dan apolito

Patrick Clark from Mt Carmel vs Jason Roper from Rivertown: Who has the best brewery ?

A packed house Wednesday night at Stone House Tavern  saw Rivertown Brewing Company beat Mt. Carmel Brewing Company by majority decision, 3 rounds to 2.   TO SEE THE SCORECARD RESULTS CLICK HERE ! The “Thrilla in Waynesvilla” Food Adventure event was a beer tasting, menu pairing and one of a kind evening.   Attendees tasted beers from the two breweries and voted for their favorites as Mt. Carmel and Rivertown slugged it out for the championship and bragging rights.

The breweries went head to head, beer to beer for 5 rounds in front of a crowd of over 60 thirsty judges.  The excitement for the “Thrilla in Waynesvilla” had been building for weeks and the event sold out in a few days.  The throwdown took place at Stone House Tavern in Waynesville.  The night was sponsored by Dayton Most Metro.com and The Food Adventure Crew who are originals, so you know this event was going to be out of the ordinary.  “Ring Announcer” Dan Apolito, part owner of  Stone House Tavern and Archers Tavern, hosted the event as the emcee.

As the bell rang, the anxious crowd drew to a hush as introductions were made.  In this corner, Patrick Clark, manager and marketing guru from Cincinnati’s Mt. Carmel Brewery was ready to present his beers!   In the opposing corner, Jason Roeper, owner and brewmaster of Rivertown Brewery in Cincinnati.  Hungry Jax was the cornergirl/cutman for Mt. Carmel Brewery, while The Big Ragu with sweat towel in hand, tended to Rivertown’s corner.  The action promised to be fast and furious with gulps, sips, hops and barley flying in all directions.  Each brewer took time to explain to the crowd why they felt their beer was the best.  It was a once in a lifetime chance to taste beer brewed hours ago, by the people who made them.   But talk can be cheap, and the judges decisions were made on taste.

Special Guest Ring Girl Aja, kicked off each round

Here is a round by round, blow by blow recap of the THRILLA IN WAYNESVILLA:

ROUND 1 – StoneHouse Tavern delivered a crisp and delicious Salmon Ceasar Salad to the judges and the pouring began.  Mt Carmel drew first blood when their Springtime Ale beat Rivertown’s Stonehouse Tavern Hefeweizen.  The Springtime Ale was rich and malty, and brewed in the tradition of a Scottish Ale.  The Stonehouse Hefeweizen was a worthy opponent brewed with Canadian pale malt and Pacific northwest hops.  WINNER : MT.CARMEL

ROUND 2 – The menu sampling continued with Stone House Tavern serving up some Cheddar Burger Sliders.  These little delights were topped with bacon, and were a perfect lead-in to the beer tasting.  Mt. Carmel took a commanding lead and landed a big blow when their Amber Ale grabbed a victory over Rivertown’s Hop Bomber Pale Ale.  The winning brew was deep in color with a smooth, complex flavor.  Rivertown’s beer, named after a b-24 bomber had a malty flavor, but fell short in a close vote. WINNER: MT. CARMEL

ROUND 3 – Sweet BBQ Boneless Wings were the food pairing this round from Stone House Tavern’s menu.  The tangy bites were served with ranch dipping sauce and satisfied everyone’s alert taste buds.  Rivertown scored its first victory of the night in round 3, when the caramel tasting, Munich style, Dunkel Lager won the judges vote.  Mt. Carmel’s Nut Brown Ale showed strong promise with hazelnut and maple flavors, but was edged out by the Dunkel. WINNER: RIVERTOWN

ROUND 4 – This round began with one of our favorites, the Blackened Fish Tacos from Stone House Tavern.  Flour tortillas,  filled with perfectly baked tilapia, cilantro, corn salsa and a spicy baja sauce were paired with 2 IPA’s in this round.  Rivertown’s Hop Baron Double Down IPA won the round and evened things up.  This impressive beer takes 2 hours to brew and uses four types of hops.  It narrowly defeated Mt. Carmel’s India Pale Ale.  Mt. Carmel’s entry offered a spicy, pine hop aroma with a beautiful orange color.  WINNER: RIVERTOWN

The event featured 5 rounds of beer face-offs paired with 5 menu items like these blackened fish tacos

ROUND 5 – Unbeknownst to the crowd, the score was tied leading into the final round of this throwdown.  Each brewing company had won 2 rounds, and the “Thrilla in Waynesvilla” was coming down to the wire!  The final menu sampling was a moist, delicious Chocolate Brownie, topped with Raspberry Sauce.  It was a perfect complement to the final beers of the night.  Mt Carmel offered their Stout beer.  It had a slight fruit aroma, with hints of  coffee and the color was pitch black.  It was toppled, however by Rivertown’s Roebling beer.  This beer, brewed with vanilla beans and Peruvian coffee, is named for the Roebling Bridge that connects Cincinnati to Covington, KY.   Roebling won the final round for Rivertown thereby securing a victory.  WINNER: RIVERTOWN

FINAL DECISION:  THE WINNER OF “THE THRILLA IN WAYNESVILLA” by majority decision, is RIVERTOWN BREWING COMPANY !!

When the beer brawl ended, Jason Roeper of Rivertown Brewing Company held the championship belt high above his head.  It was a tough battle, and Patrick Clark of Mt. Carmel Brewing Company, was gracious in defeat.  The competitors posed for post-fight pictures, and shook hands with the crowd.  It was a great night with a unique opportunity to hear from some experts who know their craft.  It was also a reminder to buy local and see what Ohio has to offer.

If you missed this event, you missed a lot.  The “Thrilla in Waynesvilla” was a huge success.    Each attendee received souvenir pint glasses from both Mt Carmel and from Rivertown Brewery.  Door prizes included gift certificates to Archer’s Tavern, Olive and Stone House Tavern.  Other giveaways were 6 packs of Rivertown Beer, 6 packs of Mt Carmel Beer, t-shirts and hats.

The final round included Rivertown’s Roebling and Mt Carmel’s Stout paired with dessert

The brew battle was heated, and a great time was had by all.  Great local beer and delicious menu samples capped a wonderful,  SOLD OUT Food Adventure!  Again, congratulations to Jason Roeper, owner and brewmaster of Rivertown Brewery.   Special thanks to Patrick Clark from Mt. Carmel Brewery, who presented some fantastic beers in the main event.  Dan Apolito and Mike Fullenkamp of  Stone House Tavern deserve special recognition for hosting the epic showdown with their stellar staff.   Even Lisa Grigsby with Dayton Dining was in attendance!  We also want to give a  shout out to Aja Delaney, our lovely ring girl.

The Big Ragu would like to thank the attendees who judged the contest.  We appreciate all of the positive feedback and comments.  Food Adventures has been setting the trends for 5 years now, so stay tuned to DaytonMostMetro.com for more original Food Adventures like this in the future.  As for the “Thrilla in Waynesvilla,” this tremendous event was a knockout !!

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Did you attend the event?  Are you a beer connoisseur?  Tell us your thoughts on who has the better brews, Mt. Carmel or Rivertown ??  PLEASE COMMENT BELOW !

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