A long, long time ago
I can still remember when that Pale Ale
Used to make me smile.
And I knew if it had more hops
I could make my tastebuds pop
and leave my palate bitter for a while.
– Homebrewer and Beer Fanatic: Don McClean (Ok, maybe not)
You might say that it’s best to judge a brewery by it’s pilsner, or it’s blond ale due to the need for finesse, but us Ohio boys like smash-mouth football, tomahawk dunks, and aggressive IPAs. We know we’re not alone. IPA’s are so popular with the beer drinking community, that it’s harder to find a brewery that doesn’t produce one than it is to find one that does! It’s always been our mission to give you our thoughts on the best beers, and now we have our chance to do so in a major way.
King of the Ohio IPA Tournament
We were contacted by Tom Aguero from Queen City Drinks to take part in a challenge that will once and for all crown the King of the Ohio IPA. Well, at least we’ll have a king for this year. Tom has scoured the state to compile a team of beer bloggers in order to create a tournament of beers to decide which Ohio IPA reigns supreme. Each blog is given a different section of the state, and will choose three beers from that region to bring to Columbus for the final showdown. The bloggers/beer judges/moderators are:
Tom Aguero
The Blog: Queen City Drinks
The Region: Southwest
Rick Armon
The Blog: The Beer Blog at the Akron Beacon Journal
The Region: Akron/Canton
Cory Smith & Ron DeGregorio
The Blog: The Brew Review Crew
The Region: Northwest
Pat Woodward
The Blog: Pat’s Pints
The Region: Central & Southeast
Bob Lesher
The Blog: The Artful Pint
The Region: Cleveland & Northeast
Rules and Regulations:
Here’s how the contest works.
- Each blogger will choose a list of breweries and their corresponding IPAs they believe most effectively represent their region.
- Three (3) winning beers from each region will be chosen using a combination of reader’s choice polls and Editor’s Choice selections. This will result in a total of 15 beers for the final blind tasting round.
- Regional Reader’s Choice voting will open on Monday, October 13th and close at midnight on October 25th.
- Regional Reader’s Choice/Editor’s Choice finalists will be announced October 27th.
- Three (3) winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) will be selected during a private blind tasting event being held at the Elevator Brewing Company tap room on Saturday, November 1, 2014. All bloggers will be present and participating and the pouring will be proctored by an impartial third-party.
- The King of Ohio IPA along with the runners up will be announced on November 3rd.
Make sure you stay posted, and feel free to chime in and let us know which IPA you would like to see come out of the Toledo Region. Remember, IPA’s only, we’re not taking Imperial, Double, or any other modified variation of the style. Maybe we’re purists, maybe we just like order, one thing we know for sure, this is going to be fun!
-Cheers!
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