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Go Behind the Glass at Belle of Dayton Distillery on Thursdays

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If you’ve ever sipped a well-crafted spirit and wondered how it got from grain to glass, Belle of Dayton Distillery has you covered, and it’ll only cost you ten bucks.

Every Thursday at 6:30 PM, the distillery at 122 Van Buren Street opens its doors for a behind-the-scenes tour of their production space. A knowledgeable spirit expert walks you through the copper still, fermentation tanks, and bottling line, plus gives you a peek at their limited-release spirits. Along the way, you’ll learn about the distillation process and get a few liquor myths busted for good measure. The tour wraps up with a guided tasting of their handcrafted spirits, right in the heart of the production area.

At $10 per person, it’s one of the more affordable nights out you’ll find in Dayton, and a genuinely fun one. Whether you’re planning a date night, a friends’ outing, or just looking to geek out about craft spirits, this is the kind of low-key, high-quality experience the 937 does well.

Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to check in and grab a drink in the Van Buren Room before the tour kicks off. Spots are first-come, first-served, but you can reserve your place online ahead of time, and the payment is collected at check-in. Note that all guests must be 21+ with a valid ID.

Reserve your spot at belleofdayton.com/pages/tours.

Belle of Dayton Distillery | 122 Van Buren Street, Dayton, OH 45402

Every Thursday at 6:30 PM | $10/person | 21+

Destressing About Delisting

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Ohio Liquor Control LogoMuch ado has been made about the news that the state of Ohio is getting rid of over 700 liquors and spirits from the state liquor list. The state has the power to do so since they control liquor sales in the state through the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.  The state having a say on what can and cannot be sold has a long tradition. It was not until 2016, four decades into the growth of craft beer, that we lifted the archaic 12% ABV limit placed on beer brewed and sold in the Buckeye State. In 2016, the state identified over 1,000 items that were just not selling or were no longer produced. In fact, according to the report, they accounted for less than 4% of the liquor sales.

This was happening at the same time they were looking to condense the number of warehouses in the state from four to two. These stores over the years have begun to look like the end scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, with stacks and stacks of liquor awaiting shipment. Instead of moving vast amounts of slow-selling product, they decided they were going to get rid of it. 

A high number of the liquors on this massive list are a product of the flavoring craze that hit the industry in the last decade. Some of those flavors are no longer available, like Pinnacle King Cake or Three Olives Dude. There are vodkas with really odd flavors, too. When did you last reach for UV Salty Watermelon? These flavors, while briefly popular, were not in high demand after their fleeting glory waned.

Sailor Jerry Rum

This will still be on the shelves!

In addition to the ephemeral flavors, there are well-known names delisted in this effort. Those listings, however, are specific sizes of the liquor in question. Disaronno was on the list, but only the smaller 375 mL size. The more substantial sizes will still be available for purchase in your favorite store. For Sailor Jerry, it was the 200 mL a half pint removed from the list. To make room for more bottles in their warehouses, they are getting rid of the merchandise that is not selling.

Over the last year, the state has been doing some heavy lifting to update the system they use to get the product to restaurants and liquor stores. In the beginning, it was a severe issue for distillers and bars, with shipments being delayed or missing for weeks on end. They have worked out all of the kinks, and are even advocating for the opening of more stores in the state to quench our thirst.

This purge is one of the last updates that will help improve what is being offered to Ohioans on the shelves of their local liquor store and help ease the rate at which they can purchase it. This is the best Ohio can hope for until they dismantle the antiquated control system. That will be a while since JobsOhio relies on the incredibly profitable liquor business in to fund their program. In 2016, liquor sales soared over $1 billion. That is a considerable amount of funding for a state program. There is still twenty years on the deal they signed with the state. Any efforts to break up that happy partnership would require a way to replace that income.

It remains to be seen what the state will do with all of the freed up shelf space they will have. Bringing in more delightful whiskeys from around the world would be lovely. Or enhancing the number of other spirits the bar community in this state are starting to enjoy, like mezcal and amari, would be fantastic. This is an opportunity for liquor control to listen to advocates and experts in the hospitality industry to bring in the product that will boost Ohio’s economy. Let’s hope they make the best of it for a new year.

 

Food Adventures does “Dinner and a Ghost!”

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Is Snow Hill Country Club Haunted ? Have dinner and decide yourself

Ever had dinner with a ghost?   Well here is your chance, Ghost Hunters!   Snow Hill Country Club is haunted, and had been serving up “Dinner and a Ghost” nights on Fridays in October for the past 12 years.    In fact, the place is so legendary, that it was featured on an episode of the Biography channel’s “My Ghost Story.”  The country club is located just outside of Wilmington, on State Route 73.  The “Dinner and a Ghost” nights feature food, fear and even an overnight stay.

The Food Adventures Crew have eaten in many scary places, but this was our first “Haunted Food Adventure.”   The food is pretty straight forward.  On our two trips to the country club, buffet items included turkey and ham, while another night they featured ribs and salmon.   The meal is rounded out with salad, a couple of sides and a dessert plate shared by the table, or possibly some cake.

But we weren’t here for the food, we were here for the ghosts.  And Snow Hill delivered….

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

— “Dinner and a Ghost” features appetizers in the bar and a buffet style dinner.    The menu has improved since the 1820’s and they wont be serving  rabbit, steamed onions, venison and beef tongue anymore. 

One of our dinners featured Ribs and Salmon

— After dinner, the hosts take you on a guided tour complete with historical information, sound recordings of unexplained voices, and even a couple of photos believed to be “supernatural.”  Tour gurus include historian Kathleen Madison and Ghost expert/Paranormal Investigator Shelly Suittor.   Supporting cast includes Ghost Hunters Kat Powell and Alicia Soich.

— After the tour, guests are encouraged to look around for about an hour and explore for themselves.  During this time a few notable unexplained “phenomenon” have been known to occur.

— Attendees may purchase alcohol at a full service bar on the main level.

— There are 6 guest rooms, and groups may make reservations to stay the night for about 100 bucks per room.   Included in the stay is “ghost hunting” all night, if you have the guts to roam the halls late at night.   Even golf may be arranged during good weather.

— Snow Hill Country Club is located in New Vienna, Ohio at 11093 New Vienna Rd (Daytonians know this as State Route 73).  Famous visitors have included Henry Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and legendary 1920’s golfer, Walter Hagen.

— Minimum groups for ‘dinner and a ghost’ are 12 people.  Cost of dinner and tour is $45 per person.

Click to enlarge: What you think of the “orb” in this photo. Is it the sign of a spirit ?

 

MUST SCREAMS:

— Snow Hill was built and owned by the Harris family in 1820.  It was a popular Inn and tavern up through the 1900’s.  One of the oldest running businesses in Ohio, the country club is said to be haunted by spirits of past owners, family members and past guests.

— Many stories abound from the 70’s and 80’s like a man whom believed he hit a pedestrian in the road, but noone was found.   Or records of police and firefighters responding to alarms and seeing unexplained light and movements throughout the house.

— The Food Adventures Crew had a few unexplained happenings during our two tours:

Big Ragu was taking photographs in the dark, damp cellar thought to be a passage for the underground railroad.   In some of the photos, some circular orbs appeared, one very prominently.  We were told that many ghost hunters believe these are tell tale signs of “spirits” in the room.   To be honest, we do not know what to think, other than the orbs were strange and not in photos taken of the same place seconds earlier.  The prominent orb in the photo had a distinct outline and almost looked to have “veins” running through it.  Odd indeed.  Is it a spirit?  You decide.

The Big Ragu was in the storage area of the basement, when the door next to him opened about an inch and then slammed quickly.  He looked around the room at the handful of people near him and they had that “oh crap” look on their face.  Ragu opened the door and saw a dark empty hall with a staircase, there was nobody there.  There was also a moment where the Big Ragu felt something grab his back pocket.  He was unsure if this was a  fan who liked his behind or a ghost.

Elegant, yet Spooky: Stay the night… if you dare

— During our 2nd visit to Snow Hill, one of our fellow guests took a photo of what appears to be an apparition in one of the bedrooms.   Again, unexplained and just plain weird.

— Employees tell stories of glasses shattering, chandeliers swinging violently, and various apparition sightings.

— Recordings of various unexplained voices gave us goosebumps, especially one particular ghost that whispered the word “Becky” as clear as day on the recording.  The voice was creepy like Golem from Lord of the Rings movies, or like someone who ate too much at Golden Corral.

— An 1880’s portrait photo of an man was found in a cupboard, and when locked away, would keep appearing in various open areas of the country club.  One of the tour guests recognized the photo as her ancestor Thomas Wilson, a Civil War vet.   Since being identified, it was found out that he was a former owner of the country club, purchasing it at auction in 1898.  Since being identified, his photo has ceased moving inexplicably.

— A candlemaker tool levitated and slammed to the ground on a couple of occasions in front of various dinner party guests a few years back.   The theory is that the ghost of the original owner, Mrs Harris, might not be keen on a “peasant tool” being allowed in her formal dining room as decor.

 

With Halloween around the corner, this is the perfect time for “Dinner and a Ghost” at Snow Hill Country Club.  We were skeptical going in, and realized after 2 visits, some things happened that we couldn’t explain.  Were they spirits from lives past?   Look at our photos, listen to the recordings in person.  Is the place haunted?  Did we see “ghosts?”  You decide…. and check it out for yourself,  but we suggest you don’t go alone.

Click to enlarge: On our 2nd trip to Snow Hill a fellow guest took this pic. Is is a ghost?

So you want to get spooked?  Want a frightening Food Adventure ??

Then contact Snow Hill Country Club and ask for a private Dinner and a Ghost Group (minimum 12 people).  Tell them Food Adventures sent you!

Don’t forget, you can book an overnight stay and/or a round of golf !

For reservations contact General Manager Katie Gephardt at [email protected] or call her at 937-987-2491.

The  Dinner and a Ghost website can be found HERE –>http://www.snowhillcountryclub.com/dinner-and-a-ghost/

For scary images, haunting plates and funny faces, “like” Food Adventures on Facebook by clicking HERE.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY BELOW FOR UNEXPLAINED AND DELICIOUS PHENOMENA !

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Raising the Twelve Percent Limit on Beer

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Absolutely gorgeous…and a little out of our league.

BeerAdvocate is one of the top beer rating sites online. It is a wonderful place to find a good beer because of its rating system from professionals and a myriad of reviews from beer fans. Reading the reviews and comments on Samuel Adams’ Utopias, you can see this complex and delicious beer is incredibly popular with beer aficionados. The brothers who run the site gave it a 100, the best possible rating it can get, and 887 other raters have given it a cumulative score of 99. The raters discussed its big flavors, great aromas and smoothness as it washed over their tongue. The flavors people detected and discussed were raisins, dark cherries, brown sugar, cinnamon and any other luxurious flavor you could use to describe a complex and well crafted beer. One reviewer even compared it to a great cognac or bourbon. Sam Adams created it from a variety of beers and different blends, aged in cognac, bourbon, rum or any other used barrels they could find. Some of the batches are aged almost twenty years in some of these barrels. This means that every year this small batch beer has its own unique flavor. This beer also has a kick, weighing in at between 27% and 29% ABV (alcohol by volume).  As good as the liquor stores like Belmont Party Supply, Arrow Wine, and even Jungle Jim’s are at finding and carrying fine beers and liquors, you will not find it in the state of Ohio. Ohio limits the ABV on beers that can be sold in the state to 12%, putting Utopias well out of purchasing range for Ohioans.

Ohio is well known as a state with very restrictive liquor laws. The state has a say in all the liquor that is sold as well as when and where it can be sold. Liquor under 20% ABV, wine and beer can also be sold in grocery and other non-state stores. Ohio is also one of only a handful of states that have a cap on the ABV of beer, and join West Virginia with the lowest in the country at 12%. Both West Virginia (2009) and Ohio (2002) only recently brought it up from 6%, which is where the levels were set after Prohibition. This was great before the craft beer boom, when 6% was considered a high alcohol beer; now 6% is considered on the lower end of the craft beer scale (which is gaining in popularity) and high for commercial beer (which is declining in popularity).

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

I have HEARD this is a really good beer.

Ohio state Representative Ramos (D-Lorain) introduced the bill in the 2011 – 12 session, H.B. No. 356, with greater support from not only the citizens of the state of Ohio, but the legislature as well. He sees the increase in breweries across the state, and the popularity in craft beer in general (15% sales growth in 2012, leading to 17% more profit for the industry) as a potential cash windfall for Ohio. Beers with high alcohol content are not a high demand product. They have higher caloric content, and they are typically priced at $10 – $15 a bottle and get more expensive from there. The Utopias is $200 a bottle. Most craft brewers in the state are not going to drop their more typical offerings to focus on a high alcohol beer, but they can do what Dogfish Head did with their 120 Minute IPA and have some leeway to experiment. It would also encourage the beer lovers in the state to spend their money at local businesses, helping Ohio’s economy. Beer aficionados will drive across state lines to purchase beers like Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, The Breury Melange #3, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Whiskey Barrel-Aged Barleywine Style Ale, and Braueri Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic (all recommended by our own Snobby Beer Guy Max Spang) , giving their money to Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, or Michigan. Ramos feels that money can be kept in Ohio, gaining tax revenues for the state not only from selling beers other great breweries outside the state are making, but from all of the local breweries. “The industry has progressed,” Ramos said in an interview with the Dayton Business Journal. “The laws need to catch up.”

The road blocks to passing the new bill are lower at this point, but they are still there. In 2011, Jimmy Stewart proposed the original bill, a change in the law to raise the upper limit on beer from 12% to 18%. The timing of that law was unfortunate; it happened at about the same time that Four Loko, a premixed, high alcohol cocktail-in-a-can, was recovering from a rash of college students blacking out and other incidents of them being injured after enjoying the beverage. The law also faced resistance from MADD and other groups that felt that beers with higher ABV would allow young drinkers to hit unsafe levels of intoxication at a faster pace. The bill was blocked in the legislature, and Stewart stepped down before it could be reintroduced.

Vote Beer

Beer needs you to get out the message!

More citizens than before are supporting the initiative. There is an online petition that has over 1,500 signatures on it. Consumers would not have to drive for hours to get beers that they are reading about on the Internet or hearing about from their friends. Until just over a year ago, Yuengling enjoyed  a mythical status in the state of Ohio. They would love to have these beers as easily available to them as Yuengling is now. Craft brewers around the state are looking for the opportunity to flex their muscles from a brewing standpoint, to try brewing bigger beers with unique flavors. High alcohol beers are typically made in small batches, which makes them highly sought after by collectors. Creating a superb, high alcohol beer can really help raise the community’s awareness of that brewery. That is not only a benefit for the brewery in question, but for the state itself. You can get involved by directly contactingyour state representative and letting them know you support raising the ABV limit the state has on beer. Let your beer drinking friends know as well.

The current limit we have on the ABV is arbitrary. Rep. Ramos is looking to raise the ABV from 12% to 21% because that has been the traditional dividing line between beer or wine and liquor. It is a less arbitrary number, but it is still a limit on beer that forty other states do not have. It still does not allow beers with super high alcohol content like Utopias to be sold in the state, but all of the other beers in this article would be allowed to be sold in Ohio. The blog Overturning 12 is keeping an eye on the situation, and at the time of this article, the bill is waiting to start moving again while the state works on less important things like a budget. The bill is waiting for a formal number once it gets in front of our lawmakers. Show your passion for your beer and make your voices heard!

Hooray Beer!

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Dayton Beer Week

Dayton Beer Week 2012! August 18th - 24th! Our Festivus!

Next Saturday, August 25th, Dayton will mark the 14th time AleFest has been celebrated, and it has been picking up steam every year. Three hundred and fifty breweries are participating in the event taking place at Carillon Historical Park. It is the main event in an escalating series of beer celebrations around town that makes up Dayton Beer Week, August 18th – 24th. This is the week that every craft beer aficionado should be going out and looking to expand their palate. It would be harder for you this week to find a place that is NOT offering some sort of beer event.

There are going to be beer tastings, dinners, tappings, specials, and education all week long in the widest variety of venues. Places better known for wine or other spirits will be getting into the act, like the Century Bar, Thai 9, A Taste of Wine, Buckin’ Donkey BBQ, and Bruning’s Wine Shop. Beer dinners will be offered all around town to help improve your food and beer pairings at Rue Dumaine, Jay’s Seafood Restaurant, Dorothy Lane Market, Spinoza’s Pizza & Salads, Meadowlark, The Melting Pot, and Jimmie’s Ladder 11. Representatives from Samuel Adams, Stone Brewing Company, Duvel USA, Brewkettle, New Holland, Magic Hat, 21st Amendment, Goose Island, Sierra Nevada Brewery, and Unibroue will be in town to talk about their beers as well as show off some of their new products. All of the dates and times for these tastings are available on our event calendar under beer.

The festivities for the week officially begin on Sunday evening, August 19th, with the Beer Pride Parade, starting at the Dublin Pub. Line up through the Oregon District and show your craft beer pride!  The over 800 owners of the new Fifth Street Brewpub Co-op are invited to a pre-parade event and will walk in the parade en masse.  The first eighty bicycle riders to Biking for The Beer Of It in Miamisburg can participate in a nice ten mile ride on Tuesday, August 21st, sponsored by Goose Island. There will be some refreshments at the mid way point, and a little bit of swag for all of the participants. Five chefs and six beers will be featured on Wednesday, August 22nd, at the Dayton Art Institute’s Brewer’s Art dinner. Space is limited for this event, so you are going to want to make your reservations soon! Of course, the final event, the culmination of a week’s worth of fun and tasting and exploring is AleFest.

Dayton AleFest

For fourteen years, this has been THE beer event in Dayton.

While you are out exploring Dayton, there are a few things you should remember as you are out doing your tastings:

  • When you taste, it is very similar to tasting wine. You want a little foam on the top. You also want to look at and sniff the beer before you taste it, to see what aromas are coming off of it.
  • Do not hold the beer in direct light when you look at it. You get the best idea of color when you look at it in indirect light.
  • Give it a little bit of a swirl in your glass. This stirs up the carbonation a little, allowing more of the aromas to be released. Don’t underestimate the importance of scent when tasting your beer!
  • Hold the beer in your mouth a little bit, allowing it to roam all over your tongue. Enjoy the flavors that come out as it is in your mouth. Take a mental note on how thick the beer is. This is known as mouthfeel.
  • Allow the beer to warm up SLIGHTLY before you drink it. As with wine, a little bit of extra warmth unveils deeper flavors that may not be otherwise obvious.

And while you are going to Beer Week events:

  • Car pool. Parking is going to be very limited for some of these events, and the citizens are going to be out in force. Getting more people in one car is going to be helpful for everyone.
  • Get there early. You want to make sure you get there in enough time to get seats, be able to talk to the guest of honor, etc. Some events may even have limited seating. Make sure you call the venue and check out the details.
  • Drink plenty of water. This is going to serve a twofold purpose. First, water will help cleanse the palate between each beer, giving you a better idea of how each beer tastes. Secondly, it will help you avoid a worse hangover than you might normally have.
  • Do not eat spicy foods before you go to an event. You do not want your taste buds to be still burning from the Nuclear Hot wings you just ate. Eat a little something; just tone it down.
  • Go to the dark side. If you are not at a pre-set beer tasting, start off with some of the lighter beers, and go to the darker ones. The darker beers tend to have heavier flavors and be thicker, which can linger a little longer.
  • Designate a driver. No explanation needed.

Next week is going to be an exciting romp through the world of craft beer. Check out the list and plan you week carefully, participate in a few a events, and try out a few beers you have never thought about before, or may not get a chance to again. I am sure Max Spang (who helped me quite a bit with advice and research on this article) and I will see you out at some point around town. Cheers!