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Melody Sands April 29, 2008 The week-long event includes seminars on the history of beer, the history of taverns, home brewing demonstrations, beer-related videos and movies, cooking with beer demonstrations, pool, cornhole and dart tournaments, local musicians and beer song contests. The week culminates with the presentation of the People’s Choice Award during Boogie on the Bricks community festival, Saturday, July 19. Most participating restaurants and taverns will feature beer-flavored entrees, appetizers and desserts and offer unique pairings of microbrews and foods. Ray Daniels, renowned master brewer will be the keynote speaker
for Ohio Brew Week 2008. Daniels is also publishing director for
the national Association of Brewers based in Boulder, Colorado.
Daniels will speak on the history of microbrews and give talks on
beer tasting techniques and the overall enjoyment of microbrews. The 2nd Ohio Brew Week Microbrew Cooking competition returns for amateurs and professionals. Proceeds from this sell-out event are donated to the Jon Sparhawk Memorial Scholarship & Community Fund. Details for entries are posted on www.ohiobrewweek.com. Prizes will be awarded in several categories. Daniels and other food writers and local VIPs will serve on the panel. In addition, there will be a progressive dart tournament at participating venues throughout the week. A Brew Choo Choo ride on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is being planned and homebrew aficionados are especially invited to this event to share their special homebrews. A special Art Walk through the Historic Arts District in Nelsonville is also being planned. Formal tastings of individual breweries’ microbrews will be held at different venues every night throughout the week. Most of the restaurants and taverns will feature beer-flavored foods, including beer ice cream, and paw paw beer. Each restaurant will also have live musical entertainment each evening. The Official Brew Week meatball eating competition will be held on Thursday. The Ohio Brew Week Brewers Ball will feature a gourmet five-course meal of beer-flavored foods with the appropriate Ohio microbrew pairings. Live music and dancing will follow this elegant meal. Another new addition for the 3rd Ohio Brew Week will be the Ohio Brew Week BBQ Ribs, Chicken and Vegetarian Cook-Off Competition. Proceeds will benefit Ohio Brew Week and a local charity. This cook-off competition will be held in conjunction with “Harley Day,” where Harley motorcycle owners are invited to participate in several runs in the hills and showcase their motorcycles to the public. “Ohio Brew Week celebrates the rich flavors of Ohio microbrews and the contributions this growing industry of Ohio microbreweries makes to the state,” says Dan Gates, director of Ohio Brew Week. “Ohio’s Brew Week is the only week-long event in the world that provides the opportunity to talk directly with brewers, hear nationally-known beer experts and brew writers and editors, and sample some of the tastiest beers made on the planet.” Ohio Brew Week will be celebration of tastes, adds Gates. “The breweries all have new and flavorful microbrews for this year and the restaurants are creating unusual beer-related foods. Visitors will get a real taste of our Appalachian culture, regional foods, and these craft beers.” Interest in micro brewing is growing in the state and the rest of the U.S. People are thirsty for new experiences. The visitors from the last two years enjoyed learning about the artform of micro brewing and sampling some of the most interesting and flavorful microbrews around. They also enjoyed experiencing the rich artistic talents in the Athens area: our artisans, chefs and the fun, comfortable places to gather and socialize. 2008 promises to be even more entertaining, says Gates. Throughout the week, 20 restaurants, pubs and taverns in the Athens area will be featuring speakers, cooking with beer, and homebrews demonstrations and beer-related foods and specials. Most of the venues are within easy walking distance of each other. The local bus system will be circulating along the tasting route during the day and local taxi services are offering Brew Week specials. Area hotels—the Ohio University Inn, the Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Amerihost and Budget Inn are also offering Special Ohio Brew Week packages. Athens provides a relaxed and scenic atmosphere for exploring the new flavors of microbrews and for networking with other brewers, and other microbrew fans, adds Gates. Ohio Brew Week helps local, independent restaurants and businesses survive through the slower summer months in Athens when Ohio University students leave. And, Gates says, Ohio Brew Week is growing to the point where the organization and managing of it is creating local jobs. Ohio Brew Week is co-sponsored by Dine Across America, the Athens
County Convention and Visitors Bureau, WWS Communications and local
businesses.
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