Pint Talking

In this episode Bob and I talk about yet another great lager style beer. This week it is the American/International Amber lager. A widely available, sessionable craft beer style that showcases both malt and hops. Amber lagers are a medium-bodied lager with a toasty or caramel-like malt character. Hop bitterness can range from very low to medium-high. Brewers may use decoction mash and dry-hopping...

This week I traveled out to Grafton, Ohio and visited Franklin Brewing Company. My guest was Aaron Schickel who is the owner/brewer at FBC. Aaron has been operating Franklin Brewing Company for 10 years and recently they have relocated from the residential garage where it all began to a new location on Main St. in the village of Grafton. We talked about why it took 8 years before he finally decide...

In this episode Bob and I continue with lager month as we breakdown American Lagers. The American lager has little in the way of hop and malt character. A straw to gold, very clean and crisp, highly carbonated lager. Next to American Light lager this might be the second most popular beer style in the U.S. Style examples: 1.      AB/InBev – Budweiser 2.      Founders – Solid Gold 3.      El Segundo...

This week I sat down with Tom Gray from Rocky River Brewing Company. Tom has a quite the brewing history, and he shared stories of his past adventures that included some stops at some amazing breweries along the way. Rocky River Brewing has been around since 1998 and during that time they have only had three brewers. We drank some fantastic beer during the visit, and the plan was to eat some of th...

In April Bob and I start dissecting some of our favorite styles, lagers. In this episode we dive into the American Light Lager. A beer style that is perfect for cutting the grass, deck sitting, or watching any sporting event, the American light lager is pale, bright, effervescent, and just down right tasty. Sit back, crack a cold one, and listen as we pontificate on perhaps the most popular style...

This week I travel to Fat Head's Brewery in Middleburg Heights, Ohio and sit down with owner Matt Cole. Matt has been in the industry for over 30 years and along the way he has obtain an immense amount of knowledge. This knowledge has helped him grow Fat Head's brewery into one of the most successful beer brands in the U.S. Over the past 14 years Fat Heads has grown from the original location in P...

In this episode Bob and I continue with our month of English beers. This week we decide to take on the ESB. ESB (Extra Special Bitter) ESB stands for "extra special bitter." This style is known for its balance and the interplay between malt and hop bitterness. English pale ales display earthy, herbal English-variety hop character. Medium to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma should be evident....

This week I sat down with the voice of Cincy Beer, The Gnarly Gnome and we talked about a number of topics. The Gnome gave us a taste of what is happening in Cincinnati craft beer including the recent Bockfest, the 50 West expansion, and the sale of Listermann Brewing Company.   We also talked about craft beer expansion in Ohio, the rising prices being seen at the tap, and what is necessary for br...

We continue with our month of English/UK beers. This week we dive into the English Brown Ale. A bona fide English beer classic, English-style brown ale is easily one of the most iconic beer styles. Toasty, robust and with a bit of chocolate maltiness, the English brown ale is a meal in a glass, but offers unlimited opportunities for memorable food pairings. Neither flashy nor boring, the English b...

This week I travel to North Canton, Ohio and I visit Mike Leckie-Ewing who is the owner of New Berlin Brewing Company. New Berlin is a new brewery that has been opened for a little over 5 months, but they are already putting out some killer liquid. Mike talks about growing up and the passion he always had for food, and how he always wanted to open a restaurant. As he grew up he developed a love fo...

This week Bob and I continue our journey through the UK as we make our way to a Scottish Beer that can sometimes present itself as a bit boozy. In this episode we discuss Scottish Wee Heavy. This is a beer that brings a lot of breadiness and toast like qualities along with a bit of caramel/toffee. If you're into a maltier beer that often packs quite a punch then the Scottish Wee Heavy might be exa...

This week I am giving you all a sneak peek at what you could get if you join the Pint Talking Pint Club on Patreon. This is the one of the bonus episodes everyone on Patreon gets each month. We call it the power hour, and it's basically us (Bob and Kenny) drinking a bunch of beer in an hour period talking about beer, movies, pop culture, conspiracy theories, and other random topics. I hope you enj...

This week as Bob and I continue our month of beers from the UK we take on the most famous category, well at least on St. Patrick's Day, the Dry Irish Stout. A beer that is often misunderstood and completely miscategorized by the novice beer drinker. Contrary to many people's beliefs this beer is not thick, chewy, and sweet. Instead the dry Irish stout presents a light to medium body and finishes v...

This week I travel to Cleveland, Ohio and I visit with The Jolly Scholar Brewing Company. I sat down with Matt Vann, the owner of the Jolly Scholar and TJ Grane, the lead brewer. We discussed a variety of topics including what it's like to open a brewery on the campus of a university, as well as how they managed to maintain a thriving craft brewery while navigating extended shutdowns of both socie...

As we move to the month of the Irish we might as well start reviewing some Irish beer styles. This week we discuss Irish Red Ales. This is a style that has a very distinctive malt flavor that showcases both notes of toffee and caramel. While the true Irish Red Ales are lower in alcohol, American versions often come in a t much higher payloads.   Style examples: 1.      Guinness – Smithwick's Red A...

This week I travel to Wadsworth Brewing Company in Wadsworth, Ohio. I sat down with Ernie Joy who is the co-owner and brewer at WBC. This is the second time WBC has been on Pint Talking, but it's the first time we were able to do the interview at the brewery as our first visit took place back during the miserable year that was 2020. In this interview we got caught up on everything going on at WBC....

In this episode we discuss American Imperial Stout The snow storm rages on and Bob and I attempt to warm up with an Imperial Stout. This may be one of my top 3 styles. We take a deep dive into the booziness, mouthfeel, and roastiness that is often associated with this style of beer. While our sample beer is a little bit higher than the BJCP guidelines it certainly did the trick when it comes to wa...

This week I travel to Broadview Brewing Company in Broadview Heights, Ohio. I sat down with Terry Delap and Wyatt Routson to discuss everything going on at Broadview Brewing Company. We talked about the importance of having good beer, solid food, and the incorporation of weekly entertainment as being the building blocks to their early success. After being open a little over a year and being Broadv...

In this episode we discuss Oatmeal Stout. As the snow storm rages on in Northeast Ohio we get to the bottom of an Oatmeal Stout all while discovering that we may have already drank an oatmeal stout in a previous episode. Style examples: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stouts 5.8% ABV 32 IBU Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout 5.8% ABV 14 IBU Bell's Oatmeal Stout 7% ABV 0 IBU ABV: 4.2%-5.9% IBUs: 25-40...

This week I travel to Noble Creatures Cask House in Youngstown, Ohio to talk to co-owner and head brewer Ira Gerhart. This was a fantastic visit and my first to Youngstown. We kicked things off a bit differently as I shared my pressure fermented pilsner with Ira for some feedback. After that we got into some great beer discussion about open and spontaneous fermentation as well as barrel aging and...

This series is dedicated to craft beer styles. During this series we will discuss all things from Stouts to Rauchbier, and everything in between. We will cover appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, taste, ingredients, proper serving temp, and the glassware that should be used for serving. We will do all of this while also interjecting our humorous opinions on the style. In this episode we discuss Sweet St...

This week I travel to Magic City Brewing Company for the first time since Jay sat down with me in episode 1 of season 1. This time I was also joined by Vince Rinaldo and Brian Burmeister. Jay and Brian are the co-owners of MCBC and Vince is the head brewer. During the interview we talked about MCBC moving into their new facility in mid 2019 which tripled their space and allowed them to upgrade to...

This series is dedicated to craft beer styles. During this series we will discuss everything from Stouts to Rauchbier, and everything in between. We will cover appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, taste, ingredients, proper serving temp, and the glassware that should be used for serving. We will do all of this while also interjecting our humorous opinions on the style. In this episode we discuss American...

This week I travel to Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland, Ohio. My guests were Sam McNulty and Patrick Daniels. Sam is the owner of the Market Garden Brewery and Pat is the director of brewing at MGB. We discussed the inception of the Market Garden Brewery located in the Ohio City area of Cleveland, Ohio. We also talked extensively about water chemistry, brewing processes, brewery expansion, and w...

This series is dedicated to craft beer styles. During this series we will discuss everything from Stouts to Rauchbier, and everything in between. We will cover appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, taste, ingredients, proper serving temp, and the glassware that should be used for serving. We will do all of this while also interjecting our humorous opinions on the style. In this episode we discuss Belgian...