Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Peter Hilgeman

Dayton Brewer Launches Ohio Craft Brewers Cup

By

Dayton Beer Co. founder Peter Hilgeman is launching a new Ohio-only beer competition to showcase Buckeye State breweries.

The inaugural Ohio Craft Brewers Cup — a competition judged by professional brewers — is set for July 23-27 at the Dayton brewery. Winners will be announced July 28.

 

“The goal is to showcase and highlight the awesome beer being brewed in the state from all over the state,” Hilgeman said. “Now that we have over 250 [breweries], there’s a lot of awesome beer and breweries people need to hear about.”

He added that it’s also “meant to foster and grow the community we have here already.”

Ohio breweries are able to enter beers in 29 categories, with medals being handed out to the top three in each category. There also will be awards for best large, medium, small and nano brewery, along with honors for regions of the state.

The competition will follow BJCP guidelines. The entry fee per beer is $50, which will cover the cost of attracting judges and the prizes, Hilgeman said. The deadline to enter is July 9.

He said he would like to see at least 75 breweries enter in the first year.

Hilgeman came up with the idea about four years ago. Back then, he didn’t think there were enough breweries in the state to warrant such a competition, but that has quickly changed with the growth of the industry. He’s been working on the plan for years.

“There are too many other states that have this going on and we don’t have it,” he said.

He also noted that Ohio has garnered great media attention for breweries winning medals at the Brewers Association’s major competitions — the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup — but not all Ohio brewers enter those events. There are plenty of other breweries in the state making great beer that also deserve recognition, he said.

There’s no public festival associated with the competition this year, although Hilgeman would like to see a tasting incorporated next year. Yes, he wants the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup to be an annual event.

“Hopefully this turns into something that’s celebrated and people love it and it gets bigger every year,” Hilgeman said.

For more details, including the rules, click here.

 

This story by  Rick Armon appeared in The Akron Beacon Journal • Ohio.com  on May 8, 2018

Dayton Beer Company Opens Downtown!

By

10933736_945113448852658_1408171985449065072_n

Pete Hilgeman and Assistant Brewer Dustin Stanley

The Dayton Beer Company will open its Downtown Dayton Production Facility and Beer Hall today, April 23rd at 2pm . This will be the second location for the company, whose Kettering, OH tap room opened in 2012. “We couldn’t be happier that we are finally opening in the heart of downtown,” said Peter Hilgeman, Operating Manager and Brewmaster, a 2005 Alter High School graduate who holds a marketing and international business degree from the University of Cincinnati.. “It’s been a long process and we are excited to get open and share our new space with everyone!”

Opening weekend highlights will include live entertainment, multiple food trucks, giveaways and several other surprises to be revealed as the weekend unfolds. The Beer Hall will feature a heavy rotation of food trucks in their parking lot.
Hours & Foodtrucks for the opening weekend are:

Thurs 2 -10pm      Harvest Mobile Cuisine and Empanadas Aqui
Fri 2pm – 12am     PA’s Pork and McNasty’s
Sat 12pm – 12am   Smokin BeeBeeQ, LaPampa Grill, and Wicked Wich
Sun 12pm – 8pm   Ramen Rickshaw

11143129_948513008512702_7913783394232098898_n

The new facility will allow the brewery to increase production capacity, warranted by the demand for its beer in Dayton as well as to expand distribution throughout Mid and Southwest Ohio.  The 8,000 sq. foot space, located in the former Weiler Welding building at 41 Madison Street, features state-of-the-art equipment including a canning line and a 15 barrel steam brew house, which together offer an initial brewing capacity of 3,000 bbls annually, with opportunity to scale up to 6,500 bbls. Hilgeman says,“Not only are we able to increase our capacity but soon we will also be able to offer bottles and cans. These are projects that we have wanted to do, but just didn’t have the room in our original space.” In addition, the new brewery features 5,000 sq. feet of space for patrons, including areas available for private events.  The 36 taps will feature Ohio craft beers.

Founded in 2010, the award- winning Dayton Beer Company believes in continuing the city’s rich history as a place where innovation is born with its unique but accessible brews. Small
batch, handcrafted beer embodies its vision of how beer should taste. The Dayton Beer Company will continue to operate its Kettering Tap Room at 912 E. Dorothy Lane 45419 (though it will be closed this week- as all hands are on deck to get the new place open).  And Hildeman says they will keep their tradition of $10 growler and $5 howler fills on Wed nights.

Awards Dayton Beer Co has won:

Best of Craft Beer Awards 2015 Gold Medalist:The Java Man Cometh

Best of Craft Beer Awards 2014 Gold Medalist: Mad River Milk Stout.

Alltech Commonwealth Cup 2014 Silver Medal Winners: Batch #100, Batch #300, Riverside Rye IPA, Wandering Second Black IPA, Savannah Sour, Bretta Recognize.

Alltech Commonwealth Cup 2014 Bronze Medal Winners: Patterson Pale Ale, Merseyside Barleywine.

2014 US Open Beer Championships Silver Medal Winner: Batch #300 in the Out of Bounds IPA Category.

For more information on the Dayton Beer Company, please visit www.thedaytonbeerco.com