Archive for the ‘beer’ Category

Benny’s Pizza: Marysville

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 30, 2011

When Marysville comes up in conversation four things are mentioned: Scott’s, Honda, Doc Henderson’s Restaurant and Benny’s Pizza. Benny’s seems to be mentioned the most and I became increasingly curious about the place. However, I could never convince myself to drive out to Marysville just for pizza. On my way home from Hot Dog University I found myself ahead of schedule and wanting to avoid rush hour traffic so I decided I would check on Benny’s.

The exterior (the exterior’s actually) of Benny’s did not suggest anything noteworthy. There are two buildings, one is a carry out only location for quick pick ups the other dining in location includes part of what I believe to be an old Frosttop Root Beer stand.

As I walked in, Benny’s looked more like a sports bar. The walls are lined with all things Ohio sports related. There is a signed 1976 Reds World Series team shirt, Ohio State jerseys, more Browns and Tribe memorabilia than some Cleveland bars have and much more. There are bleacher seats from old Riverfront Stadium. While sports enthusiasm is big at Benny’s, music is bigger. The walls are also filled with signed photos of rock and country stars including one of Eric Clapton’s guitars. An impressive bill of local and regional musicians fills the giant patio and/or the bar most weekends. The beer selection is extensive and should impress sports and music fans alike.

Considering the focus on the above, I was not sure Benny’s would need to focus on the pizza. I was pleased to find out that they do take their pies very seriously and that pizza makes Benny’s the destination with everything else a significant bonus. The pizza at Benny’s delivers. It is a medium thick crust featuring a cracker style rim with a nice snap, crackle and pop to it. The cheese tends to char and brown on the crust edge in a most divine way. The cheese is thickly applied to the pizza on top of a sauce with a tease of sweetness to it. There are many topping combinations to choose from including “Garbage” which is all fourteen toppings. The pizza is served old school on a pizza tray. As a bonus, when I bounced into my booth, I was greeted with a basket of popcorn to nibble on while I studied the menu.

My pizza was great, I would place it in my top 10 to 15 for central Ohio based on just one pizza. The rest of the menu has a lot to offer including Stromboli, pasta dinners and Robin’s Ribs which are often mentioned as some of the best BBQ ribs in the area.

I was also happy to find out the place kept some of the Frosttop heritage by making and serving their own root beer in frosty mugs that they are not shy about refilling. I was also happy to see that they support local drinking by serving Eldchrist wines. Benny’s is well worth the drive for pizza and a beer and a show.

Benny’s Pizza
968 Columbus Road
Marysville
Dine In: 937.644.8383
Carry out: 937.644.0881

Posted in bar, beer, pizza, Road Trip | Tagged: Benny's Pizza | Leave a Comment »

Rusty Bucket Wrangles Rogue Root Beer

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 27, 2011

I get many incredible offers. Most come from people in African countries that will give me millions of dollars just to help transfer some money from their country to ours to cut down on paper work and avoid hassle for the estate of a deceased relative with a horribly misspelled name. Some offers come from Russian mail order brides and maybe related to that, it seems that there are some medications I should be taking, I that I can get cheaply. Maybe I should consider the mail order bride option.

The type of offers I would like to get would include: Hey, you are awesome and resourceful and blindingly creative, here is a job that does not suck; or yes you really should write for us, starting now, because you are not boring or pretentious. These offers don’t come and years of trying for them have not yet been productive.

So when the Rusty Bucket asked if I wanted to drink root beer and get some remuneration for my trouble I was curious. I read further. It seems that said root beer was Rogue Root Beer. That fact changed no thanks to yes, pretty please PDQ. As fate would have it, I had Rogue Root Beer in PDX (Portland) recently which was a highlight of five days that were a low point.

I get an interesting array of offers from the food industry that tempt my wallet and threaten to stretch the scope of my blog and my ethics. I almost always say no. The Rusty Bucket offer was perfect. I knew I liked the root beer. I did not know I could get it in Columbus so that knowledge was a gift to me. Rusty Bucket is a locally owned company and aligned with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants so I could support them without hesitation. I knew I was going to rush out for root beer anyway so for the price of gas and a mug of root beer – game on! Yes, I will write for root beer so here we go.

It seems that if you are planning on going Rogue, Columbus is the place to do it. Rusty Bucket charmed this Portland-centric purveyor of tasty drinks into sending most of it’s product line here for serving. This is unique for Columbus and Ohio and the Midwest and most of the country for that matter. The only other states that have Rogue Root Beer are Oregon and Washington. You can pretend you are in Portland while sitting inside 270.

I am not a big pop drinker (we say pop in Columbus, accept it, move on). I NEED to have a coke with pizza to complete the experience. However, I am an absolute sucker for a good Root Beer. I have invested a good deal of time searching for the perfect root beer experience. I found a few that are worth traveling for – Virgil’s Root Beer and Sioux City Root Beer were my brews of choice.

Why might you want to make the effort to try Rogue Root Beer? Because they make it right and because Rusty Bucket pours it right. Rogue approaches their root beer with the same attention to detail and devotion they invest in their craft beers. Their root beer is made with 100% pure dark brown sugar. It has a nice dose of Sassafras. This is draft root beer, served from a tap into a cold, frosted mug with just a bit of foaming head. It may be the most perfect root beer experience in town. Visions of childhood bike rides to the Clintonville A&W drive-in come to mind when I take a sip. To appeal to the child in you or the child tagging along with you, Rusty Bucket also offers kid sized mugs and root beer floats in both sizes.

If you want to completely go Rogue, Rusty Bucket serves several Rogue beers on draft. You can also sample Rogue’s other roguish spirits including Dead Guy Whiskey, Spruce Gin and White Rum. A daily drink special involves soaking a giant chunk of pineapple with brown sugar, vanilla beans and Rogue white rum, then adding some ice and more rum. Yum.

On Tuesdays, a featured drink is the Rogue Spruce Gin Gimlet. I had not been to Rusty Bucket for a while so I decided to try out multiple locations in my root beer research. For your first Rogue run I suggest trying out the Lane Avenue location and hoping that Katie is tending bar when you walk in. She knows all things Rogue and can talk you through your choices while you enjoy a frosty root beer.

Posted in bar, beer, beverages, culinary knowledge, restaurants | Tagged: Rogue Root Beer, Rusty Bucket | 3 Comments »

The Burrito Buggy at Byrne’s Pub on March 19th!

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 9, 2011

Fact: There is a young woman living in Baja Clintonville whose life was saved or at least made bearable by a Burrito Buggy Burrito.

Fact: There are many OU Alumni in Columbus and when you say Burrito Buggy they go a little crazy.

Fact: I love the Burrito Buggy and when I think about it, I go a little crazy.

During some wintery evening in 2010, I was discussing culinary missions and tasks for Columbus in 2011. At some point I said, “I want the Burrito Buggy here in Columbus”. “Where should it go other than my driveway?” The answer. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. And then, “Byrne’s Pub, all the OU people hang out there”.

OK. My mission at hand, I researched, plotted and sent out e-mails. I asked every Burrito Buggy fan I knew if they were interested and how many burritos they wanted. Everyone was enthused. Everyone wanted at least two burritos. This seemed to bode well for everyone.

I contacted Pat Byrne at Byrne’s Pub, his response was:

“That sounds absolutely awesome, the 19th would be perfect.”

The 19th looks to be a big day at Byrne’s. It will be the third day of celebration of St. Patrick’s Day at an Irish bar. The John Smoltz Project will be playing in honor of St. Smoltz Day. A tent will still be set up in the parking lot and the Burrito Buggy will be here. It is a Saturday. It is almost spring. You will eat burritios, you will probably love them.

Byrne’s is paying travel expenses for the Buggy to come to town (I offered to cover these but Pat said Byrne’s would pay the fee for the sake of the burrito loving masses). If you see Pat say thanks, tip his staff, drink a beer and buy a bunch of burritos so that everyone involved considers doing this again. For the sake of everyone in line for food – bring small bills to pay for your burritos. Please be considerate of where and how you park in the surrounding neighborhood streets….it is going to be busy.

The Buggy will open around 2 pm (Athens time) and will stay until they run out of food, maybe as late as 2:30 am (Columbus time). I will tell you right now, I am getting six burritos, I know others will do the same. If you have been on the fence about street food or mobile kitchens – this is your gateway meal to understanding why this works.

Byrne’s Pub
1248 West 3rd Avenue
Columbus (really close to Grandview)
614.486.4722

Burrito Buggy

More Burrito Buggy info from me.

Posted in Athens, bar, beer | Tagged: Burrito Buggy, Byrne's Pub | 12 Comments »

Rockmill Brewery: An Introduction

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 21, 2010

In my original plan, Rockmill Brewery was going to be a thirty minute detour on my way to a big day of bliss in Hocking county. Over three hours into my tour of the Rockmill Farm with all it has to offer, I realized that yet again that what I think and what happens are two different things.

Rockmill Brewery debuted in September of this year after over two years of meticulous work, planning and lots of brewing. What little I knew was exciting. The beer is brewed using water from a natural spring on the property, the beers are certified organic and brewed in the spirit of Belgian beers from the Wallonia region of Belgium. Again – pretty cool. I figured a quick tour, a few samples and off to Athens. Wrong.

Veering onto Lithopolis Road away from Lancaster, I realized I was in for something different from my expectations the moment I pulled into the driveway of Rockmill Farm. The space did not have the feel of a brewery, it felt like a winery. Looking at a house and a small stable, I was not even sure where a brewery might be housed. On a whim, I had brought my loyal dog known to you as CMH Tobias along for the day. We were immediately greeted by Scooby the gatekeeper and ambassador to Rockmill Brewery. A sniff and a lick indicated our credentials were accepted. We were then welcomed by Matt Barbee, the brewer of Rockmill.

As a quick aside, the house at Rockmill Farm is warm and inviting. It also features the essentials for the full Rockmill experience – a brick pizza oven and a dog bath (CMH Tobias got really muddy….as did I). The space is also adorned with art and photography from local artists and/or people with a local connection. Matt poured samples of his four Belgian style beers: dubbel, witbier, Saison and Tripel. I enjoyed each. The witbier was spicy with the characteristics I expect from a good wheat beer. The dubbel conjured up visions of monks crafting it. The Saison had the strongest flavor with the richness of toasted malt coming through with each sip. My favorite was the Tripel. This beer would pair well with creme brulee or any dessert for that matter. There is more than a hint of coriander in each sip.

Matt’s path to brewing Belgian style ales in Central Ohio was far from straight. He grew up in the area, attended college at Miami, worked in Chicago in the wine industry and in securities, then he moved on to LA as a talent management agent to the stars. He decided he wanted to come home and do something different. Maybe destiny did play some part in the genesis of Rockmill Brewery. His grandfather had a winery years ago. His stepdad, Dennis just happens to be a hydro-geologist who just happened to discover that the spring on the property had the same basic composition as the waters of Wallonia. Dennis and Matt started building a brewery from scratch in a converted former house stable. Along the way, there has been a lot of trial and error, dumped batches of beer and some interesting and ingenious macguyvering of equipment such as crab cooker burners (330,000 btu) which have converted well to the art and science of beer brewing.

Matt described the facility and the process as nano-brewing. Each beer is made one batch at a time in one 55 gallon barrel. Matt walked me through the brewing process and entire facility in about ten minutes. This is artisan, craft production at a truly small scale. The water comes from a spring over 100 feet below ground level. The manner the rock filters the water as it springs to the surface to become beer has to add a truly unique element to these beers. I kept thinking of the wine concept of terroir. The geology and characteristics on the Rockmill Farm and the eleven acres of the land it rests on are infused into this beer. Although the style is Belgian and the ingredients come from all over, this is truly a central Ohio beer.

Matt, Scooby, Toby and I roamed the rolling landscape of Rockmill Farm. It is a microcosm of the best of the Hocking Hills region – it has streams, waterfalls, a rope bridge, chapel, access to an ancient gristmill, rock outcroppings, acres of trees as well as wildlife and an absolute overdose of nature. Toby was in heaven. He was running, sniffing and swimming his way through the area as Matt and I talked shop. I can not think of any other brewery tour that included a hike, rock climbing and connecting with the facilities in such a special way. When Matt is brewing he can open a door or window and see the almost pristine wilderness. Inspiration my not be an ingredient listed on the label but there is no way that this place and the atmosphere it exudes does not influence the brewing process.

The label of each Rockmill beer features a horse as a tribute to the former purpose of the farm and the brewing space. Matt is looking forward to horses coming back to the property as well as the restoration of the nearby gristmill and for all of these great things to grow and expand as the bottling line-up does too.

There are two places I instinctively go (like a salmon in season) when I need to recharge, revitalize and clear my mind after bad things happen – Athens and Australia. I was on my way to Athens when I visited Rockmill Brewery. I never made it. I didn’t need to. This is truly a unique space and I see how it is inspiring something very good. If I don’t make it back to the brewery soon I can at least get a shot of inspiration from the beers.

Where can you find Rockmill beers:
House Wine – Worthington
Whole Foods – Dublin
Tutto Vino – Dublin
Shaws Restaurant – Lancaster
(more places to come).

To arrange a tour, tasting or to keep track of what growing down at RockMill Farm
Rockmill Brewery
Matthew Barbee
5705 Lithopolis Road
310 755 4097
Rockmill Brewery web site
Matthew@Rockmillbrewery.com
Rockmill on Facebook

Posted in beer, culinary knowledge, Ohio, Road Trip, Travelfoodalogue | Tagged: Rockmill Brewery | 4 Comments »

Beer Wisdom from Palmers – A Clintonville Classic

Posted by CMH Gourmand on August 30, 2010

I infrequently post photos of the signs at Palmers because I find them interesting and find myself looking for their latest inspiration. Signs still get our attention in an electronic world.

There are a lot of things I like about Palmers. The store has a great beer selection in a small amount of space. The employees are friendly and often they have their dog in the house for company. This is a family operation and feels like it.

Where to find the signs –

Palmers
3375 Indianola Avenue
(Corner of Oakland Park and Indianola)
Clintonville
614.263.7444

Posted in beer, Clintonville | Tagged: Palmers Beverage | 3 Comments »

July is National Ice Cream (Capital of the World) Month: This Week is Beer Float Week

Posted by CMH Gourmand on July 19, 2010

This post is really just a repository for a few leftovers that are not quite postworthy, but combined do create a theme.

The subtitle of CMH Gourmand is “Ice Cream Capital of the World”. I still be believe that. Put anyone in my company for about four to five hours and I can prove my statement with tasting and commentary.

Ice Cream Capital of the World Exhibit #47
Where the people have Beer Floats with an Ohio made ice cream.

In honor of National Ice Cream Month, I declare this Columbus Beer Float Week.

The Hills Market is serving up Beer Floats on Wednesday (July 21st). The Hills hosts many great eating events on their veranda, this is one.

The Hills is pouring five different floats featuring Ayars Family Farm Ice Cream (new, from Mechanicsburg, Ohio) and a variety of stouts, lambics and unique beers that bode well with ice cream. The floats are $1.75 each or you can try a flight of five for $7.50. Floats will be poured from 5:30 to 7:30 pm as part of the Harvest Happy Hour.

Bodega in the Short North is also featuring Youngs Chocolate Stout with Jeni’s Salty Caramel Ice Cream. Food historians may quibble in the future, but it will be noted in the record that the widespread use of and advocacy for Beer Floats began in Columbus in early 2008. Clearly some type of visionary genius was the guiding hand for this populist delicacy.

Ice Cream Capital of the World Exhibit #48
A city which can support a growing Independent ice cream empire.

Jeni’s Ice Cream declares Ice Cream Independence

It was tea in 1773 and now there is a call for ice cream independence in 2010. A flyer to this effect was seen in the Short North.

Among the ice cream rights that we have: creaminess, fresh ingredients and the pursuit of deliciousness. These are civil rights I can support. On a side note Jeni’s was also granted a code variance that will allow it to open a location (within walking distance of Gourmand Manor) in Clintonville as early as September. Unlike the tea party, there will be no swarms of residents dumping ice cream into the Olentangy we will be licking it all up.

In Other Jeni’s news, Jeni Britton Bauer has been selected as a Central Ohio Terra Madre delegate. Her supplier of milk cream for ice cream base, Warren Taylor from Snowville Creamery has also been selected for Terra Madre as well. There has been some question about Columbus having the ability to compete on the national food scene. As if being the Ice Cream Capital of the World was not enough, our community as well as the the farmers that supply our artisans and chefs will be sending nine people to Italy to talk food at Terra Madre. That is a big deal.

Posted in beer, Columbus, ice cream | Tagged: Ice Cream Capital of the World | 3 Comments »

Old School Odes to Beer

Posted by CMH Gourmand on May 12, 2010

Before twitter, there were other avenues for short snappy wit and whimsey. During the dawn of the automobile marketers used Burma Shave signs.

A few independent merchants still use their outside signs to grab attention. Here are a few beer based messages from the last week. This old school technology still works with the masses.

Posted in beer | 1 Comment »

Hamburger Columbus: Johnnie’s Tavern with George Motz

Posted by CMH Gourmand on May 2, 2010

Motz at Work

In 2007, I joined filmmaker/writer George Motz for the Columbus leg of research for Hamburger America. The book was a success so the publishers have asked him for a second edition, this time with an additional fifty famous hamburger (well, 53 since three of the original 100 from Hamburger America have closed) places. There is an interesting backstory to the book. George did not set out to write a hamburger book or any book for that matter. In 2004, he created a documentary called Hamburger America about eight unique and historic family owned hamburger cookeries. The publishers saw the book and asked the filmmaker to add author to his business card. This is the rare instance of a film leading to a book.

The rules for places picked for Hamburger America (2) are as follows: the hamburger must be good, it must have been served by the same place for twenty years or more and it must be made with fresh, ground beef. The two Columbus picks for the first edition were Thurman Cafe and Gahanna Grill. While there are several good candidates in Columbus, the site selected on this reconnaissance mission was Johnnies Tavern in San Margherita.

...before

Johnnies meets the criteria set forth and then some. The site of the tavern has been owned by the Lombardi family since the early twentieth century. It started as a grocery store but it 1948, the family knocked down a wall, added some space and turned to the tavern trade. John Lombardi is the forth generation to run a family business at this site. He is the manager and the head hamburger maker, often slinging hamburgers solo in the backroom kitchen.

....after

The menu is simple: cheeseburgers, roast beef sandwiches, fried bolonga sandwiches, fries and onion rings. There is another staple on the menu, beer. Johnnie’s won an award for the coldest beer in Columbus. In the photo below, you can see a poster of Dominic Lombardi (John’s grandfather) with one of their famous cold beers. The beer is still cold although we did not take a thermometer to test it we could see that the frost on the mug was thick and frosty. San Margherita was the former home of Italian immigrants to Columbus, many of them coming to work in the quarry at Marble Cliff. There are only a few landmarks left of that immigrant era, ancient grape vines in a few yards and Johnnie’s Tavern.

Coldest beer poster

The burger is a handmade patty that starts off as about one pound of ground beef. You have your choice of five types of cheese (pepperjack is the crowd favorite) plus lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and a dill pickle on the side. The bun is toasted (big points there) and slightly steamed with sesame seeds. The service is friendly, well at least based on my interactions with Britney. There is a pool table, a few TV’s and the sounds of trains passing by on the railroad tracks about 100 feet from the front door for entertainment.

I hope that Johnnie’s makes it into the new Hamburger America. There are some other places from Columbus I would like to see as well, in particular, the pepperburger from O’Reilly’s. We will have to wait until the book comes out in 2011 or 2012. In the meantime, you can follow George’s adventures on twitter. On his latest run, he hit at least six hamburger places (including Johnnie’s) in three states over two days. He consumed over one dozen hamburgers, three Pattycake Bakery cookies, one Steak and Shake milkshake and Bigbee Malt at Spudnuts in Cleveland. Go George!

And Go Johnnies!

Johnnie’s
3503 Trabue Road
San Margherita (an unincorporated section of Columbus near Hilliard)
614.488.0110

Posted in beer, hamburgers | Tagged: George Motz, Hamburger America, Johnnies Tavern | 1 Comment »

Good Pairings: Studio 35 – Beer, Movies and More

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 28, 2010

On Sunday I partook a pairing of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and a Columbus Brewing Company beer tasting at Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse. The place was packed which I was both glad and sad to see. It is great to see an event do well and this one clearly was meeting everyone’s expectations. However, I would like to see Studio 35 packed every single night. Combining beer and a movie makes for some magic. Studio 35 adds in more elements to take everything to the next level. I would like to see even more people support a place that does so much to support the community.

pee wee event

Let’s talk about beer. Studio 35 serves an ever changing variety of good craft beers. There is typically a glass special paired with a new beer. You buy a special pint glass (that you keep) and when you bring that glass with you it can be filled with the selected beer special at a discount. Good deal. The selections include a variety of local and regional microbrews.

beer list

Studio 35 also offers a growler special. A growler as in a big, giant container for beer. When you buy a Studio 35 growler you can continue to fill it up with a variety of beers. Then you can come back for another movie and fill it up again. Groovy.

growler

growler list

There is typically a Sunday beer tasting once per month paired up with a classic movie. The tastings feature a beer expert to share brewing knowledge with tasters. Eight or more beer styles are offered for sampling and sipping. Most tasters have found it fun, informative and a good value, although the tastings may impair a person’s memory of the movie offering. Maybe that is why the tastings are teamed with classic movies – so you can miss parts and not feel cheated.

beer tasting

There are other events as well. Eric, the owner of Studio 35 appears to have some green leanings. The theater has served at a hub of for environmentally proactive documentaries such as King Corn. Other movies have included premiere’s by local film makers, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Three Amigos (as the finale of a Taco Truck Tour) and more. Studio 35 hosts showings of soccer matches and OSU football games. Another special event that can not be scheduled is an encounter with a ghost. Legend has it that the theater is haunted……

Standard movie food is offered at the counter as well as pizza from Clintonville Pizza a few feet down the street. Homemade cupcakes and other goodies also make an appearance but sell out quickly. There is a small bar between the counter and the theater with a few stools and booths as well as a large flat screen TV snyched with the main screen. This spot serves as a nice place to have a conversation without disturbing other moviewatchers.

clintonville pizza

That is my preview of what Studio 35 has to offer. Drop in and partake in the features I mentioned so you will see what the attraction is. I know this sounds like an ad however this post was inspired by a friend of mine that was frustrated that more people were not on board with all of the cool things (Zombie Walk) that Studio 35 supports and sponsors. Slide into the studio, have a beer, watch the show du jour and bring a friend.

Studio 35
3055 Indianola Avenue
Clintonville
614.262.7505

Posted in beer, Clintonville, events | Tagged: Studio 35 | 2 Comments »

BeerCamp Recap and Tale of the Last Parade

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 30, 2010

Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, some Wild Geese, courageous sponsors and everyone that came out to the Best Event on March 28th.

There will be a BeerCamp 2011.

Homebrew contenders

Oh my. What a day. First lesson learned, people like beer…a lot. Friday and Saturday was all about answering e-mails and phone calls from people wanting BeerCamp tickets. And it was about telling various beseechers that BeerCamp was sold out with a long waiting list. Starting on Thursday, I started paying attention to the weather forecast….and then I started not paying attention to the weather forecast with visions of thunder and lightning flashing through my head.

I have an aluminium roof over my porch. At 6:30 am Sunday morning I started to hear a light pitter patter on the roof and remained in my state of semi consciousness. By 8:00 AM the sound of rain was agonizingly still loud in spite of trying to drown it out with four pillows, every blanket I could find and my 65 pound dog on my head. As parade master for the BeerCamp parade I decided it was best to stay in bed. My task was to mentally compose an inspiring speech I would give to the seven paraders and five police officers (who were well paid) I could count on for a rainy day parade. I was convinced I could deliver the eloquence of the Henry the V speech. As it turned out, the rain stopped a few minutes before start time and all I had to say was – LET’S GO!

The parade consisted of: That Car, The CD 101 Ice Cream Truck, a Mini Van, a chicken, a dog, two bikes, two scooters, a fake goose, two bands, Lady Gaga, a man holding a beer bottle and a rag tag, motley crew of very, very good people.

One of our bands!

An unidentified woman appears to be running away from the chicken cage

Exclusive shot from the rear of the parade

The parade was memorable. Mark my words….it will never happen again. If you missed the parade you missed twenty three minutes of history.

Heroes - group shot at parade conclusion

There will be another BeerCamp. Here are some of the reasons why:

1:47 PM - Full house for an event that started at 2 PM

Entrants to BeerCamp received a BeerCamp pint glass with tickets for eight pours of Columbus Brewing Company Beers (thanks Eric Bean!). We told everyone to bring T-shirts so they could get a free BeerCamp screenprint. Kyle Sowash sang the world premiere of the Surly Girl BeerCamp song in honor our lead sponsor Surly Girl Saloon. Brezel was present to sell pretzels. After the food judging was concluded – everyone had full access to BeerCamp food which included cupcakes, pork bellies and many other excellent, over the top goodies.

Please note, Walker Evans is drinking a beer and Carmen Owens is not being surly

Here is our creme de la creme of contest judges:

Food
Walker Evans – Columbus Underground
Johnny DiLoretto – Fox 28 / Channel 6
Carmen Owens – Chief Asskicker, Surly Girl Saloon
Mike Publicover – Manager, Mama Mimi’s Take and Bake Pizza
Shelly Mann – Editor, Columbus Alive

Homebrew
Emma Christensen – Columbus Dispatch
Michael Paull – Beer Writer
Eric Drake – Brothers Drake Mead
Frank Barickman – The Scioto, Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists (SODZ)
Lauren Wilson – Beer Evangelist and Raconteur

Crafts
Amy D – Made By Amy D and Queen of Clintonville
Olivera Bratich – Wholly Craft
Adrienne Raimo – Crafty Person
Andy Dehus – Renaissance Man, Woolf Tamer, Taco Truck Writer and Restaurant Designer

Beer Label Design
Ben Lamb – Artist, Rocker and Community Personality
Clinton Reno – Artist extraordinaire and all around nice guy
Robin Oatts – Web designer and winner of the BeerCamp patience award
Patrick Kelleher – Brewmaster for Neil House Brewery and parade sponsor

So let’s talk some more about the food. I had to recuse myself from food judging since I knew some of the contestants. Every item I sampled was outstanding. The contest scores were close but at the end, the Pierogi King of Columbus and BaconCamp Champion, the esteemed Roland Kopecky won the grand prize with his Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout Cupcakes (served with a shot of milk). Our other winners were: (Craft) Sarah Cusser, for her beer and ink drawings, (Homebrew) Shane Crane, with his Guinness-style dry stout and (Beer Label Design) John Schumacher.

Compliments of Pattycake Bakery

It was a packed house, nothing bad happened, people had a good time and it did not rain on my parade – that is all one could want from a BeerCamp. So see you next year. (Buy your tickets early!)

Cupcake King of Columbus, Mr. Roland Kopecky

Please enjoy these other links:

A video with The Surly Girl Saloon song!

Posted in beer, events | Tagged: BeerCamp, BeerCamp Columbus | 7 Comments »

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