Drinksgiving Goes to Eleven: Chapter I

To borrow from the name of quite possibly my favorite Ffej of July reference - FOJ Goes to Eleven (a homage to one of my favorite movies of all time, This is Spinal Tap), I felt it only fitting that I also refer to our eleventh Drinksgiving outing in the same fashion. You may remember that we'd considered visiting Columbus, OH, last year but ultimately decided on Virginia Beach. The reason was twofold. First, we had the opportunity to stay with our friend, Kelly, for free. Second, she also volunteered to commandeer the drunk bus for us. How could we say no to that?! 

So it was decided early on that 2018 would be the year we'd set sail to Columbus. Since Columbus is situated in central OH, we didn't take our usual route, which typically traverses us through Pittsburgh. Instead, we'd be traveling via the PA Turnpike to I-70 West, which runs right through Columbus. With that route in mind, I'd planned for a lunch break in Wheeling, WV, to visit a pair of small breweries that were new to us. I was also excited to learn that the small town of Zanesville, OH, was also on the way to Columbus. Zanesville is the home of Weasel Boy Brewing, a brewery we stumbled upon during Drinksgiving 4 with Deuane and Carolyn. We loved the beer and the place in particular, but we'd never had the opportunity to revisit Weasel Boy. Well, that was about to change! More on Weasel Boy later, though.

For now, let's focus on "almost heaven." You know, West Virginia? Blue Ridge Mountains? Shenandoah River? 

Well, Wheeling anyway.

Pulling into town, Wheeling reminded me of a blue collar town in the same vein as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I felt as though we were transported back to the 1970s (yes, I'm old enough to have remembered the last gasp of the decade). On the surface, it's a town that appears to have lived a hard life; kind of like a 52-year-old stripper you can tell was pretty slammin' back in her prime but looks a bit weathered and road-weary these days. 

First on the agenda was a little place I'd discovered called Brew Keepers. Once we finally found a parking spot (the brewery is a block away from a seemingly upscale shopping strip with trendy-looking stores and eateries that typically prove to be catnip for tourists and holiday shoppers), we moseyed up to the door. It was an orange door with a peephole. Above it, a brown and orange vinyl banner with its slogan, "Simple. Craft. Beer." To the right, a sign depicting hours of operation and a residential mailbox. I thought to myself, "Hmmmm..." 

I'll take what's behind the orange door, Monty!

The orange door revealed a small production brewery, and therefore we could only sample beer and purchase growler and crowler fills. So our visit would be a short one. We sampled a few beers, including Flip Flop IPA and a tasty Coffee Stout, and inquired about a place nearby that might serve its beers on draft. The beers all tasted promising, so I wanted to dig in more than a few ounces at a time. The guy manning the counter suggested a place just up the street called Market Vines, which happened to sit next door to Wheeling Brewing Company (where we were headed next anyway). So we purchased a crowler of Flip Flop IPA (Brewslut's favorite of the few we tried; I'd have preferred the coffee stout, but the IPA was tasty as well) and headed up the street in the brisk November afternoon.

We decided to stop in at Wheeling Brewing Co. first because the food sounded pretty good (the menu was posted on a corkboard outside the front door) and it was time for lunch. Inside, the place boasts a cozy pub feel: exposed brick walls, wooden signs, a shiny copper-like bartop, and dimly lit atmosphere. Perhaps not quite dimly lit, but it wasn't too bright. Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing any windows except for the one in the front  door. Still, it felt familiar and I was happy to find two open seats at the bar. 

View from our barstools.

The beer selection was fairly modest but pretty diverse, with about eight beers available on tap as well as a cider and a kombucha. Nothing sounded super exciting or unusual, so we kept things simple. I decided to start off on the hoppy foot and opted for Moon Dog IPA, while Brewslut selected the Top Mill Pale Ale. The pale ale was bright and hoppy with a well-balanced flavor boasting citrusy Cascade hops and a sweet, biscuity malt backbone. A well-done pale ale for sure. As for the IPA, it had a West Coast vibe about it: citrusy with a dry, hoppy bite in the finish. The aroma didn't really draw me in like a West Coast IPA typically does, but the flavor was pretty enjoyable. Off to a pretty good start, I thought.

Pleeps poses with a Moon Dog.

Meanwhile, we were subjected to watch a horrendous show on the History Channel called Swamp People, which happened to be showing on the TV above the bar. I rarely get offended by anything, but a show glorifying the killing of alligators while I tried to enjoy my lunch was somewhat appaling. At any rate, we did our best to ignore it and carried on with our lunch, a shared Indian-inspired Vindaloo wrap and a bowl of vegan chili. Both beers were solid, but the pale ale was definitely the winner of the two. It was actually quite delicious in all honesty. The wrap was tasty as was the soup, but the TV show left a bad taste in my mouth. 

Pleeps in chill mode.

Next door, Market Vines (advertised as a wine bar) was devoid of patrons save for maybe five or six people scattered about. Oddly enough, General Hospital was on the tube at the bar (definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum from inbred rednecks killing animals). Brewslut has been watching that show religiously since before we were even dating, so I was quick to make a joke about it. For a dude, I know way too much about this show than I'd care to admit. Frankly, though, I'd rather watch a ridiculous soap opera than that History Channel rubbish we were subjected to next door. But enough of that shit. We're here to talk beer.

General Hospital on the tube. Hey, it's better than sports!

We grabbed a seat at the bar and inquired about the beer selection. By the looks of it, there were three Brew Keepers beers on tap, another couple of local-looking beers, and two or three others. Since we were there to try some of Brew Keepers' beers, we decided on Suspension, a pre-Prohibition cream ale, and Deathwind, an American pale ale. Neither beer did much for us, although I ended up drinking the lion's share of the pale ale because Brewslut wasn't "likin' it." The hop finish was a tad harsh; not overly hoppy per se, but more like a slightly burnt malt finish. The cream ale was pretty lackluster as well. It reminded me more of an American adjunct lager than a silky, smooth ale brewed with flaked corn. The beers were drinkable but not inspiring in any way, unfortunately. Still, I was happy to be supporting a small local brewery in an old school, blue collar town. We finished those up and decided to split a pour of a beer called Mothman, a black IPA from Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company from Maxwelton, WV. I enjoyed this one more than the Brew Keepers beers, and was glad to discover a brewery with which I wasn't familiar. To be honest, I'm not too versed in West Virginia breweries. I'd been to a few but it's not a state that screams craft beer, although I'm sure the community is growing. With that said, I'd wager that Yuengling sells a lot of beer there.

Since we'd expected to spend about an hour or so at Brew Keepers, we were able to tack on some additional time to our original agenda. Due to this, we were able to land in Zanesville just as Weasel Boy was opening its doors for the day.

I'd once commented that having a beer at Weasel Boy was like hanging out and drinking with friends in your grandma's basement. Once we got inside, I realized the place hadn't changed at all (other than the addition of a pizza restaurant attached to the other side of the tasting room). The lounge area with vintage furniture from the 1970s was still intact, and I was stoked that nobody was sitting there. The decor is eclectic, the place is unpretentious, and the beer is rock solid. I was so happy this place hadn't changed since our initial visit. For only visiting one time seven years ago, Weasel Boy definitely left a mark on me for whatever reason. I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed this time. (That has happened before, by the way.)

On tap at Weasel Boy Brewing.

I'd gotten in touch with someone from the brewery to inquire about holiday hours, and although they weren't open on Thanksgiving, I was glad they would be operating on regular hours for Black Friday. I was also informed that the most memorable beer from our trip, Snow Ermine, would likely be on tap! A dark brown, almost murky-looking holiday ale, Snow Ermine is named after a short-tailed weasel called a "stoat." Another name for this cute little rascal when it's decked out in its winter white coat is "ermine." This delicious, festive holiday ale begins with a base beer called Blackfooted Porter. They raise the starting gravity, add plenty of locally sourced Ohio honey and imported vanilla, then finish it off by cold-aging on organic cocoa nibs.

Pleeps with his first Snow Ermine.

By now, I was jonesin' for some hops. Enter Tickle Me IPA, a crisp, citrus-forward West Coast-style IPA. The original beer, Tickle Me Pink, was a "pink" IPA brewed with saskatoon berries in collaboration with Lineage Brewing (more on them later) for breast cancer awareness. The berries imparted a pinkish hue and its color honored the pink ribbons associated with breast cancer awareness organizations. Sadly, this beer wasn't available. I'd have liked to have tried it, as I'd never heard of saskatoon berries before. Nevertheless, the base IPA quenched my thirst for hops sufficiently, although I seems to recall enjoying the Dancing Ferret quite a bit more than this one. Still, it was a solid hoppy offering.

The brewing side of the operation at Weasel Boy.

Meanwhile, we were hankering for something to nosh on, so I checked out the menu in the other room. Turns out Weasel Boy now serves up some bangin' pizza creations. After perusing the menu featuring about a dozen different pies, one stood out above all else: The Jenny. Created by and named after a former employee of the brewery, this white pizza features olive oil garlic sauce, a house blend of cheeses, Gerber chicken, portabella mushroom, pineapple, bleu cheese, and basil on a whole wheat, beer-infused crust. It sounded amazing on paper, and it tasted even better! This pizza crushed it! Any inkling of hunger was thoroughly depleted after polishing off this masterpiece.

We rounded out our visit by sharing a pour of Anastasia, a bittersweet Russian Imperial Stout that earned Weasel Boy a pair of GABF medals (bronze in 2010 and gold in 2012). I recalled having this beer during our inaugural visit all those years ago, but Untappd really wasn't a thing yet (at least I hadn't discovered it). So I decided to refer back to my old BA reviews. Upon consulting my Beer Advocate profile, it turns out that I did, in fact, have the bourbon barrel-aged version of this back in 2010 on that first visit (you can read my original review HERE... I awarded it a score of 4.17 out of 5). Although this wasn't the BBA version, the flavor was rich with notes of cocoa, burnt caramel, and roasted coffee with traces of tobacco, leather, and dark fruit around the edges. Overall, a pretty complex RIS, although it was perhaps not as thick and viscous as I typically prefer. Still, this guy (or should I say lady) only weighs in at 8% ABV, which is on the lighter end of the spectrum for the style. Still, it was nice to revisit this beer again, even if it wasn't the BBA version.

Brewslut chillin' at Weasel Boy... just like in grandma's parlor.

All in all, it was an enjoyable, relaxing visit to Weasel Boy. I honestly didn't want to leave, but we still had over an hour's drive to get to Columbus. With the additional time we saved back in Wheeling, though, we were able to roll into Columbus (or Cowtown as the locals call it) and check into our Air B&B (the first time we booked one of these on our own... highly recommended, by the way) before heading to our first brewery in town. You know, to get a head start. My itineraries are usually pretty ambitious, so crossing a place off the list early in the trip would put us one step forward to attaining "beervana."

By the looks of it, North High looked to be the closest place to our home away from home for the next few days, so after we unloaded the CRV we headed out, plugged her into the ol' GPS and were off to dip our toes into the craft beer scene of Cowtown. The beer list was pretty expansive and diverse, so we each opted for our own flight of four beers. Since four plus four is eight, now we were doing great! #math. All silliness aside, here's the low-down on the beer line-up: 

• Tree Tapper Maple Brown Ale - brewed with Ohio maple syrup from Moffitt Farms. 
• Danke Imperial IPA - Brewed to celebrate the first anniversary of respected beer bar Brewfontaine and also the repeal of Ohio's ABV limit on beer. Notes of bold citrus akin to grapefruit, orange, and lime, as well as flavors of pine and cedar. 
• Local Bearings Rye Porter - collaboration with OYO, using a thick malt with their pumpernickel rye and then blended with Ohio-grown pale barley malt and a healthy dose of chocolate malt.
• Barley Legal Barley Wine - aged in OYO bourbon barrels.
• Coffee Golden - Golden ale infused with local Thunderkiss Coffee.
• Cucumber Ale - Light ale with a refreshing cucumber finish.
• Break On Through Double IPA - dank, pungent DIPA. Brewslut: "There's no way I can not try this beer." She loves the Doors, baby!
• Golden Stout - nitro golden ale infused with Thunderkiss cold brewed coffee and TCHO cacao nibs.

Pleeps can't wait to dig in!

OK, that was a lot to get through. While I don't recall anything bowling me over, everything we tried was pretty solid and well executed. Brewslut didn't dig the maple brown ale but I thought it was decent. The barrel aged beers were pretty tasty but lacked body and complexity. The two coffee beers - Coffee Golden and Golden Stout - were probably my two favorites overall. It takes a lot for me to not enjoy a coffee beer, and these were two fine examples of light coffee ales (i.e. not stouts or porters) that stood out above the rest.

As we worked through our flights, we noticed that the building was reminiscent of an old, decommissioned post office, likely from the first half of the 20th century. Turns out the building was originally a Ford dealership way back in 1917. When North High obtained the building, the founders decided to restore the building to its original historical glory. Inside, there are numerous salvaged and repurposed architectural elements including windows and doors from historic OSU buildings, a late 19th century distillery, and - wait for it! - old post offices! I suppose we're pretty astute for pair of beer drinkers.

After finishing our flights, it was time to head back to the homestead and gear up for the moment you've all been waiting for. That's right, it was time for our highly anticipated annual "shitty beer" tradition. Readers of this blog should be well aware of the drill by now. Although we didn't officially launch Drinksgiving 11 with a shitty beer (as the holiday bylaws clearly state we must do), we procured this year's "dud" after we'd been to a few places in West Virginia. So we'd be enjoying our annual shitty beer in the hotel later in the evening. We were able to swing by a local convenience store and procure this little nugget for our consumption:

Yes, you read the label correctly. This beer is named "Natty Daddy." Oh, the possibilities. I wasn't expecting much with this one, and I must say it delivered. After the first sip, I thought, "Wow. That actually wasn't too bad." Subsequent sips, however... well, that's a different story. Once my palate connected with my brain, I realized this was pretty horrendous. With that said, it wasn't the worst shitty beer in the annals of Drinksgiving history, but it still warrants prefacing with the term "shitty." Hey, gotta keep folks of all income levels lubricated, right? But with all of the issues breweries have obtaining cans these days, it seems pretty pointless to waste perfectly good aluminum to fabricate a vessel for such ghastly swill. Damn, that was pretty poetic! Hey, I have a degree in that shit. Glad I utilize it every once in a while. 

Who's your daddy and what does he do?

We're only getting started, folks! Strap in for a few beer-soaked days in Cowtown as we traverse the city in search of the best brews. Until next time...