CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

So…..three weeks ago I got hitched. It may have been a surprise to some that had not seen me in a while. For others, it was noted that the past winter had been historically cold and frozen with some speculation that perhaps hell might be freezing over. Let me assure you such was not the case. I got the better end of the deal.

While all of the wedding planning was unfolding (this may be a future post) something else was going on behind the scenes. Angelo from Barleys Ale House was getting information from a few of my friends – in particular the Dining Duder – and he contacted Colin from Seventh Son to work on a collaboration beer in honor of my nuptials. All without my knowledge. The final product was a marriage of Barleys Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale and Seventh Son’s Oubliette Russian Imperial Stout. Kegs were available at each of the wedding venues, Barley’s for the Friday night pre-game and Seventh Son for the Saturday wedding and reception. It packed quite a punch with the result that those that imbibed heavily on the beer Friday night limited themselves to one pint on Saturday. It was a perfect covert operation, I had no idea all of this was going on until we walked in to Barley’s with some supplies at 5 pm on Friday. Well done Angelo, Gabe, Jason, Colin and all others involved in this worthy project.

The greatest honor of this entire endeavour was the naming of the beer. In honor of my esteemed dog and because this is a “beast” of a beer and blending of two great beverages it was christened Tobias! Long time readers are aware of my Appalachian Porch Hound, Toby, also known as CMH Tobias on Twitter. While Toby has been on many adventures with me, having a beer named in his honor is the greatest tribute I can think of and the largest exposure of this exceptional porchhound to the masses.

There is a small amount of Tobias held in reserve and it will be released for a Studio 35 Beer Tasting sometime this year. Having the last of this nectar served in the heart of the Ville is a fitting Bon Voyage.