Ohio Brew Week

Jon Sparhawk Memorial Scholarship & Community Fund

The Athens Messenger, 2006

Ohio Brew Week, which kicks off Monday, July 16, promises to bring visitors to the community, offer unusual foods and microbrews and stimulate the local economy during the summer, says Dan Gates, director of the festival. “We have people coming from all over the state and the Midwest, who want to experience our Appalachian culture, food and our community.” This year, Gates has gathered together 24 independent breweries to showcase more than 76 microbrews in 20 restaurants, pubs and taverns throughout the Athens area.

Ohio Brew Week is the world’s only week-long festival celebrating microbrews, Gates says. “Our goal is to help the locally-owned, independent restaurants and businesses, as well as to build awareness of Ohio’s small breweries that are creating an emerging industry.”

“Hands down it was the best week of our summer last year,” said Art Oestrike, owner of Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery. Ohio Brew Week is “an unusual festival in an unusual town,” he adds. “People are realizing the benefits of local products and supporting local businesses, which employ local people. There is more excitement about Brew Week than anything else right now; people are into it and it’s only been here for one year.”

Jim Leverentz, owner of Leeners make-it-yourself kit and brew making supply company in Northfield, stayed in Athens during the whole week last year and was impressed with what he experienced. "Ohio Brew Week is a community event with national appeal," Leverentz says. "Since last year’s Ohio Brew Week, brew fests everywhere have a new standard of excellence. The standard four-hour tasting session with large crowds standing in line for samples just can not stand up to the relaxed, socially engaging, and entertaining presentation by the City of Athens."

Eric Rothschiller, brewmaster at Cornerstone Brewery in Berea, looks forward to interacting with visitors to the festival. "We're pretty excited about coming down; we love to talk about beer and to be able to sit there and do it with 150 of our friends is going to be pretty cool,” Rothschiller said. His Erie Blue Raspberry, a light, flavorful beer that sells out in summer, and was the first keg to sell out at last year’s Brew Week.

Since participating in last year’s inaugural Brew Week, Buckeye Brewing Company underwent a busy year, moving to the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood and opening a restaurant, the Beer Engine, to feature their popular micro-beers. Brewmaster Garin Wright is looking forward to this year’s Brew Week, not only for the opportunity to showcase several of Buckeye Brewing’s selections, but to meet and network with other brewers.

“It’s a great festival and a great promotion for increasing awareness for craft beers,” Wright said. “Ohio has some of the highest quality of beers. I was only down there last year for a couple of days, but it was fantastic. There were so many events, it was wonderful.”

Rick DeBar of Barrel House Brewing Company in Cincinnati, is excited about the festival because it is a chance for people to sample flavorful hand-crafted microbrews. He encourages all of us to live life to the fullest and not to allow ourselves to become limited. His contribution to this effort, of course, is beer. According to Debar, if you don't like beer, you just haven't had the right beer yet. "I get so many people who don't know about beer," says DeBar. "They think that beer is the mass-produced domestic beer and that's it. If you're going to drink a beer, you might as well drink something that has a good flavor and that you enjoy. I think the mentality of pounding as much beer as you can is really going by the wayside."

DeBar plans to be in Athens for the beer sampling tent on Saturday so he can talk with microbrew fans. For DeBar, the advantage of microbrews is clear: "It's just like going to a fine restaurant and enjoying somebody's individual creation. It's not something that's been stamped out that everybody can get everywhere. If you want to go out and really enjoy and appreciate something unique and different, you can come enjoy a hand-crafted quality beer. There's no reason to stifle yourself and only drink beer that doesn't have much flavor and that you want to drink ice cold because you don't like the flavor when it warms up."

Jack Kephart, brewmaster of Willoughy Brewing Co., in Willoughby, returns to this year’s Brew Week with several of his craft brews, including the Rapier Wit, which sold out on the first day of last year’s festival. Kephart plans to bring even more of the popular brew this year. A traditional classic Belgian wheat beer, the crafted brew uses raw natural wheat that is mild but has a hint of spiciness of Belgian wheat, he said.

Although he was unable to attend last year’s Brew Week, Kephart said he hopes to be in Athens this year at least one or two days to talk about his beers. “I was surprised with how well it came off last year.”

Local restaurants too are gearing up for an unusual and creative Brew Week. Janne Wenert, chef owner of Seven Sauces has prepared an elegant beer-flavored menu which includes pilsner braised salmon fillet, the Casa has a week of unusual entrees as does the Blue Gator, Toscano’s, Skippers, Cutler’s and Rhapsody. The first Ohio Brew Week Microbrew Cooking Competition, to be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 17 at Toscano’s, will feature a variety of unusual foods prepared with microbrews. This event, and all other paid events, are being put on to benefit the Jon Sparhawk Memorial Scholarship Fund. Sparhawk, one of the originators of Ohio Brew Week, passed away unexpectedly June 2.

“Jon would insist we move forward, but we want to honor his memory as a fine community member,” Gates says. “He was our partner in this venture, but more important, he was our friend, who was full of great ideas for Athens. Jon believed Brew Week was good for Athens, and we are carrying on his vision.”

"Athens is one of very few cities is America with the combination of an extensive and unique venue of the whole downtown, extensive participation of restaurant and tavern owners, public support, and promoters who truly believe in the event," Leverentz adds.

Julie Bradford, editor of All About Beer magazine, will be the keynote speaker and steer the event toward a focus of cooking with beer and pairing beer with foods. There will be homebrew and cheesemaking demonstrations, meet the brewer events and formal tastings. A Brewers Ball, a 5-course beer-flavored meal will be held Thursday, the Brew Choo Choo on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is on Wednesday and an Arts Walk in Nelsonville.