I have made a few trips back to Altoona PA. When I go back, I try to find beers that I can’t snag here. Considering that Erie is closer to Columbus than Altoona (3:45 to Erie and 5:00 to Altoona) it’s mildly amusing that I found these beers from Erie Brewing Company in Altoona. They do service Ohio, along with Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. Erie covers more territory than I expected so let’s get to half of the six pack I picked up in April.

Erie Brewing Co. – Rail Bender Ale – I started off this trio of beers by drinking their flagship beer. I had no idea it was at the time but I did know that it was a Scottish Ale which is an easy pick for me. It has the malty tang to it that I love. It also has just enough hops in it to rear it’s head and give you another note. The IBUs is 26 so it’s on the low end but it starts to get noticeable then. This beer will rail bend your mind at 6.8% ABV. I know why it’s their flagship beer and you should too.

Erie Brewing Co. – Drake’s Crude Oatmeal Stout – I sandwiched a stout into my two ale choices. I definitely got a different flavor but one of the few downsides to this beer was it wasn’t all that thick. I expect that thickness more so than normal stouts when the word “oatmeal” is involved. The roasted malt flavor coming off the beer is fantastic though. It is complemented by a chocolate flavor that is pretty standard in stouts. The beer carries with it very little bitterness at 19 IBU. This beer packs a wallop at 6.9%. It may not be double digits but it’ll do the trick. It is named after Edwin Drake who found oil in Northwest Pennsylvania. Considering where this beer is from, it a very appropriate name for a very good stout.

Erie Brewing Co. – Derailed Black Cherry Ale – This ale was just this side of a sour beer. A tartness comes to the beer from the cherries that you usually find in that variety of beer. It is inspired by a cream ale so it comes off lighter than expected. It didn’t have a smooth mouth consistency like a cream though. There is very little bitterness with a 17 IBU. Derailed is a sessionable beer at 5.0% ABV. If you like fruit flavored beers, this one is right up your alley.

I usually save the local news for the Tuesday column. This news is a bit of a hybrid. Stone Brewing Company is looking to build a $60 million dollar brewery somewhere on the east coast. One of those destinations could be Columbus OH for this company from Escondido, CA. The mayor of Columbus, Michael Coleman, went to San Diego to make a pitch for Cbus to be that city. One of the co-founders of Stone, Greg Koch, happens to be from central Ohio which helps give this story even more validity. The other suitors aren’t named in this article from Columbus Business First. They also end by saying that Stone Brewing has made no decision but expects to make a decision “relatively soon.” Maybe I’ll go hope and enjoy that Stone Go To IPA so that my liver can get used to another “local” #SippyTimeBeer – Kevin