Daily News reports that BJ's Restaurants will open a new Ohio location at Austin Landing off Interstate 75.

“BJ’s is a great restaurant and provides a memorable atmosphere,” RG Properties President Randy Gunlock told the newspaper. “Personally, my family and I have eaten there many times, and I think the restaurant will be a great addition to the community here at Austin Landing.” 

Three Ohio breweries made Ratebeer.com's list of the Best Brewers in the World for 2013. Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron was 17th. Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland was 35th. And Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens was 97th.

 "Wow, once again I'm blown away!!" Hoppin' Frog owner and brewer Fred Karm said in an email. "Hoppin' Frog Brewery was just rated 17th best brewery in the world for 2013 by RateBeer.com!!!! That is four years in the top 25, and six years in the top 100 -- a testament to our intense focus on making great beer! With massive growth in the craft beer industry, and now over 13,000 brewers worldwide, that puts Hoppin' Frog in the top 99.9 percent! This is certainly our highest rating we've ever received!!"