by Sandy Hugill | Jun 6, 2019 | brewery, brewing, columbus, northhigh, ohio, usa
Occasionally, I come across a brewery with a unique hands-on opportunity. North High Brewing Co in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, USA is one such brewery. North High opened six and a half years ago as a small, street-front brewery and taproom on High Street, the city’s primary North-South thoroughfare. It’s centrally located between the Ohio State University campus and the Short North Arts District, with lots of opportunity for drive-by and walk-in customers. It wasn’t long before North High outgrew their original space and expanded to a much larger production facility not far away. The original taproom remains a hub for craft beer drinkers, and the original brew house is a “brew your own” facility.
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| I brewed my own beer |
Brew Day
Not yet having hands-on brewing experience, I decided that North High’s program would be the perfect way for me to get my feet wet with zero investment in home brewing equipment and supplies. I gathered my stepmom Kim and we set out to the brewery on a recent Sunday afternoon to brew our very own beer. We were greeted by James Clifford, the brewer who leads the brew-your-own program. After some quick introductions, we discussed beer styles. North High has a recipe book offering a diverse selection of brews. Knowing that we would be producing about 6 cases of beer, I wanted to pick a style that would have broad appeal. We settled on a modified IPA recipe that would be similar to a New England style: juicy and not too bitter.
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| One of the brew-your-own groups in the brewhouse |
When James schedules individuals and groups to brew their own, he can oversee several kettles at once by staggering the brewing times of the groups. On our brew day, there were two other groups present, including one birthday party. Many of the brew-your-own participants choose this as a fun, social or team-building activity and are not interested in being 100% hands-on. Kim and I were different – we wanted to do as much as we could. Kim had some previous experience assisting my dad Steve years ago when he discovered home brewing, but I had no practical experience, and I wanted some.
While we waited for James to get our supplies ready, Kim and I enjoyed some delicious beverages from the bar. While I’m primarily a beer drinker, Kim is a vodka drinker. Neither of us was disappointed. Kim tried several vodkas from local craft distilleries, and I sampled some of the North High beers that I hadn’t tried before, including Apple Brandy Life, a sparkling ale. Apparently I was too busy working and taking pictures to keep track of the other beers I tried, but I know that in the past I’ve enjoyed their Milk Stout and Mister Fahrenheit, the New England IPA that my beer would be based on.
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| Sampling malts |
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| Measuring liquid malt extracts for our beer
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| Kim with our pouch of milled caramel malt, or grist |
The brew-your-own program at North High offers a simplified brewing process, designed perhaps to save time and cost. Rather than making our own mash, we started with two liquid malt extracts (Pale and Pilsener) that went straight into the kettle. For good measure, James did have us mill some caramel malt, load the grist into a mesh sleeve, and dip it into the kettle to impart some of its flavor and starch. But because we didn’t create a traditional mash, there was no need for lautering, or separating liquid wort from spent grain. Instead, our malt extracts dissolved into the boil.
Dry Hop Day
About a week later, I returned to North High to add the dry hops to my beer under James’ supervision. Typically, he manages this step for the batches that need to be dry-hopped, but I wanted to be part of it. I measured the hops, wrapped them in the mesh, and added them to the fermenting vessel quickly. The dry hops were Summit, Chinook, Centennial and Citra.
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| Measuring the dry hops |
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| Dry hops ready to go into the fermenter |
And while I was there, I tried the newly released North High AF American IPA, which I thought was well-balanced and refreshing. I enjoyed sitting at the bar and talking to some of the happy hour patrons. The building housing North High’s taproom was an old-time car dealership, as well as other businesses over the years. There is a lot of character to be found in the woodwork, the showroom floor (you can see where a a turntable used to display cars), and the wall of mailbox cubbies. The atmosphere feels very 1930s/1940s.
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| You can see some of the woodworking detail from the bar; on the far side is the brew-your-own area |
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| Drinking a North High AF American IPA on dry hop day |
Canning Day
Three and a half weeks after brewing, I returned to North High to can my beer. Brew-your-own participants can choose bottles or cans as their packaging. I selected cans because they’re lighter, stack-able, air-tight and block all light from spoiling the beer. Before my canning day, I provided James with my label artwork. The brewery is required by law to label all beer that leaves the premises, but part of the label was ours to design (shout-out to my logo and beer label designer Ted Townsend). Before canning, I observed James transfer my beer from its fermenter into a keg, and then add the CO2. For canning, he hooked up a wand to the keg and the CO2 tank. The beer was fed from inside the cooler through a hose to the wand at a workstation outside the cooler.
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| Starting my canning session with a North High Grapefruit Walleye IPA |
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| Kegging the beer |
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| Labels printing |
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| First taste of my beer |
James demonstrated the proper techniques for adding first CO2 and then beer to each can, and then sealing the can. Little did I know how much time it would take to can six cases of beer by myself. Every single can had to be filled, sealed and labeled by hand. I spent a few hours at the brewery that evening, but it was worthwhile. First, I got to taste a new-to-me North High brew, Grapefruit Walleye IPA (does not contain fish), which was pretty good. And then I got to taste my own beer, which was indeed a very drinkable IPA that gave me some of the juiciness I was expecting, without too much bitterness. I also got to chat with Gavin Meyers, one of the brewery’s founders. I told him about my brew-your-own experience and he also tried my beer.
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| Filling cans by hand |
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| Sealing cans |
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| Starting to stack the 6-packs |
I highly recommend going to North High if you want to try your hand at brewing, and it certainly would make a fun team-building experience for a small group. You should know that this is a streamlined brewing process, and you won’t be turned loose to do just anything that you want. There are recipes, controls and supervision in place, but these things ensure that you leave with six cases of good beer that you’ll want to drink. James is willing to work with you to help with recipe selection, and explain as much about the brewing process as you want to learn.
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| Final product |
Now, what to do with my six cases of The Brewery Log 2019 India Pale Ale? I think I’ll plan a little can release party and invite friends and neighbors. The weather is just about right to have a little outdoor IPA tasting party one evening. I’ll distribute a few six packs to select friends and family members too. And…I’ll probably be drinking this IPA for a little while. Good thing it’s tasty!
Visit
The North High taproom is open daily. In addition to beer and spirits, you’ll find occasional food trucks, and there are many neighborhood restaurants where you can grab take-out to eat in the taproom. The brew-your-own program operates every day except Mondays and Wednesdays, and you can schedule your session online. Costs vary by beer style, but you can expect to spend about $300 total for brewing and packaging 6 cases to take home. The North High production facility is closed to the public except for special events, such as their annual anniversary party in December. Check out the brewery at
northhighbrewing.com or follow them on
Facebook,
Instagram or
Twitter.
by Sandy Hugill | Dec 28, 2017 | 45, beijing, brewing, chaoyang, china, great, leap, pizza
On my recent quick trip to Beijing I made time to visit two craft breweries. One of them was Great Leap Brewing (大跃啤酒). There are three Great Leap locations in the city but my schedule only allowed me to choose one. Great Leap #45, a pizzeria in the Chaoyang District, was on my way to the airport, so that’s the one I selected.
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| My first flight: Honey Ma Gold ale, Cinnamon Rock Ale, Aggressor dark ale, Little General IPA |
The #45 Building
The taxi driver dropped me on a street corner near the brewery and it took several minutes of desperately walking around and employing the help of an English speaking stranger to help me find the brewery entrance; it was off a side-street and not highly visible. The brown building was utilitarian looking. It appeared that the brewery consumed the entire ground floor, with apartments on the upper floors.
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Great Leap Brewing #45
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To the right of the main entrance is an area to park bicycles and scooters
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| Enter through this huge door |
Since I wasn’t able to visit the other Great Leap locations, I can’t say if they have a similar aesthetic. The dining room at #45 had an industrial feel with concrete, exposed ductwork and large, heavy, communal tables. There were fermenters and brite tanks in the building. The setup was done well, and with several huge windows facing the street, there was plenty of light to keep the room feeling cheerful. At night, it must be much darker inside.
It was early lunchtime on a Sunday and the brewery wasn’t yet busy. I chose a table to myself with a great view of the dining room. Classic punk rock played on the speakers and fit right in with the decor to create an energizing atmosphere. I noticed that some customers came in for tea or coffee and a meal, and not necessarily to drink beer. It says something good for Great Leap #45 that it’s a local dining destination. But I wonder if those teetotalers knew what they were missing.
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| The view from my table; I liked the stylized Beijing map on the far wall |
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| The bar, where I usually choose to sit upon visiting new breweries, but there I would not have had a view |
The Flavors
Great Leap brews a diverse selection of beer styles that would be recognized at a craft brewery in North America, but they include traditional Asian ingredients in several of them. The draught list boasted 16 varieties of house beer (there were also a few guest beers from Japan, Australia and Denmark), and flights came in samplers of four. Most brews were of medium to high ABV, with the highest coming in at 12%. I chose my first flight, knowing that I’d probably go for a second one. I wanted to experience as much as I could, and with my next stop being the Beijing airport, I’d have 12 hours in flight to sleep off the beer.
The beers provided a delightful “East meets West” tour. Honey Ma Gold, described as Great Leap’s “flagship ale” was very nice, with adjuncts of honey and Sichuan peppercorns (subtle and not over-powering); this was an award-winning beer. The Iron Buddha Blonde and the Aggressor dark ale (classified as a wee heavy in Untappd) were each infused with oolong tea; it’s a very subtle addition of tea and both are smooth and drinkable. Cinnamon Rock Ale may have been the most unique brew on the list; it was brewed with cinnamon and rock candy, and was good but not a favorite. My American-ness is apparent in my pick of the eight I tried: Explorer General IPA, a west coast IPA with hops from Michigan.
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The servers wore Great Leap Brewing track jackets
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| And for my second flight: Iron Buddha Blonde, Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Explorer General IPA, Liu the Brave Stout |
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| My 16-inch “The Cheese” pizza with basil was tasty and, of course, huge |
Drinking all these beers, I needed some good food, and the New York style pizza at Great Leap #45 delivered on flavor. The menu also included Italian-inspired appetizers, salads and entrees. Unfortunately, they only make 16-inch pies, and that’s quite a lot for one person. I figured I would take much of my cheese pizza to go and eat it on the airplane. Later, I learned that select pizzas are available by-the-slice.
My server Trent didn’t speak much English, and I don’t speak any Chinese, so I asked if there was another staff member who could tell me more about the brewery. The manager’s English was marginally better, and she was helpful, but unable to answer the questions I would normally ask of a brewery owner or member of the brewing team. When I left Great Leap #45, I didn’t know much beyond what I’d already learned on the website. That is that Great Leap started in 2010 as Beijing’s first craft brewery founded by Carl Setzer from Ohio, USA and Liu Fang from Shandong Province, China. From the start, this was an East/West venture, and that explains a lot about the beer styles. The brewery has three public locations in Beijing as well as a production facility outside the city. If I’d had more time, I would have arranged to meet with the owners. For this trip, I had to be content to simply enjoy the beers in the Great Leap #45 taproom…and I did.
The brewery started filling up after 1 PM, mostly with foreigners from Europe and North America. I approached the English-speaking family at the table next to mine. They were American expats from Washington state. They are regulars at Great Leap and also at Slow Boat, the other Beijing brewery that I visited. I sat with Kjell, Elisabeth and Erica for a while (and they took my leftover pizza off my hands).
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| Me with my new friends Kjell, Elisabeth and Erica (and my leftover pizza) |
There was one more thing I had to do before leaving Great Leap, and that was to check out the merchandise. I simply can’t make purchases at every brewery I visit (there would be no room in my closets for the clothing, or in my kitchen cabinets for the glassware). But I wanted to commemorate my possibly once-in-a-lifetime trip to Beijing, and the Great Leap Brewing artwork was too good to pass up. I chose the red t-shirt with the brewery logo, but I was drawn to the beer-specific designs as well. I said farewell to my American friends with a full belly, a sated beer palate, and ultimately, a strong desire to get to the airport, to return home, and share my China adventures.
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| Stellar merchandise collection |
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| It’s a rare brewery post in which I include photos of myself, but I just had to share the cool t-shirt |
Visit
You have your choice of Great Leap Brewing locations depending on where you are in the city, and what type of food you’re in the mood for. Great Leap #45 was my pizza haven in Chaoyang District; #12 is the burger joint in Dongcheng District; and the original #6 is in Doujiao Hutong but does not serve food. Hours vary by location, for #45: Sunday-Thursday 11 AM to 1 AM, Friday-Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM. Check out the brewery at GreatLeapBrewing.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram.
by Sandy Hugill | Dec 1, 2017 | brewing, dankhouse, Newark, ohio, usa
I visited DankHouse Brewing Co. (Newark, Ohio, USA) on their second weekend in business. It was a slightly chilly fall evening, and it felt prematurely dark because of the recent time change. It was a perfect situation for drinking craft beer. Newark is about an hour’s drive east of downtown Columbus, and will soon be quite a craft beer destination, with more taprooms opening soon. But DankHouse was the first Newark brewery to open to the public and they’ve got the Newark market for now.
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| Another promising Ohio brewery |
A Family Operation
Like many of the newer nano breweries, DankHouse is a family operation. Owners Josh and Heather Lange are homebrewing hobbyists turned entrepreneurs with the opening of their new brewery. Josh is the brewmaster and DankHouse is his fulltime gig. Heather is a school teacher when she’s not at the brewery.
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| Josh and Heather Lange, owners of DankHouse Brewing Co. |
Halfway through my customary new-brewery flight, Josh took me on a tour of the small but impressive facility. For a novice brewer, I was very impressed with everything that Josh knew. It was evident that he and Heather had done significant research before opening their business. They are doing things right.
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| Behind the bar at DankHouse |
On the Friday night I visited, there was a vibrant crowd full of friends and family, as well as strangers (or new friends?) like me. Everyone seemed to enjoy the beer and the welcoming environment created by Heather and Josh. If this warm reception is any indication, DankHouse is going to do well in Newark.
The Property
DankHouse is a little off the beaten path if you’re not familiar with Newark, but it wasn’t hard to find. The simple, white cinder block building had a previous life housing a variety of industrial businesses. Inside, the open floor plan makes it feel larger than its square footage. The décor is clean and tasteful with pendant lamps resembling hops, fun, hand-painted mural elements, and a bar with multi-colored wooden planks featuring DankHouse-green accent boards. The bar top is stylish and is covered with BBs that Heather meticulously hand-set and covered with resin. Mood lighting creates additional ambiance. It’s an atmosphere you want to stay in and have a second beer.
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| The cozy, friendly taproom |
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| Fun artwork spruces up the white walls |
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| It’s not really a hop flower, but when you’re in a brewery, these lamps feel very hoppy |
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| Laying the BBs on the bar top (via DankHouse Brewing Co. on Facebook) |
As parents, the Langes made sure to consider their customers’ children and they built a designated play area just off the taproom, with a window cut in the wall for line of sight.
The brewing area is a couple steps down from the taproom, and a half-wall allows patrons to see the tanks. Josh operates a 2.5 barrel system, but it appears there’s room to expand if business goes well.
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| The brewing and fermenting area, as seen looking down from the taproom |
The free-standing building sits on eight acres, which includes free parking and future space for a patio and an outdoor gaming area (think bocce and cornhole), come springtime. Behind the brewery, an extension of the Buckeye Scenic Trail is being built, so DankHouse has plans to attract cyclists and runners who need a respite once they’ve put in their mileage.
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| It’s a fairly non-descript building, but there is magic inside |
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| If you have a truck, you’re a real brewery |
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| The best pic I could get at night of the patio area; come springtime, expect this place to be hoppin’ |
The Beer
I’ve discovered that these smaller breweries, at least in Ohio, start out offering more guest taps than house taps. And the reason behind this is two-fold:
- Liquor laws in Ohio won’t allow a craft brewery to begin brewing their own beer until they are open to the public*. This means that “soft openings” with guest taps are common so that a brewery has something to offer while ramping up their own production.
- Small breweries have a limited capacity for brewing. When you can only brew one beer at a time, it takes a while to get multiple styles through the brewing and fermenting process and ready for consumption.
* This may be a simplification. I am neither a brewer nor a lawyer.
Guest taps give the first customers something to drink, while giving the brewery a revenue boost. So this explains why newly-opened DankHouse had only three of their own beers on tap (and seven guest taps) when I visited. In my flight of five, I made sure to try all three house beers, while sampling a couple other new-to-me Ohio brews.
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| Front row: Super Fantastic IPA, A Blonde Moment, Coffee Drip; back row: guest taps |
Josh plans to brew a variety of styles, and that was seen in the opening week offerings. My favorite was the Super Fantastic IPA, which was a well-balanced example of an American IPA and an excellent debut beer. Also on tap were A Blonde Moment blonde ale and Coffee Drip stout, which I would have sworn was made with actual coffee, but Josh said that all the coffee flavor came from the malt. Another IPA was in the fermenter on my visit. Maybe it’s ready to drink by now!
This little brewery is one to watch. I look forward to a return visit to see what new things Josh and Heather have in store. There will be more beers to try soon, and a whole new outdoor experience once the weather warms up.
Visit
DankHouse Brewing Co. is open five days a week: Wednesday-Friday 3-10 PM, Saturday 12-10 PM, Sunday 12-7 PM. They have 10 taps, offering a mix of house and guest beers, with growler fills available. The brewery is kid-friendly. They do not have a kitchen but will offer food trucks. You can learn more at dankhousebrewing.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
