Columbus, OH

I have had the great fortune over the past two days to sample some fine, craft brewed beers. Currently on a trip to Columbus, Ohio for the Rock on the Range Concert, I have had meals at two different local breweries. Last night for dinner, my Secretary of Taste and I visited Elevator Brewing Company, and the today for lunch Barley's Smokehouse and Brewpub.

Dinner last night was unbelievable, She had the 14oz New York Strip and a pint of Dirty Dick's Nut Brown Ale, their "American adaption of a Northern English brown style." and I took on the Surf and Turf Rock (check out the image on the menu) They brought me basically a raw beef tenderloin, 3 giant scallops, and 3 jumbo shrimp, also uncooked. All this was brought out on a large plank of wood with a 450 degree Finnish Tulikivi firestone positioned on it for me to use to cook the meat as I saw fit. Cutting one bite at a time, I placed it on the stone and cooked it to my liking. I know it sounds like work, and it did keep me busy, but it was not only fun but delicious. Now to the good part, I washed it all down with a "powerful dark lager" called Procrastinator Doppelbock. The nice roasted flavors complemented the beef and sauces nicely, although a lighter selection would have been a little better to complement the seafood. We also enjoyed a flight of samples - the Mogabi, a drier, crisper Blue Moon type ale, the Dark Horse, a 2007 Bronze medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, and the current seasonal, the Black Pale Ale, a unique mix of what a stout looks like and initially tastes like, followed by the finish of a hoppy pale ale.

With the atmosphere of an uber modern 1950's diner and delicious food and beer, the Everything Brewed rating of the entire experience comes in at a full 5 out of 5 pints. If you are ever in Columbus and have some money to spend, go for it.

As for lunch today, Barley's Smokehouse and Brewpub offered us many local as well as guest draft selections. I had the Scottish ale and the Secretary tried the British Pale Ale. I paired mine with a slow smoked beef brisket sandwich, and she had the BBQ quesadilla. The Scottish was caramel in color and taste, standing up nicely to the brisket with a sweet finish. The British PA appeared as a Brown Ale and had a certain malty flavor to it, but was a little over balanced by hops for her liking.

Overall the Everything Brewed rating on the experience comes in at 4 out of 5 pints. If you are in Columbus and want a variety of craft beer to pick from, both local and "imported" go here.

I would love to tell you more about it, but it's time to get ready for the show. As always, your comments and questions are welcome. So enjoy your brews, but responsibly and all that stuff.

Cheers,
Jason

Dundee Brewing Company - Honey Brown

Photo By Katy Mims

It has been a little over a decade now, not since the last brew review (although it certainly seems like it to me), since I hung up the hat on standard American Light Beer. It was late 1999, and while others were wondering if the stock market would make through the millineum change over, I was wondering if there was a tastier way to catch a buzz. So there I was at BW3's, most likely on $.25 wing night when they also served $2 23 oz drafts, deciding on what I would have the bartender fill my cup with. I am sure you can see where the story goes from here, I got Honey Brown, thus altering the course of my future and ultimately leading to the creation of the brew review source you have come to know and love....Everything Brewed. You're welcome.

Now that BW3's is long gone, but I was feeling nostalgic the other day and picked up a sixer of Honey Brown. This is also right in line with the current series of easy to acquire brews that I have been working on.

Dundee Brewing Company has been brewing Honey Brown Lager since 1994 and here is what they would like you to know about it:

"Original Honey Brown Lager is a quality medium-bodied beer that goes down smooth with every sip." It comes in at 4.5% ABV and 10 IBU's, and is produced with "Premium barley, hops, water, pure Manitoba White Clover honey". Honey Brown Lager took home a Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup in 2004.

Now for my thoughts....I totally agree that it is smooth. Thinking back to when I first tried it, I recall that it was slightly sweet yet crisp. Not too bitter but well balanced and totally drinkable. I had many $2 23 ouncers after that as a result. Even today, while Honey Brown could be considered on the outside edge of full on craft brewing, it still goes down rather well.

With spring in the rear view mirror and hot summer days quickly approaching, I would highly recommend this lager to anyone looking to stretch the limits of their palate without stretching their drinking budget. It will cool you down, without filling you up. So for all those reasons, plus my long standing affair with this brew, I declare the official Everything Brewed rating a full 5 out of 5 pints. I almost took away a few sips because they didn't call me and tell me that it's now available in a 24 oz can, but Honey Brown has opened up so many doors for me that I will let that slip.

So thanks for taking this journey back in time with me and, as always, thanks for checking out this week’s Brew Review. Thoughts, comments, and questions are, of course, welcome. And remember to enjoy your beer, but responsibly please. Also, don’t forget to check out their website for more information on Honey Brown Lager.

Cheers,
Jason

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