The Akron Art Museum will hold its fifth annual Art of Ale beer tasting next month.
The event — which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. March 9 in the museum lobby — features Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, Indigo Imp Brewery, Main Street Grille & Brewing Co., Rockmill Brewery, Thirsty Dog Brewing, Lager Heads Brewing, Elevator Brewing and Ohio Brewing. House of LaRose, which distributes Goose Island and other brands, also will participate.
“It’s an artisan product, just like art is,” Jon Trainor, director of development for the museum, said about marrying art and beer. “If you look at Hoppin’ Frog and Thirsty Dog and Ohio Brewing Co., they are really getting a regional and international name known for their product because they’ve perfected their craft.”
Those attending will select a “Best of the Art” craft beer that will be featured during upcoming Downtown at Dusk events.
The tasting includes home-brewing demonstrations and local food from Lucky Penny Farm Creamery, Or Derv Foods, Devitis Italian Market, Our Daily Bread, Pierogi Lady of Hartville and Old Carolina Barbecue.
I will be there to chat about Ohio brewing and sign my book Ohio Breweries. And the museum is giving away a brewing experience at the Brew Kettle in Strongsville and a home-brewing kit as prizes.
Last year, 250 people attended the event. Museum officials are hoping for 300 this year.
“We have a great lineup of vendors and food providers this year and I really hope that the community comes out and supports their efforts,” Trainor said.
The galleries will not be open during the event. Tickets are $35 for museum members and $50 for nonmembers. For more details or tickets, see www.akronartmuseum.org/ale/ or call 330-376-9186, ext. 222 or ext. 225.
Eddy & Iggy’s
When Ken George took over as manager at the Lakewood bar Eddy & Iggy’s, he knew he needed to do something to bring in more customers.
As a former owner of the defunct Brew Keeper brewery in North Ridgeville, naturally his thoughts turned to beer. But not just any brand. He wanted an Eddy & Iggy’s beer — something customers would be able to buy only at his place. Today, the bar has 14 house beers, with about eight of them on tap at any given time.
“We are going through them like crazy,” George said. “We’re starting to get a reputation for unique beers.”
Eddy & Iggy’s — the name is a tribute to the rivalry between Catholic high schools St. Edward’s and St. Ignatius — isn’t a brewery. It’s a small sports and karaoke bar with an eclectic and substantial beer menu. (It also is filled with St. Ed’s and Ignatius memorabilia.) The house beers are made on contract at Little Mountain Brewing Co. in Kirtland. Contract brewing for individual bars and restaurants is a rarity in Ohio.
Eddy & Iggy’s has just a handful of main beer recipes. But George plays with them by adding flavoring, boosting the overall number. For example, Eagle Ale, an 11 percent alcohol cream ale, becomes White Storm thanks to vanilla flavoring. And George doesn’t skimp on the flavoring. The Loaded Lemon is mouth-puckeringly tart. He also has started marketing his beers to other bars and restaurants.
Beer award
Barrel aged Siberian Night from Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron won the top award in the barrel aged category at the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship’s 2011/12 winter competition.
To see all the results, go online to www.usbtc.com.
Another award
The Brew Kettle took home the top prize at the seventh annual Cole’s Barleywine Competition for its Jack Hammer Barley Wine.
Jack Hammer — created by brewer Jack Kephart — also won the competition in 2010 and finished second last year. The event, organized by the Brewing News, took place earlier this month at Cole’s in Buffalo, N.Y.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at www.beer.ohio.com.
