Grab the kids and join us on February 13th from 2-4 pm for Valentine’s Crafts with Cinderella and Prince Charming! $10 a ticket includes face painting, snack, story time, games, pictures with Cinderella and all the craft supplies. Kids have loved our craft days so far and the adults have enjoyed relaxing with a beer!
Craft
There’s A New Beer in Town
Food Adventures has learned that brewmasters at Hairless Hare Brewery and the owners and staff at Submarine House have paired up, and have been pouring a new beer that is available ONLY at six Submarine House locations!
— Bottom Dweller IPA is available on tap only at the Submarine Houses in Vandalia, Huber Heights, Troy, Centerville, Beavercreek, and
Hilliard. It isn’t even available at the Hairless Hare Brewery’s tap rooms !
—At 7% ABV, this well-balanced IPA will take you to a place only few have been. Go There. And while you are there, get a friggin Cheesesteak.

Started in Vandalia and founded by owners Matt Harris and Mike Legg in 2013. The Hairless Hare Brewery is known for their wide selection of craft beer brewed at 738 W. National Rd. in Vandalia. Whether you are a craft connoisseur or a beer beginner, they have brews that will please all tastes.
THE LEGEND OF SUBMARINE HOUSE:
This ever evolving family restaurant has been taken to the next level over the
past few years by brothers and owners, Brody and Jason Danner. Teaming with a great staff and some franchise owners, they have expanded their stores, improved and completely overhauled the dining areas, expanded the draft beer selection, and added to the iconic menu. They have embraced many local charities, hosting countless events including poker runs and their annual Super Duper Cheesesteak Challenge for charity.
All of this and still they keep the quality “16 inches of Heaven” in various subs and cheesesteaks that made these restaurants cult favorites and Dayton legends. Grab one of the Miami Valley’s favorite subs and a cold craft beer.
Happiness can be found at Submarine House. Stop in and try the Bottom Dweller IPA and tell them the Food Adventure Crew sent you.
Dayton Most Metro always has the inside scoop and buzz on the street for what’s happening in Dayton. Bookmark the page and read all the features, including our weekly feature articles from the Big Ragu, Hungry Jax and Chef House, and our continuing Food Adventures.
Feel free to browse the photos below.
Recap: Big Brews & Blues.. and FOOD !

Big Brews & Blues – one terrific event
Drinking craft beers while listening to a regional blues man hum away on his harmonica. What better way to raise money for Diabetes Dayton? The annual Big Brews & Blues event was held last weekend at Carrillon Park and hundreds of attendees enjoyed dozens of craft beers. There were Big Brews, there were Blues, and of course, there was food. We were on hand for another Food Adventure supporting a local charity. Pouring beer in full force were the staff of Dayton Most Metro and Lisa Grigsby with Dayton Dining. Tickets were $30 in advance or $35 at the door. The event went from 5pm – 9pm and each guest received a souvenir beer tasting glass. Full pint tickets were also available for a special price.
The crowd danced and drank. They ate and socialized. They sipped and quipped. So which brews were our favorites? What food items blues.. (ahem) blew us away? All that is coming, but first a summary.
If you didn’t attend Big Brews & Blues…
HERE IS WHAT YOU MISSED:
—Endless samplings of almost 50 craft beers from local and national breweries. A detailed list of the beers may be found HERE.
—Blues acts with roots from Chicago, Tennessee, Detroit, Cincinnati and Columbus. It was an incredible night of good blues music. Groups included Joe and Jack Waters, Them Bones, Johnny Mack & the Heavyweights, and finally Big Joe Blues.
—Food Vendors. This is our thing, so we enjoyed the likes of Brock Masterson Catering, Hickory River Smokehouse, Fressa Food Truck and Kaimelsky’s Food Cart.
— Breweries Represented:
Dayton Beer Company, Yellow Springs Brewery, Valley Vineyards, Weasel Boy, Listermann, Mt Carmel, Rivertown, Christian Morlein, Hoppin Frog, Barley’s, Ohio Brewing Company, Jackie O’s, Great Lakes, Erie Brewing, Thirsty Dog, Triton, Anderson Valley, Hinterland, Fathead’s, Revolution, Two Brothers, Stone Brewing, Brew Kettle Taproom, Bell’s, Southern Tier, Founders, Troegs, Ommegang, Uinta, 21st Amendment, Atwater Brewery, Elevator, Finch’s Beer Company, Anchor Brewing, Kona, Redhook, Shocktop, Widmer Brothers, Goose Island, Boston Beer Co., Leinenkugel, Harpoon, and Ace Premium Hard Ciders.

What goes better with beer than a Nathan’s hot Dog from Kaimelsky’s Food Cart?
There were so many good beers and decent food, that we were pressed to pick just one favorite, but here we go…
OUR FAVORITES FROM THE FESTIVAL:
HUNGRY JAX’s FAVORITE BIG BREW: The Sam Adam’s Honey Queen Braggot was her top pick. It is made with 3 types of honey, and had a nice hoppy flavor. They tapped the keg right in front of her, and she was in heaven. It was one of those “Damn, this is good!” moments.
HUNGRY JAX’S FAVORITE FOOD OFFERING: What goes better with beer than a Nathan’s hot dog from Kaimelsky’s Food Cart? This hot dog was topped with spicy mustard, onions and Sriracha sauce. It was worth it.
THE BIG RAGU’s FAVORITE BIG BREW: Whippet Wheat from Thirsty Dog Brewery gets his vote for its crisp taste with touch of banana flavor. It was the first time we had a Thirsty Dog beer on tap since the mid 1990’s. It was like a flashback, so we put on some MC Hammer pants and danced in the tent until security showed up.
THE BIG RAGU’s FAVORITE FOOD OFFERING: Hickory River’s Pulled Pork Sandwich is Ragu’s pick. The slow cooked pork was great, but the real secret was the incredible BBQ sauce. Choices of topping were Sweet, Hot or Mixed sauce on your sandwich. We chose mixed, and that made all the difference.
This was a fun filled night. We poured a few beers for MostMetro. We had delicious crab cakes from Brock Masterson’s catering, and some tasty buffalo chips with blue cheese dip from Fressa Food Truck. We talked at length with the owners and managers of Star City Brewery, which will be opening in the former Peerless Mill site before the end of 2013. Event photographer Sarah Browning, also chatted with us, while snapping a few pics of The Big Ragu.
We even had an ‘America’s Got Talent’ moment, when we were getting our groove on near the stage with the blues band. We even snapped a photo of the lead singer during one of the blues sets. You won’t see that anywhere else, unless they copy our soulful dance moves.

Here’s to not having to hear about hiking and heartburn anymore ! Brews & Blues is a blast
The best part of this event is that it benefits Diabetes Dayton each year. Proceeds from the Big Brews & Blues help uninsured local residents with diabetes. Funds pay for desperately needed supplies. Diabetes Dayton also educates people in the Miami Valley who are suffering from diabetes, as well as paying for summer camp for diabetic children who just want to lead a normal, active life. Thank you to Diabetes Dayton Executive Director Susan McGovern for welcoming us as special guests to this benefit. Canned Soft Drinks and Bottled Water were for sale benefiting the Dougie Apple Tree Memorial Scholarship Fund. Dougie was a local resident, who passed away from diabetes at just 26 years old.
If you missed Big Brews & Blues, make sure you catch it this time next year. Stay tuned to Dayton Most Metro for info! The Big Ragu will be there in 2014, at this Food Adventure for a good cause. It will be another ‘blast in a glass.’ We promise not spill any beer or BBQ sauce on you.
BROWSE THROUGH THE PHOTO ALBUM BELOW FOR ALL THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS of BIG BREWS & BLUES !!
BREWERIES REPRESENTED INCLUDED:
Dayton Beer Company, Yellow Springs Brewery, Valley Vineyards, Weasel Boy, Listermann, Mt Carmel, Rivertown, Christian Morlein, Hoppin Frog, Barley’s, Ohio Brewing Company, Jackie O’s, Great Lakes, Erie Brewing, Thirsty Dog, Triton, Anderson Valley, Hinterland, Fathead’s, Revolution, Two Brothers, Stone Brewing, Brew Kettle Taproom, Bell’s, Southern Tier, Founders, Troegs, Ommegang, Uinta, 21st Amendment, Atwater Brewery, Elevator, Finch’s Beer Company, Anchor Brewing, Kona, Redhook, Shocktop, Widmer Brothers, Goose Island, Boston Beer Co., Leinenkugel, Harpoon, and Ace Premium Hard Ciders.
Want more Food Adventures? “Like” us on Facebook by clicking HERE !
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Hooray Beer!
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.
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!