The Chronicle
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- news
3/31/26: Northern Row's Cooper Heller Bock
You didn't really think I'd let March slip away without a bock post, did you? Because there's no way I'd do that. Sure, the bock drought I noted in previous years is still going on (for some reason), but that's not enough to dissuade me from trying at least one new-to-me variant of this spring varietal! After some serious search, I found a single can of Northern Row's Cooper Heller Bock. See that goat-disguised barrel on the label art? Yeah, I think this one'll fit this month's bill just fine. Northern Row Brewery & Distillery lives in a pre-Prohibition stock house within Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. They specialize in traditional-style beers that pay homage to Cincinnati's heritage (meaning they do up a mean German-inspired ale or lager). Head over to their website to find out more about them and their whole distilling deal . Cooper has a spot at the bottom of the brewery's "Seasonals" page . Here, showcased with what I assume is the bock's old label art, it's listed
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12/25/25: Sun King Brewery's Electric Reindeer (A Timely Christmas Post)
Ho ho ho! I hope your day's been great and that Santa was good to you. We're winding down after our seasonal festivities. The kids are playing with their new toys and, when I have time for them, there are a few video games calling my name. Before then, though, let's have some beer. After my December went completely sideways, I found I only had time for one Christmas beer post. That's what we're up to this evening: Sun King's Electric Reindeer. Sun King's headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. Though it officially began production in 2009 (after acquiring some gently-used brewing equipment from a defunct Maine brewery), coconspirators Dave Colt and Clay Robinson had long dreamed of heading out and brewing on their own. Since the brewery's opening, Sun King's taken home numerous medals from brewing competitions. You can find their beer in a handful of states. Read more about them over on "The Sun King Story" page . Electric Reindeer isn't just a Christmas beer, it's a beer that celebrates an
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11/23/25: Wandering Monsters Brewery's Viator Obscura: Maple Barrel Aged
This month's gotten away from me, but, honestly, I knew that'd happen. Between my returning to work, juggling homelife with a wonderful wife and two rambunctious beans, NaNoWriMo (which I've adjusted from writing fifty-thousand words this month to just "write every day"), and the rest of everything happening, well, it's pretty clear that the blog would fall by the wayside. But it's maple month, the best month for beer drinking of the year! I won't let it slip away so easily. That's why, tonight, I'm getting around to Wandering Monsters' Viator Obscura: Maple Barrel Aged. I only just did up a Wandering Monsters beer a handful of posts ago so, in the interest of preserving my time and yours, I'll just link to that . Give it a glance to learn about the brewery. I'll also direct you to their website for anything else you'd want to know. Viator Obscura: Maple Barrel Aged isn't on the brewery's website, so we'll head over to Untappd for our intel. The profile here for the beer bills it
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10/31/25: Swine City Brewing Company's I Put a Spell on You, A Timely Halloween Post
Yet another Halloween season draws to a close. This is one of my top two favorite times of year (it's tied with the Christmas season). Now that my son's three, I find myself loving Halloween and its build up more and more. It's a shame it ends so soon! But I'm seeing it off with style. This is a beer I had on tap when we hung out with my in-laws for a late-birthday celebration. I loved it enough that I bought a sixer to bring home with me. Is it as good canned as it is from the source? Let's find out as I drink Swine City's I Put a Spell on You. Swine City 's located in an industrial part of Fairfield, OH. They boast a dive bar vibe while offering delicious craft beers, seltzers, wine, and food (hot dogs, via Underdog). The vibe of the place is unmatched--there's nothing corporate here. Just gritty, do-it-yourself craft beer. If I lived closer to the place, I'd be there all the time. The first thing that grabbed me about canned I Put a Spell on You (Spell, henceforth) was the label. It
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10/30/25: Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.'s Cat-O-Lantern
Now come the dark days! Tonight, we stand upon the precipice of that most harrowing of dates: All Hallows' Eve! Spirits shall speak, the dead shall rise, and all manner of horrors will bump into the night, bringing untold gloom and misery into the world! What few comforts we have we should do well to keep close to us. Family, hearth, home, light, good food, and good drink. These are the very things which to aside these nightmares! These are the very things which will bring us through the coming dark and into the brighter days yet ahead! For my part, I keep all that bring me that sense of safety well at-hand during this season of ghoulish tidings and haunts. Though the cold and dark press against my window, I keep them at bay, if only for a little longer yet. The elixir housed safely within the can upon my table prohibits the horrors from entering my abode. See now the power of Fat Orange Cat's Cat-O-Lantern! The fabled brewhouse of Fat Orange Cat has forever closed its gates of its pic
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10/27/25: Angry Orchard Cider Company's Blood Orange and Headless Pumpkin
Four days out from Halloween. Four days from wandering the streets at night with my kid, calling on strangers' doors for treats. This season is one of my favorites and it always goes by too quickly. I have three posts left (including today's) to see it off. I'll have my annual Vincent Price-esque post next time (no AI is used in its making!), followed by the Halloween post proper. But first, we have to get to the only ciders I'm doing up this month. Out of the four varieties in the Thriller Pack , these are the two I wanted to write about. Without further ado: Angry Orchard's Blood Orange and Headless Pumpkin. Angry Orchard doesn't have an "About" page, but they do have a spot on their FAQ page about their name. Their cider makers noticed that the best cider apples looks a little rough, a little angry, if you will. And there you have it. I'll also quickly point out that the cidery's based out of Walden, NY and they're owned by the Boston Beer Company (who owns Sam Adams and my once-bel
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10/21/25: Schlafly Beer's Vanilla Pumpkin Ale
October keeps rolling on. Soon enough, the big night will be here (it's next week!). Until then, I have a small handful of pumpkin and Halloween-inspired beverages to get to. Will I make it to all of them? We'll see. That's the scariest part of the season for me. Tonight, however, we're visiting a variant of an old favorite: Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale . How does adding vanilla to a tried-and-true standby tweak the flavor? Let's dive in and find out. Schlafly changed beer in Missouri when they opened St. Louis' first brewery since Prohibition. Tom Schlafly had become infatuated with New England craft beer in the '80s. After a change in state law in 1991, Schlafly opened it's brewpub doors in AB InBev's backyard. Tom pushed for looser beer distribution regulations in 1993 and his efforts saw Schlafly hitting bars and store shelves. The brewery opened a secondary location in 2003 when the demand for their ales exceeded what they could make. Check out their "History" page for more information
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10/10/25: Wolf's Ridge Brewing's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak
Here we are. Over a week into October and it's finally starting to feel like fall. Sure the sun's shining, but I could see my breath when I took Lottie out this morning and it's a steady 68° in my house without the air running. What better way to grace the triumphant return of the best season than by breaking the seal on Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month 2025? To christen the pumpkin season on the blog, we're doing up Wolf's Ridge's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak. Let's see how it's drinking. Wolf's Ridge is a Columbus, OH brewpub founded by father and son duo, Alan and Bob Szuter, in 2013. Bob brought food to the table, while Alan brought the love of beer and the business acumen. Together, they've grown the brewery into an award-winning entity that you can regularly find on store shelves across Ohio, at least. Here's their "About" page if you want to know more. Pumpkin Spice Daybreak is a variant of Wolf's Ridge's Daybreak (which I haven't tried). The seasonal 5% ABV cream ale features the cof
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9/30/25: Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen
We've reached the end of Oktoberfest season. Tomorrow, we turn to a new page on the calendar, one that's darker, spookier, pumpkinier. But, for now, the sun's shining, the grass is browning, and insects and birds are making music. It's still September and still prime time for an Oktoberfest beer. To honor the closure of this season of the blog, we're doing a beer from Germany, as is tradition. Spaten is one of the "Big Six" Oktoberfest breweries because they're one of the original Munich breweries that offers their lager at the official celebration. Today, we're drinking Spaten's Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen. Prost ! Spaten (full name Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu) is one of those illustrious breweries whose history goes back centuries. According to "The Spaten Story," the brewery traces its lineage back to 1397 (nearly six-hundred years before the Salem Witch Trials), when a Munich tax document listed a brewer as the owner of the place where Spaten would operate. Through the coming ages, Spa
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9/28/25: Northern Row's Schwester
This is the penultimate Oktoberfest post of 2025, which features a lager I picked up in July. It's been sitting in my fridge since, waiting patiently for this evening. So, let's go. Here's Northern Row's take on an Oktoberfest lager: Schwester. Northern Row's located in Cincinnati, OH's Over-the-Rhine. They're focused on crafting innovative beer out of their home in a pre-Prohibition brewery stock house. You can find a little more info over on their "Northern Row Beer" page . If you explore their website, you'll also find that they distill spirits. Schwester (located on the page hyperlinked in the above paragraph) is a 5.6% ABV festbier brewed in collaboration with Meckesheim, Germany's Schumi's Mecksebräu . For those wondering, the connection with Meckesheim is that it's the sister city of Harrison (a city just west of Cincinnati). The nose on my can is subdued. All the same, what little I find is clean, hoppy, biscuity, and bready. That's all there is to it. There isn't any malt
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9/19/25: Wandering Monsters Brewery's Ludwig
Today's beer is one I picked up on a whim this week (meaning it wasn't originally slated for this month!). Michelle and I took the time to finally head to Wandering Monsters, one of the newest breweries in our area. I had a pour of their Oktoberfest and enjoyed it so much that I nabbed a few bottles of it to bring home. Yes, this isn't the first time I'm drinking Ludwig. However, I'm excited to sit and really mull it over. Will I like it as much from the bottle as I do on tap? Let's find out! Wandering Monsters opened their doors in Cincinnati's Anderson Township in July, 2023 (man, it took us a good damn while to get over to them!). It's headed by Jason Brewer, who worked at the now-(unfortunately-)defunct Listermann Brewing Company before branching out to found Wandering Monsters. The brewery's truly family friendly (unlike other breweries that claim to be but really aren't). Zac Boehnke, the brewing mastermind at also now-defunct Braxton Labs, is Wandering Monsters' head b
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9/18/25: Three Floyds' Brewing Co.'s Munsterfest
I'd intended to get this post up a few weeks ago. Back then, the air was chilly and crisp. There was that distinctive autumnal aroma on the breeze. It would've been perfect for the blog to ring in Oktoberfest season. Alas, I waited too long. Now, we're back to 90-degree days with air quality alerts. It's still summer, and the weather wants us to know it. But hey, at least it's a good day for a lager! I'm doing up Three Floyds Munsterfest today. I bought it primarily for the label--I, much like my toddler, love Godzilla. Let's see if this Oktoberfest-style lager is just label-temptation or the real deal! Since it's been nearly six years since Three Floyds last graced the blog, let's talk about them for a bit. The brewery got its start in Hammond, IN back in 1996 when Nick Floyd began brewing on a mishmash of equipment. After getting a few renowned beers under the Three Floyds flag, the operation expanded to Munster, IN in 2001 and opened a brewpub in '04. Since then, the brewery's
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8/25/25: Christmas in August! (De Dolle Brouwers' Stille Nacht)
Since I missed July 25th (Michelle and I were in the hospital after the early birth of our second kid), let's get to that beer now. Merry Christmas in August! I've never done Christmas in August before and don't anticipate from deviating from July in the future; let's enjoy this as a fun little one-off thing. Today we're breaking into a bottle I nabbed from store shelves in January, just before it disappeared. It's De Dolle Brouwers' Stille Nacht. That's right, a heavy Belgian Christmas ale. Luckily, it's a little cooler today than it was a month ago, so I'm more prone to drink a beer of this caliber. Before we dive into the ale, however, I think a little bit of housekeeping is in order. I've been away from the blog since February. Purrl will remain the face of the blog, even though she's gone, because she was part of this whole thing with me. Don't go looking for my profile image to change anytime soon! Aside from that, I'm scaling back. I have a slate of beers for September (Ok
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2/17/25: Goodbye Purrl (Great Lakes Brewing Company's 30th Anniversary Imperial Oyster Stout)
After this post, the blog will be on hiatus. I'm hoping to get back to it for Chirstmas in July. If you want me to let you know when I return to beer, shoot me an email at johnlikesbeerblog@gmail.com and I'll personally drop you a link when the next post goes up. Thanks for reading and for understanding. Before going any further, here's a trigger warning for anyone who needs it: This post deals with the death of a pet. Purrl is gone and I'm framing this post around a beer I picked up nearly seven years ago, Great Lakes' Imperial Oyster Stout. Great Lakes is based in Cleveland, OH. Here's their "About" page . I won't get into much of their history here, but I'll say that they're one of the pioneers of the craft brewing movement and that their beers are rightfully celebrated. Eliot Ness was my first favorite beer. The beer I'm drinking to commemorate Purrl's life still has a spot on Great Lakes' website (good on you, Great Lake!). This 11% ABV stout features oysters, salt, and caca
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1/31/2025: Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic
This is it--the final day of Dry January. Well, mine's been mostly dry. I had a cheat weekend away with Michelle and had a few drinks when we visited her parents at the beginning of the month. But, that's it. So, before we launch into normal February tomorrow, I figured we'd look at my old reliable NA beer: Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic. Old Milwaukee's owned by Pabst. Since there's no "About Us" section on their website , I'm just linking you to this post I did last April that has a little bit of Pabst history in it. I'll also say that, according to Wikipedia , Old Milwaukee was originally brewed in the 1930s by Schlitz, which was acquired by Stroh which was acquired by Pabst. Turns out there're a few old beer brands tied to Old Milwaukee. Non-Alcoholic has a brief entry on the brand's "Beer" page . This bills it simply as a "Classic American Lager with zero alcohol." My can says this is America's non-alcoholic near beer and it contains less than 0.5% ABV. So, not exactly no alcohol, bu
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1/26/25: BERO's Kingston Golden Pils
I don't think I've ever talked about it here on the blog, but I'm a huge Spider-Man guy. The character's been my favorite superhero since I was a kid. When Tom Holland took the mantle as the MCU Webhead, I was impressed with how seamlessly he could be both Spidey and Peter Parker. When he announced BERO last year, I told myself I'd be on the lookout for it for this year's Dry January. I found a variety pack of the stuff at Target the other week, picked it up, and drank all but one. That's what we're doing today: BERO's Kingston Golden Pils. Holland's BERO's founder, but Grant Wood is its brewmaster. The company's goal is to make non-alcoholic beer that is just beer. Without fancy frills. The wort they make for each batch is much lower in ABV than your standard beer's wort. They then ferment with a yeast that doesn't touch the malt sugar, meaning that those sugars aren't converted to alcohol. If you want more on the brewery or the beer, here's their "Our Story" page . Kingston Gol
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12/31/24: Tales from the Cellar NYE Edition--Braxton Brewing Company's Dark Charge CInnamon Roll (2020)
Dry January begins tomorrow, so this beer is my last hurrah for a month. Given that, I thought I'd break out something special. Yesterday, I ventured deep into my cellar to see what I could find. Now, let's explore this aged stout together. I'm saying my goodbyes to 2024 with Braxton's Dark Charge Cinnamon Roll. This came as the second of three bottles in the Dark Charge Breakfast Box (I have the other two stashed away for who knows when). My bottle is number 49/1000. Grab yourself a beer and let's bid farewell to this year together and in style. Braxton's headquartered in Covington, KY (that HQ is now one of five Braxton locations across the Greater Cincinnati region). Their "Our Story" page details their early history. It started with Evan Rouse, who began brewing in his parents' garage when he was just sixteen. Since then, he's doggedly pursued his dream and now what he started has spiraled into one of area's most prestigious breweries. Dark Charge Cinnamon Roll doesn't have a
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12/29/24: Tröegs Independent Brewing's The Mad Elf Grand Cru, a Late Christmas Post
It's Christmas! Okay, it's after Christmas. My week didn't go quite as planned but that's fine. I spent more time with my family, which means I had more fun than I'd anticipated. How was your Christmas? Did Santa bring you what you wanted? Or, was your stocking filled with coal and fish heads? I'm here at home now after a whirlwind near-week away. My tree's lit and I'm bundled up and snuggled under a blanket. Today's beer marks the end of the holiday season for me. So, with a grateful prayer and a thankful heart let's to it: Tröegs' The Mad Elf Grand Cru. Tröegs is the creation of brothers John and Chris Trogner. They both found a love of brewing in Colorado and brought it home to Central Pennsylvania with them. They opened their brewery in 1997 and have been brewing (and expanding) since. Here's their "Our Story" page if you want all of the details I skipped over here (there're plenty of them!). The Mad Elf Grand Cru is a souped up version of The Mad Elf . This 11% ABV bruiser of an a
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A Short Christmas Post Update
I hope you had a great Christmas! Unfortunately, my Christmas post is delayed until the 28th. Please look forward to it then. I’ll also have a final 2024 post on the 31st before moving into Dry January non-alcoholic beers in the new year. Thanks for your patience. I’ll see you in two days!
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12/24/24: HighGrain Brewing's Pho King Christmas Ale
We've nearly made it! My presents are wrapped and, as soon as my kid goes to sleep, they'll be placed beneath the tree. Santa's bringing someone an orange monster truck, fulfilling a Christmas wish. The season's been hectic because, well, it always is. I'm taking a quick break before diving back into work (those cookies and milk won't consume themselves!). This evening's beer was in the advent calendar Michelle put together for me: HighGrain's Pho King Christmas Ale. Does it taste like pho? Let's see! HighGrain, based in a converted municipal building in Silverton, OH (just up the road from where I lived in Cincinnati), is a brewery devoted to sustainability (they also have a second brewing location out in the Brentwood area of Finneytown, OH). They use renewable electric at the brewery, have EV charging stations, a native plant garden, and more. You can hit up their "Our Story" page for further info on who they are and what they do. Pho King has a little spot on the brewery's Silverto
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12/21/24: Masthead Brewing Company's Robot Santa's Christmas Ale
It's the Winter Solstice! Okay, so it was at four o'clock this morning but who cares? After this, the nights will begin growing shorter and the days longer. Tonight's a night for keeping indoors, reading and listening to music, and staying warm and comfortable against the long dark without your home. A beer certainly wouldn't go amiss. Since it's still the holiday season, I have a Christmas ale slated for tonight: Masthead's Robot Santa's Christmas Ale (Robot Santa from here on out). How is it? Well, I've had it before so I know. This'll be a fun mystery for you! Masthead 's based in Cleveland, OH. They're located downtown in a building on the National Register of Historic Places. They're "...known for [their words] our ever evolving lineup of juicy New England IPAs, Neapolitan-style pizza, and our barrel aged beer utilizing exclusively allocated whiskey barrels from top-rated distilleries." Robot Santa's presence on the brewery's website is a link to Untappd, so we'll follow Masthead'
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12/18/24: Urban Artifact's Sugar Plum
Christmas is coming. Although we have a week to go until C-Day, it's evening now. My home's quiet and dark. My kid's nestled, all snug in his bed. Visions of sugar plums (or, at least, monster trucks) are probably dancing through his head. I'm not yet in my cap and ready to call it a night myself. I have a beer post yet to write and some music to enjoy. I suggest you get your favorite Christmas album spinning and settle in for tonight's beer: Urban Artifact's Sugar Plum. Urban Artifact ( here's a link to their "Our Story" page ) a brewery operating out of a defunct church in Cincinnati, OH's Northside neighborhood. They were founded in 2015 and specialize in sour ales, forging the path of the now-heralded (in certain circles, at least) Midwest Fruit Tart. They also pioneered the pickle beer. I can't find where Sugar Plum might live on Urban Artifact's website, so to Untappd we go ! This lists the 7.2% ABV fruit beer as being brewed with plum, vanilla, and spice. How does it compare to
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12/11/24: State of Brewing's Holiday Ale
Sorry this is coming so late in the month! I have five beers slated for the holiday season and I'm anticipating getting through them all by the big day itself. Is your tree trimmed? Are your lights up? Gifts secured and wrapped? Mine, neither (well, okay, our tree is trimmed and lights are up. The gifts are another story). December's hectic. Take a moment, grab a cold one, and snuggle up for the first Christmas season post of 2024: State of Brewing's Holiday Ale. State of Brewing's a beer brand owned by Aldi (the grocery chain). It's not an actual brewery. The brewery that brews State of Brewing beers--please appreciate that I used "beers" here instead of "brews"--is Octopi Brewing, out of Wisconsin. I have two quick links for you: One that talks about about Octopi and another that's a post I did for a beer they made under their own name . Holiday Ale (Octopi-made and Aldi-owned and -sold) currently has a spot on Aldi's website . This lists the 5.6% ABV ale as a seasonal ale that
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11/26/24: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery's Cellar Cuvée 15
What a month November's been! I'm sprinting to the finish line of NaNoWriMo (50k words is calling my name) and just about ready to deck the halls around the blog to ring in the Christmas season. But before we start the Old Saint Nick welcoming procedures, we have one Maple Month offering to make. We're finishing Maple Month proper as we started it: With a barleywine from Jackie O's. But, it's more than just a barleywine, it's a barleywine cuvée. It's Cellar Cuvée 15. Look, I just wrote about Jackie O's earlier this month, so I'll link you to that post instead of getting into the whole thing here. But I will say that there's a reason Jackie O's is so well-regarded. Athens, OH's original brewery is still out there making a wide array of beers, " Something For Everyone ." I'm not sure if Cellar Cuvée 15 is for everyone, but it certainly seems like it's for me. The limited release' official spot over on Jackie O's' website gives the mixture of the 14.7% ABV barleywine: 58% hone