Alpha Dog Imperial IPA: This golden-hued brew made by Idaho-based Laughing Dog Brewing has an incredible head with endurance. The piney, hoppy aromas are powerful but nicely balanced on the palate – not too citrusy and completely refreshing. It’s a great foil for spicy Thai or Chinese food. Smiling dogs might be IPA lovers’ best friends.
This golden, Belgian-style trippel ale has big banana, clove and malty flavors plus pretty high alcohol content (10 percent ABV). Perhaps the name is a warning as Cerberus was the three-headed hound who guarded the gates to Hades in Greek mythology. So sip wisely and moderately while enjoying fall’s plumage.
There’s much to love about Ohio winters: glowing snow under a full moon; stoking up the fireplace and reading by the hearth; strolling through crystalline forests after an ice storm.
But by the middle of January, even an avid skier can use a break. Some take one by catching a plane; others by cranking up the heat, turning on some island tunes and hosting a Caribbean-themed shindig or perhaps a Hawaiian luau.
There are plenty of suds around the Buckeye State. Here are some highlights for travelers and locals alike.
Cincinnati
Christian Moerlein, brewers of Cincinnati’s iconic historic beer, will open Moerlein Lager House later this year in a 26,000-square-foot space in the magnificent 45-acre Cincinnati Riverfront Park. The 500-seat restaurant and 600-seat terraced beer gardens will serve food inspired by turn-of-the-19th-century dishes. Brewery tours will be available. www.christianmoerlein.com; www.crpark.org
A few years ago I was working on a story about local “mixologists.” A bartender said, “We call ourselves bartenders because Cleveland’s kind of a beer and a shot town.” But over the years, we’ve moved beyond the days of the classic boilermaker – a lager with a shot of whatever in it. And we even have a few behind the bar who call themselves mixologists.