So, you’re stuck in quarantine for who knows how long. You can only watch so many cat videos and chase around the adult version of the ice cream truck so many times, so eventually you’re going to be stuck doing what most of us know best: drinking.
As you may have gathered by now, one of my favorite pastimes is visiting new breweries and trying new beers. Obviously, that’s not an option right now. So instead, it’s a great time to rediscover some of the packaged beer that many of us overlook in favor of trying the next big thing.
Here are five local Cincinnati options to rediscover during your time quarantining.
1 – Braxton Storm (cream ale)
The cream ale category in general is one that I always forget how much I freaking love. Cincinnati has a great history of cream ales, as the birthplace of Little Kings and others. Billed as the traditional American lawnmower beer, Storm is crisp with corn and malt flavors and is the perfect sessionable ale.
I’m also a huge fan of all of Braxton’s core lineup, including Garage Beer lager, Tropic Flare New England IPA, and Revamp IPA.
Northern Kentucky’s Braxton Brewing is offering their beers via to-go & curbside pickup, which you can order via their online store.
2 – Madtree PsycHOPathy (IPA)
With so many hazy New England IPAs flooding the market, sometimes classic West Coast hoppy IPAs seem to be a thing of the past. One of the beers that made me fall in love with hop bombs was Madtree’s PsycHOPathy. It’s a great citrusy IPA with tons of floral notes, but has a smooth malty finish that I love in my classic IPAs. The beer comes in at almost 7% with 60 IBUs and is great for any time of the year.
Another classic hoppy West Coast IPA is Rhinegeist’s Truth, which has been a staple and fan favorite from the brewery since they opened over six years ago.
Madtree has pickup only at their taproom during the COVID19 outbreak, but you can find their beers around town in the retail locations that remain open, and they’ve also been delivering their beer along with pizza from Catch-A-Fire inside their very own version of an adult ice cream truck.
3 – Listermann Nutcase (Peanut Butter Porter)
Listermann may be known these days for producing haze bomb after haze bomb (not that I’m complaining), but their roots are in more classic styles, and Nutcase is still one of my favorite beers from them. It’s a light drinking peanut butter porter, with a touch of smoke and a back end of nutty sweetness. I’m usually more of a dark beer drinker in the winter, but this one is so good that I will crack one open any time of t he year.
Nutcase is available in select retailers around the region, and Listermann has also set up an email system and will ship their beer directly to you.
4 – Mt. Carmel Amber Ale
Far on the east side, Mt. Carmel is one of the longest-running Cincinnati breweries, and their Amber Ale is a classic beer. While it may not be the most “exciting” style, their amber ale is a perfect example of one of the styles that helped build craft beer.
Mt. Carmel is offering curbside service for their patrons during these trying times, and you can also find their beers in local retailers.
5 – Urban Artifact The Gadget (Fruited Sour)
Urban Artifact makes so many great fruited sour beers that oftentimes some of their year-round core offerings can get put on the back shelves. The Gadget is a perfectly juicy raspberry and blackberry Midwest Fruit Tart, and it’s also one of the first beers that got me into sours. It’s also almost 8% ABV, though, so be careful if you choose this as your midday snack when working from home.
Urban Artifact has set up an online store with more than 30 offerings, and is offering shipping around the state of Ohio, as well as pickup in in the taproom. You can also find their beer at local establishments.