Belmont Party Supply

For the Love of Beer and Community – An Interview with Mike Schwartz

July 22, 2020 By Brian Petro 2 Comments

Update: Mike has sold Belmont Party Supply and posted this photo and message on his Facebook page:

“Thanks for the Memories!

May the Schwartz Beer Be With You Always”

Please enjoy this repost of this interview with Mike from 2013.

Belmont Party Supply: the epicenter of great beer knowledge in Dayton.

The craft beer business has been booming for the last two decades. Since the late 1980’s, craft beer has been slowly nibbling at the edges of the big name beers that people knew well and enjoyed. Sam Adams led the charge at a time when there were roughly 90 breweries in the United States. That number has grown to over 2,500 in 2013, and it looks like there is no slowing down. Dayton has multiple breweries and brew pubs opening in the area, adding to the seventy that already dot the state of Ohio. As this beer explosion was happening, there was a business that was quietly growing with it. Belmont Party Supply, owned by community supporter and beer advocate Mike Schwartz, will be celebrating 30 years of business next year. They also have been named by several websites and magazines as one of the best beer stores in the world. While beer lovers see Mike as a cornerstone of the Dayton beer scene, it was something that may not have come to pass if events played out differently.

“I actually quit drinking beer, because I am not a fan of carbonation, and I don’t like cold beer,” Schwartz said, sipping a Bell’s Expedition Stout at the Trolley Stop. “I didn’t know anything about drinking a warm beer like English ale. I was so slow at drinking my beer it would turn warm, and obviously we all know what an American major tastes like when it turns warm.” He quit drinking beer around the same time he bought the Belmont Party Supply in January of 1984. It was two years before the craft beer movement was even truly born, and he bought Belmont as it was going out of business. Mike had been sidelined by illness from his day job as an electrician, ultimately bought the failing shop for one reason. “I was bored!”

Author Brian Petro and Mike Schwartz after beer tasting at Trolley Stop

The explosion of craft beer in the late 1980’s helped his business, and his knowledge of beer, grow. That growth eventually led to some problems in the middle of the 1990’s. “They were putting a lot of crap on the shelves. Very expensive crap. I started to see breweries putting money on their labels and not in their beers. The consumers stood strong. I had to react by tasting beers before I put them on the shelf. At one time I had distributors bringing me beers to evaluate before they carried them. It was that bad.” Mike developed a reputation in the area as the guy that knew beer. “I used to have my beer manager collect the samples. She would sit down and pour the beer on Friday afternoon. Then she would tell me what to evaluate it as. I would evaluate it. She would not tell me the price. I would evaluate it by how much money I thought they put into it and how it fed into the style.” He had good taste even then. He was selling North Coast and Avery beers before they were widely popular.

Isn’t he a good sport? And pretty in pink?

He gained some of his vast knowledge of beer the same way most of us do: trial and error, tasting many different beers, and learning about their flavors through experience. He also went the extra step and became certified. “First of all I took the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). If you are a brewer, that will teach you how to brew. It will teach you all the physics, the science behind all the beers. What they are supposed to be, how they are supposed to taste, and what makes them taste that way. Yes, you have certain ingredients, but it’s how your treat that certain ingredient to get the flavor you want.” There is another program, the Cicerone program, which is for beer handlers. Mike suggests that if you are a beer lover, either of those programs would be beneficial for your knowledge of beer. He also networked to learn more behind the scenes information about the beers and the programs he loves. He has met such beer luminaries as Gordon Strong, one of the creators of the BJCP and a master brewer in his own right; Randy Mosher, 27 year veteran of home brewing, author, and part owner of Five Rabbit Brewery in Chicago; and Fred Karm, brewer at the increasingly popular Hopppin’ Frog brewery in Akron, OH. Some of the luminaries in the beer world he had the pleasure to interview, and those interviews are posted on the Belmont Party Supply’s website for all of our benefit. Mike’s reputation grew as his business grew, and soon he was not just known through the state or the region, but the world.

For those of you not in know, Belmont Party Supply is known well beyond the confines of Dayton. Mike spoke about one of the incidents that illustrated how widely known this local beer store is. “My wife went out to San Diego last year for a family wedding and people that grew up next door to us flew in as well. They had just come back from Belgium. They were doing a brewery tour, and they asked they tour guide if they ship to the United States. The tour guide asked ‘Where are you?’, and our friends said in Ohio, right by Dayton. He responded by saying ‘Do you know Mike Schwartz over at Belmont Party Supply? He carries our beer. That to me is an impressive thing.” BeerAdvocate has rated it as one of the best in the country, and RateBeer has it ranked as one of the top beer places in the world. After being in the business for thirty years, Mike knows what it takes to create a successful business. “I did not do that all alone. I am the guy at the top but it took great people working for me, and the customers that requested beers. We worked hard with the distributors. I could not have done it without the distributors. We carry some of their slow moving items, and when we do that, they feel the need to pay us back.” And pay him back they have. One of the beers he was paid back with was the ultra rare and highly desired Westvleteren 12. “It came in through Shelton Brothers Importing, through a distributor of course. We carry all of Shelton Brothers beers, and they have showed us appreciation by giving us some one offs.” It is smart business practices like this that allow Belmont to carry beers no one else has, and end up with beers that everyone will want.

This is utopia for beer brewers in the Dayton community.

Mike Schwartz’s beer expertise is not just in tasting in and selling it, but brewing it as well. Brewtensils started as shop within Belmont Party Supply, helping local brewers make their own beers at home. It eventually grew into its own shop right next door, offering not only brewing supplies but brewing classes and contests as well. His favorite style to brew is imperial stouts. “It is very English, it tastes better the warmer it gets. I have had bartenders pour me a glass and put it in the microwave for ten to fifteen seconds to knock that chill off.” The classes not only give Mr. Schwartz a chance to help local brewers pursue their craft, they also give him a little insight into what brewers are starting to explore. Many big beer trends start in kitchens of amateur brewers, so this becomes a little lab for him to observe. What is he seeing on the horizon? “I really think you are going to see more herbs going into beers. People are more conscious of nature. Some of the people herbs are using for flavor and bitterness are phenomenal. Your saisons are increasing now. You can play all kinds of games with saisons with herbs, ginger, lemongrass, all kinds of stuff. I see that coming around the corner, I really do.”

Beer brewing classes and tastings around town are just a few ways Mike stays in touch with the community. And he is a big supporter of this community. He is part of the brain trust that is bringing Big Beers and Barley Wines back for its fifth year at the Roundhouse on October 5. For the connoisseurs of craft beer and looking for more local flavor, this is one of the last big beer festivals of the year. The list of beers for this year’s festival is impressive. Revolution Brewing’s Very Mad Cow stout is almost worth the price of admission on its own. Mike has other reasons other than supporting local breweries and beer lovers. “This organization (the Resident Home Association) came to me and asked me to do a beer tasting for them. I said ‘No, I want to do a festival. I want to do a knockout festival.’ I told them they would have to handle all the money, but I will not accept any users or advisors fees. No one will make a penny off of this. This is the fifth one, and now we’re typically putting in $8000 to $10,000 a year in profit.” He gives back quite a bit to the community that supports him, not just locally, but nationally. He has done charity work for others as well, like our veterans. “Probably the neatest thing I have ever done in this trade was helping my sister down in Columbia, SC, home of Ft. Jackson. She belonged to an Elks Club, and she asked me to come down and do a beer tasting for the Wounded Warrior Walk. It is the hospice for wounded warriors. We raised quite a bit of money. I got to meet some high ranking officials down there. One high ranking officer invited me out to the firing range to fire some of the big guns. I wasn’t able to go because I was flying out the next day.”

You have a date with some great beer for a good cause on October 5.

The wisdom Mike has about beer and his willingness to share it is obvious to anyone who speaks with him for any length of time. It makes Mike a quiet but influential figure in the beer community, and he knows there is plenty of room for everyone. “I think the breweries have a great chance in Dayton, especially with Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Kentucky not too far away.” And he thinks Dayton has just started to hit its stride. “I don’t know what happened to Dayton. It has one of the world’s best water supplies. It is very comparable to English water. It is beautiful ale water, and there is plenty of it here.” When asked if he thought that the Miami Valley was getting too many breweries and brew pubs too soon, his answer was a very quick “Absolutely not.” He even sees some lessons that the “fizzy yellow beer” producers can teach all of these new brewers. “Back in the late 1800’s, Anheuser Busch was making a European style lager. They almost went belly up until they decided to lighten the beer up by using rice. Anheuser Busch actually listened to the consumer, adjusted, and hit a home run. Americans were looking for a lighter, drier finish. I don’t have a problem with yellow, fizzy beer. There is a beer for everybody, and we all need to accept that and honor someone’s beer. If that’s what they like, that’s what they like. If everyone is drinking that beer, they leave my imperial stout alone!”

Mike Schwartz is not just a lover of beer; he is a lover of the industry and the community that supports him. He gives that love right back in a way that raises all the people around him. He does what he can to make sure everyone gets the help they need. His view of success sums it all up quite nicely: “If you work hard all your life and you take all the proceeds and experience and keep it to yourself, you really haven’t gained anything. But if you can share it with other people and do good for unfortunate people, which makes me feel good. That’s success right there. You can live in your mansions, but if you can’t share it, you haven’t succeeded at life.” I would gladly raise a glass to that sentiment.

The Great Pumpkin Beer Comparison

October 2, 2019 By Brian Petro

October. When all things fall ramp-up. Shelves are covered with Halloween candy, nature has changed from shades of green to shades of gold and rust, and college football teams are starting to play ranked contenders. Oktoberfest beers are going to disappear from the shelves slowly, our love of the German festival waning as September ends. Fear not, because there is one style of beer that is going to be in season late into fall. Pumpkin ales started hitting the shelves in early September, but they do not really hit their stride until we transition into fall. People start looking towards those warming flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to get through the crisper days.

The beer options on the shelves can be overwhelming. While places like Belmont Party Supply and The Barrel House offer single cans, or even beers on tap, for you to enjoy, there is still a decent selection for you to consider. In service to our readers, we decided to do a small taste test of the beers that are out in the wild right now. A selection was acquired from Belmont Party Supply, and we sat around playing games and tasting beers. All of the beers we tried were generally commercially available; we did not go after any whales or other unique beers. They were also as standard as we could get. We avoided anything barrel-aged or a limited version of another beer. Each beer was sampled considering how it was balanced, the presence of pumpkin flavor, and the pumpkin spiciness in the bottle.

These are, of course, our opinions. Yours will differ, based on your taste buds and love of pumpkin spice.

Ichabod – New Holland Brewing – 4.5% ABV – Holland, MI

This one was primed for us to enjoy. Dark, delicious, good pumpkin and spice nose, everything we wanted in a pumpkin beer. Then we took a sip.

Of all the beers we tried, this was the only one that everyone poured out. It was unbalanced, with the spice being unbalanced and not at all what we were expecting. If there was any pumpkin flavor in it at all, it was buried under layers of spice and hops. Not much to it that we enjoyed, especially with the bitter finish we all detected.

Johnny Rails – Erie Brewing Company – 6.5% ABV – Erie, PA

When we poured this and took a whiff, we were expecting big things. I personally expected good things, as one of our vacation breweries of choice when we are in northwestern Pennsylvania is Erie Brewing. We were, sadly, sorely disappointed.

It is a good beer. We all enjoyed it and expected it to be exceptional based on the aroma alone. But the flavor did not deliver. There was some sweetness of the pumpkin, and some of the spice came through, but it was faint. It is a great fall beer, but not one we would reach for if we needed pumpkin in our lives.

Spooky Tooth – Fat Heads Brewing – 9% ABV – North Olmsted, OH

This one elicited the most diverse discussion from the table. The debate was not over the quality of the beer; we all agreed it was one of the better brews of the night. There were two camps at the table. One felt that it is balanced, with the sweetness of the pumpkin playing a flavorful foil to the spice of the beer. The other opinion was that the pumpkin was not that present, but the spices were still balanced and enjoyable. Either way, this is one to snag before the end of the season.

Imperial Pumpkin Ale – Weyerbacher Brewing – 8% ABV – Easton, PA

This beer was one of the more balanced ones that we tried during the evening. The spices were the more dominant component of the beer, with the sweetness of the pumpkin taking a back seat. You could tell it was going to have a good spice flavor from the first pour, and that part did not disappoint. It was easy drinking enough that someone described it as “the summer shandy of pumpkin beers.” But at 8% ABV, you should not be drinking this half as hard.

The Fear – Flying Dog Brewing – 9% ABV – Frederick, PA

Of course The Fear is going to pour dark. It has to be scary, right? There was a light pumpkin spice nose to it. Combining that with the dark color made the dark beer drinkers at the table pretty excited. The excitement was justified. Led by cinnamon, the pumpkin spice flavor comes through nicely. It was dark and rich and luxurious, lingering on the palate for much longer than most of the other beers. The spice, and the bite it provided, made this beer one of the favorites of the tasting.

Pumpkinville Latte – Ellicottville Brewing Company – 6.5% ABV – Ellicottville, NY

The sweetness in this one was telegraphed right from the beginning. There was a distinct cake aroma to the beer, undeniably sweet, which blended nicely with the spice notes. It certainly was creamier and sweeter in taste than the other beers were, but that did not cut out the spice. It smelled, and tasted, like pumpkin pie with a dollop of whip cream. The coffee was in the background, offering a slightly bitter balance to the sweetness of the beer. All of the richness makes this entry a good end of the night beer.

The King of all Pumpkin Beers

Pumking – Southern Tier Brewing – 8.6% ABV – Lakewood, NY

Certainly in the argument for one of the best pumpkin beers on the market. The balance of the sweet pumpkin and the bite of the spice is perfect, from the time you catch the aromas coming from the bottle to the time the lovely liquid rolls over your tongue. The finish was smooth, and this was “really pumpkin pie in a glass” according to one taster. In the realm of flavored beers, it is hard to find one that Southern Tier does not do well. This was the hands-down favorite of the tasting.

Pumpkin beers are enjoyed throughout autumn, right up to the point that the first Christmas beers start to show up on the shelves. But while they are out there, they are a warming delight in the chilly days of fall. All of that spice a perfect balance for s’mores and Halloween candy. There are plenty more than the ones we sampled, which we would love to hear about. What are your favorite pumpkin beers? Let us know in the comments. Welcome to fall!

Dayton’s Rare Beer Fest Finds a New Home

November 6, 2017 By Kevin Gray

Big Beer and Barley Wines moves to the Greek Orthodox Church

This weekend’s upcoming Big Beer and Barley Wines festival, the Miami Valley’s only beer tasting that focuses exclusively on hard-to-find beers, has a new home.

In the past several years, the Miami Fairgrounds Roundhouse has housed the event. With the sale of the fairgrounds and an uncertain future about the Roundhouse, Dayton’s most exclusive rare beer festival has relocated to the Greek Orthodox Church Memorial Center (500 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH 45405).

Along with the new venue, there is a renewed interest in serving the most interesting and hardest to find beers, including pub exclusives and beers brewed specifically for the event. “Since we had to move the festival to a smaller venue this year, that means that we need less beer,” explains Gus Stathes, co-organizer in charge of beer for of the event and General Manager of the Centerville tap house, Ollie’s Place. “The end result is a more tightly curated list of fantastic beer with less ‘filler’ than in previous years. “

The beer list, which can be found here is heavy on rarity. “We’ve been working closely with local and regional breweries to secure limited releases that you don’t see on the shelf every day,” notes Stathes. Look for beers like Three Floyds Crack the Skye, Jackie O’s BA Cellar Cuvee, and 50 West’s 10&2 Barleywine (which just won gold at GABF). You can also expect beers from Hoof Hearted, Streetside, and many other local, regional, and national favorites.

Expect this year to bring the heat and to be different from earlier events: “In previous years, the festival had a ‘the bigger the better’ mentality, focusing on alcohol content. This year, and moving forward for years to come, the spotlight is going to be shifted to quality and rarity over heavy-hitting alcohol,” says Stathes. “There’s a world of incredibly complex beer under the 8% ABV threshold,” he adds. “Why limit ourselves from sharing those beers just because they don’t fit under the “Big Beer” umbrella?”

Big Beers and Barley Wines traces its roots to 2009, when Mike and Donna Schwartz, owners of Ollie’s Place Craft Beer and Whiskey, Belmont Party Supply, and Brewtensils, first teamed up with Resident Home Association (RHA). Established in 1966, RHA, an Ohio non-profit, provides homes, daily living support and services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The money raised supports individuals with developmental disabilities served by RHA.

Peter Roll, RHA’s Executive Director, explains how this event helps the community he serves, “We are extremely thankful for the patrons and sponsors of Big Beers. It is through their generosity that we are able to enhance the services we provide to our residents with developmental disabilities. This year and into 2018, we have some ambitious plans to renovate homes and expand our day program space to better serve our clients.”

Big Beers and Barley Wines is a primary fundraiser for RHA. “One hundred percent of the proceeds of Big Beers stays with the Resident Home Association and allows us to invest in services that helps improve the quality of life for those we serve,” explains Roll.

Big Beers is also a Who’s Who of the Dayton craft beer scene where volunteers from the area’s craft beer-friendly establishments work tables, serve beer, and mingle with the crowd along with brewers and representatives from highly acclaimed breweries. Guests can order food from one of several restaurants at the event and listen to a live band while sampling their beers. Also offered are door prizes and a variety of raffles to take home souvenirs from the event and support Resident Home Association.

The relaxed atmosphere of years’ past is certain to carry over to the new location, in part because of the passion that drives it. “This beer festival means so much to me; to us who plan it,” explains Pam Skelly, RHA’s lead organizer for the event. “It’s fun and more importantly, it’s the Dayton craft beer community coming together to support individuals with developmental disabilities. I’m so proud of the people who continue to support this festival year after year. Proceeds help us to increase the quality of life for the people we serve. It’s the little extras in life: a night out for dinner and a show, tickets to see a concert by a favorite singer, presents at Christmas for those with little to no expendable income, a new coat. . . . these are just a few of the little things Big Beers supports.”

Pam Skelly

Although VIP tickets are sold out, there are still general admission tickets available and can be purchased at www.bigbeersdayton.com. General admission tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door (if available). General admission starts at 5 pm. Those holding VIP tickets can get an early taste of the beer list, starting at 4 pm.

Sponsorships, donations, in-kind support or items for raffles are still being accepted and are greatly appreciated. Reach out directly to Pam Skelly at [email protected] to enquire how you can help the RHA meet their goals.

900 Bottles of Beer

December 4, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

The first Wednesday of each month Mike Schwartz from Belmont Party Supply picks 9 beers for folks to sample and then teaches beer school at Trolley Stop in the Oregon District. Novice or expert, there’s always something to learn about the beer, the hops used, the barrels used for aging or some other aspect in the process that affects the flavor of the liquid.

And this Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm will be Beer Tasting #100 and that’s a big reason to celebrate! That means 900 beers have been tasted and rated by the crowd’s that show up for this monthly event.

If you want to be at #100 plan on arriving early, these do sell out on a regular basis. We even hear there will be free t-shirts for the first 25 in attendance. Cost for the tasting is $25 and includes light snacks.

Check out the list of beers available for this tasting:

Heavy Seas Below Decks Barrel Aged Barleywine
NorthCoast 2016 Barrel Aged Rasputin
Mad Tree Bourbon Barrel Aged Axis Mundi
Against the Grain /Hoof Hearted Clearly Everybody Wants Some
Stone Unfiltered Enjoy By 12.25.16
Jackie O’s BA Noble Sorrel
Spencer Holiday Ale
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Three Floyds Dreadnaught

Big Beers gets even Bigger!

September 26, 2016 By Kevin Gray

A preview to the annual rare beer festival, this time with no ABV cap.

Dayton has a lot of great festivals, but there’s one that stands above the rest in terms of selection of rare beers. Big Beers and Barley Wines, which returns this Saturday, October 1, to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Roundhouse, is a festival for beer geeks, put on by beer geeks. Organizers work for months in advance with breweries and distributors to cherry pick the line-up of nearly 90 beers, carving out one-off beers, pub exclusives, and limited releases and combining them with vintages of old favorites, beers seeing their festival debut, and beers created exclusively for the event.

This year promises to be the biggest yet. While previous Big Beers have showcased giant barley wines and imperial stouts, those beers were capped at 12% alcohol by volume (ABV) by Ohio law. Not so in 2016—the cap was lifted on August 31^st. Mike Schwartz, a founding member of the event team and owner of Ollie’s Place, Belmont Party Supply, and BrewTensils, drove the planning team to think big for this year’s line-up. “Big Beers and Barley Wines’ goal is to bring as many rare beers to the beer connoisseur as possible,” Schwartz explains. “This year with the alcohol cap removed, we have put the emphasis on Big Beers!”

Big Beers and Barley Wines will be the first regional festival to present these huge beers, and Gus Stathes, the main beer buyer for the event (and beer guru at Ollie’s Place) has been like a kid in a candy shop, lining up beers that were not available in Ohio before. “We’ve always focused on securing the most exciting and special beers that we can get our hand on for this festival,” explains Stathes. “This year’s list is more exciting in that without an ABV cap, we have access to a much more broad spectrum of options.” Beers like Hebrew Jewbelation 17 and Deschutes Abyss 2015 are scheduled to see their Ohio festival debut, alongside local and regional giants like Hoppin’ Frog T.O.R.I.S. The Tyrant triple oatmeal imperial stout, Dayton Beer Company’s Midnight Dream Raspberry Imperial Stout and a Evil Twin’s Molotov Heavy, an enormously hoppy triple IPA.

But don’t let the focus on huge beers prevent you from trying those with a more “modest” ABV. Look for cellar projects from Green Flash like Oculus Savage and Nocturna Morta Boysenberry. Quaff Brothers killed it last year with their Orange Melvin and are promising more of the same in 2016. This year, they’ve teamed up with MadTree to create Gus Juice, a Gnarley Brown barrel-aged variant with honey, cocoa nibs and cinnamon named after one of the festival’s organizers. MadTree also has three rarities on the docket under their own name: a brown ale called Ford the Mill, a wild ale named Chamomile Levanto, and a 2015 BA Coffee Axis Mundi.

Want to go even more local? Nearly all of the Miami Valley local brewers will be attending. Warped Wing BA Abominator was a hit last year and returns this year, this time infused with Maple. Toxic’s Barrel Aged Night Ender is also scheduled to make an appearance—a boozy variant on an already deceptively boozy imperial stout. Fig Leaf, which is opening in Middletown the first week in October, will debut their Ponderous Porter—try it at the festival days before you’ll be able to try it at the taproom. And when you’re ready for dessert, seek out Eudora’s Mother Fuggle on chocolate covered bananas—a dessert beer indeed.

What makes the event even better than the fantastic beer line-up is the worthwhile cause it supports. “Not only is Big Beers & Barley Wines the premier craft beer tasting event in the region, 100% of the proceeds benefit the Resident Home Association of Greater Dayton, Inc.,” explains Peter Roll, RHA Executive Director. “Resident Home provides services to people with developmental disabilities where the primary source of funding is Medicaid dollars. Those dollars do not fully meet the needs of the people we serve. Events like Big Beers help us provide for those unmet needs. This helps us buy clothing, pay for uncovered dental services, purchase new eye glasses, pay for leisure activities and other things on our clients’ wish lists.”

Established in 1966 by a group of parents with developmentally disabled children, RHA has expanded to now provide homes, daily living support and services to around 80 adult individuals in the community. Pam Skelly is the event organizer with RHA. She notes that, “Big Beers is near and dear to my heart as it is with so many other participants—Big Beers gives us the chance to enjoy and talk beer with fellow beer geeks.” Skelly also emphasizes how the event funds the RHA wish list: “The RHA wish list helps us to support the hobbies and individual interests of the people we serve. The people we serve derive so much joy from the little things in life—a country concert, a night out for pizza and a movie, jewelry-making parties and so much more; supporting these hobbies and interests is so very important. We could not do any of this without the support of the Dayton beer community.”

The Dayton-based non-profit employs a staff of full- and part-time resources and works with other organizations such as Sinclair Community College and Choices in Community Living to extend their reach into the community. The web of support that RHA provides their clients through their various programs and partnerships gives their clients the assistance to live and work with a high level of autonomy within the community. Roll adds, “When you support Big Beers, you are supporting a very worthy cause and we very much appreciate our patrons.”

All proceeds from the event go to the RHA. This year, Big Beer and Barley Wines Beer Fest will be held inside the Roundhouse at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on October 1, 2016 from 4 to 8pm.

Early ticket sales have surpassed previous years’ numbers, so the organizers are expecting a possible sellout and they are advising would-be attendees to get tickets as soon as possible. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door (if available). Tickets may be purchased at Ollie’s Place, Belmont Party Supply, BrewTensils, 5th Street Wine & Deli, The Barrel House, Bee Gee’s Market, Chappy’s Tap Room, Kings Table, Lucky’s Tap Room, South Park Tavern, Thai 9 and Trolley Stop or on the web at www.bigbeersdayton.com.

Celebrate Derby Day at Whisk(e)y for Wisdom Fundraiser

May 5, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

The Montessori School of Dayton Foundation has become pretty successful with their winter beer tasting event, founded in 2011 it’s been a sellout for the last few years. So for a spring event they’ve launched a Whisk(e)y for Wisdom event that will take place this Saturday night from 5:30-8:30pm. With the rare opportunity to head inside the hallowed halls of the Engineer’s Club, guests will help support the school’s foundation to award grants, scholarships as well as support teacher education. Mike Schwartz from Belmont Party Supply and Ollie’s Place will help guests explore the differences between whiskey and whisky types, discover brand differences and the history of this fermented grain mash.

Tickets to the Whisky for Wisdom Event cost $45.00 and include:

8 (1/2 oz pours)
A bonus cocktail or special whiskey
Whisk(e)y-inspired food
A souvenir tasting glass
Coffee and dessert towards the end of the event

Additional tastes and cocktails will be available for purchase at the event. A sampling of the whiskies to taste include High West Campfire, Town Branch Rye, Oyo Olorosa, Woodford Reserve Double Oak and Glenfiddich 18.

The Dayton Cocktail Company will be on hand to mix classic cocktails, perfect to celebrate Derby Day with. Each general admission tickets includes one of these cocktails:

1. The Mint Julep
2. The Manhattan
3. The Old Fashioned
4. The Gold Rush!

Designated Drivers can purchase a ticket for a non-alcoholic cocktail, and access to the food and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages.

Live entertainment by The Wretched Few and cigar pairings by The Market will round out the event. To purchase tickets visit this website.

Want to be MostMetro.com’s guest to this event?

Like and share this post and leave a comment below on why you should be our guest. Winner is Jennifer Krohn. She and her guest will enjoy, courtesy of DMM!

5th Annual Big Beers & Barley Wines Festival – Ticket Contest

October 8, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby

Some beer festival are all about the masses, offering hundreds of beers, where theirs something for everyone. But for Big Beers & Barley Wines, the focus is more narrow. From it’s inception in 2009, when Mike & Donna Schwartz, owners of Belmont Party Supply, teamed up with Resident Home Association who support individuals with developmental disabilities, to host a small boutique quality beer fundraiser. Showcasing about 100 beers, attendance that first year was about 300 guests. Now five years later the event has grown quite a reputation for showcasing premium and rare craft beers. Last year there were about 500 in attendance, and with the increased interest in craft beers, there’s no doubt that this event will probably have increased attendance this year. Organizers have acknowledged the desire to keep this event intimate and will probably cap ticket sales at about 700.

This years event, scheduled for Sat, Oct 11th from 4-8pm, will continue that tradition of extraordinary beers inside the Roundhouse at Montgomery County Fairgrounds. For your $35 admission you’ll get a tasting glass and 20 samples of unique and rare craft beers. All proceeds from this event go to Resident Home Association. Non-drinker/DD tickets are $10.00 and are available at the door day of event.
One of the unique aspects to this festival is the special tappings that happen throughout the event, usually by beer reps who are more than willing to share the history of the brews as they pour.

You can pick up tickets at your favorite beer stop including: Belmont Party Supply, BrewTensils, 5th Street Wine & Deli, Bee Gee’s Market, Boston’s Bistro, Chappy’s Tap Room, Harrigan’s Tavern, King’s Table, Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery, Pour Haus, South Park Tavern, Thai 9 and Trolley Stop or purchase tickets online.

DMM TICKET CONTEST:

We’ve got a pair of tickets to share with one lucky beer fan. To be entered in our random drawing, fill out the form below and convince us below why you should win these tickets. Share this story on your facebook page to double your chances to win!

Congrats to our winner Marshall Weil from Tipp City!

Ohio Vs. Michigan Beer Battle At Brew Ha-Ha

January 22, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby 14 Comments

It’s just a fact these days that schools must do fundraisers. Who hasn’t been asked to buy wrapping paper, popcorn, candy or cookie dough? Not at the Montessori School of Dayton. True to the nature of a Montessori school, the parents tasked with raising funds for this school wanted to create something free flowing that could grow and sustain itself. So in 2012 they launched Brew Ha-Ha, a beer tasting event. All proceeds from the Brew Ha-Ha’s are directed to the MSD Capital Improvement fund for the school, which was built in 1961. Proceeds from the first two years of events put a new floor in the gym. This year they are fundraising for a new roof, purchase of new windows, and energy efficient updates. The privately owned non-profit school in Kettering is working towards having the building LEAD Certified.

The event, to be held Sat, Jan 25th from 6-10pm in the school gym, is celebrating the emergence of our local breweries with an Ohio vs. Michigan craft beer showdown featuring the best craft beer in each state. Featured breweries include Dark Horse New Holland, Blank Slate Triple Digit, Rivertown, Elevator, Warped Wing, Star City, Eudora, Yellow Springs, Hairless Hare, Dayton Brewing Company, Toxic Brew, Lock 27, Rheingeist, Thirsty Dog, Founder’s, Jolly Pumpkin, Jackie O’s, New Holland, Bell’s, Madtree North Peak and Vandermill. After tasting, attendees will be asked to select their favorite Ohio and favorite Michigan brewery as well as select the state with the best overall brews. To further show your beer pride, guests can purchase a Red or Blue Beer t-shirt, custom printed on site.

Event organizers Kevin Gray and Michael Taylor explained that there will be about 50 beers, well actually 1 of them is a cider (from Vandermill, a cidery that has been making news in MI recently) and that they have 8-10 really rare beers. Kevin shared that Mike Schwartz from Belmont Party Supply has worked with the event to really secure some great craft beers, and wile they are not all Ohio or Michigan brewers, the focus is certainly midwestern breweries. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone finds a beer that enjoy, and we’ve worked really hard to educate all of our pourers, so they can make suggestions to lead you through a great tasting experience,” says Gray, a beer columnist for Dayton City Paper. Parents will be paired with several of the brewers and local tavern owners to serve the craft beers. Chris Moore from The FireNote.com will be providing the musical background for the evening.

Taylor admits he wasn’t much of a beer drinker when this event started, but Kevin has dragged him along and listening to the enthusiasm he oozes when talking about Brew Ha-Ha, it’s easy to tell he’s now a beer geek. He explains, “you’ll want to be sure and pick up a program at the event, not only to rate and remember your beers, but BrewTensils,our local home beer and wine making supply store will share some recipes for home brewers. Also on hand, perhaps even with some samples will be members of DRAFT, Dayton’s homebrewing club.

Food will available from Stackers, Subs & Grub and Fifth Street Wine and Deli. During the last hour of the event, coffee from the custom Viking Blend, normally served in the junior high run Bison Cafe and a dessert buffet. Any beers left at the end of the night will be sold.

Event tickets are $30 and we suggest you purchase them now online, as this event will sell out at 350. As we post this, there were less than 100 left. Each attendees will receive 10 tasting tickets, and each pour will be 4oz. Additional tastes may be purchased for $1 each. Also be sure to bring some extra cash to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes the night of the event. A limited number of designated driver tickets may be available, contact the event organizers via their eventbrite page for more info.

DMM Ticket Giveaway:
MostMetro.com is dedicated to educating our community about the array of craft beers available, so we’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to Brew Ha-Ha. Just like this post, tell us your favorite craft beer below and enter to win. Ticket winner will be announced here Thursday after 9pm.

Congratulations to our ticket winner: Kaytee Houser!

Big Hearts, Beers, and Barleywines – A Chat with Peter Roll

September 27, 2013 By Brian Petro Leave a Comment

Break out the tasting glasses one more time, and help out Daytonians in need!

Dayton is the proud home of multiple, exceptional beer festivals. They kick off in March with AleFeast, pairing fine craft beers with some of the best local cuisine in Dayton. Dayton Beer Week is the big week of beer love in the Miami Valley, with most of the restaurants in town participating in some way. It starts with a beer parade, and ends with AleFest, a day filled with amazing beers from over a hundred breweries. Many of you may even be going to Oktoberfest this weekend at the Dayton Art Institute, another great downtown festival in celebration of German culture, including their fine selection of beers. All of the fans of barley and hops need to save a little room for one more beer festival. Big Beers and Barleywines will be coming up on October 5th, and there are two very particular reasons to support this great event.

One huge reason is how unique the beers will be. This is the event for the craft beer fanatic. Many of the other events showcase a wide variety of beers and breweries, giving patrons an extensive range of popular beers to sample. Big Beers takes a different path, focusing on some of the biggest flavored and rarest beers that can be found in the country. There are 150 beers to choose from, with more unique beers being released on the Facebook page all the time. Some recent releases are Oskar Blue’s Ten Fidy imperial stout, aged for nine months in Four Roses bourbon barrels, Bell’s Black Note, Goose Island Halia, a saison with peach and aged in wine barrels, and Elevator Bar Bar Barleywine. All of these beers are not just delightful to try, but are hard to come by outside of their region or festivals like this one.

Resident Home Association helping people in Dayton

These are some of the many faces the Resident Home Association helps in our city.

The other compelling reason is the charity it supports. The Resident Home Association has been helping adults in Dayton with developmental disabilities since 1966. They provide everything from housing and trips to work to cookouts and ladies pampering classes. They have not just developed a community focused non-profit; they have developed a family that helps each other. Five years ago Peter Roll, the Executive Director of the RHA, was offered an opportunity to partner with old friends of his. Mike and Donna Schwartz, longtime supporters of the RHA and owners of Belmont Party Supply, wanted to have a beer tasting to help raise funds for the non-profit. That beer tasting grew into what we now call Big Beers and Barleywines. Mr. Roll went into greater depth about the organization and what it provides in a conversation I had with him.

Brian Petro: Tell me a little of your background. Are you a Dayton native? Where did you go to school? What did you go to school for?

Peter Roll: I am a native Daytonian. I graduated from Chaminade Julienne High School in 1974-the first graduating class after the merger of Chaminade and Julienne High Schools. While sorting my way through college I worked at the Dayton Children’s Psychiatric Hospital and the St. Josephs Treatment Center. After Graduating from the University of Dayton I was hired by Sally Young at the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disability Services as a Case Manager. It was in my role as a case manager that I became aware of RHA. I knew that if I was to leave the county and work in residential services, Resident Home was the only place I would consider.

BP: What brought you to the Resident Home Association?

PR: As a case manager for the county I had the opportunity to see many residential programs and Resident Home clearly stood out as the best residential provider organization in the area if not the State of Ohio. In 1987 the directors of RHA, Shirley Fowler and Brenda Whitney recruited me and convinced to come to Resident Home. The push for quality services and a well trained and experienced work force were already in place when I arrived in October 1987 and made my decision an easy one. I gave up job security with public benefits to come to a place that puts the care of its residents above everything else. In retrospect I could not have made a better decision and I hope I have contributed to the success of the agency.

BP: How has the RHA changed over the last four decades? Have there been any social developments that have impacted how the organization has grown?

PR: When I arrived we had the capacity to serve 72 people in 9 different locations. We now have the capacity to provide residential services to 80 people in 13 locations. We had some of our more independent people living in an apartment complex in Kettering when I arrived, but because of aging issues, we moved those residents into 2 homes to better look after their health and safety needs. That move occurred in 2007. We also moved 2 homes off of East Third Street. One in 2005 and the other in 2010. Both of these moves were made to provide safer neighborhoods for our residents and to provide homes that were more accessible. In addition to those significant changes we have added new services such as adult day services, transportation services and we are still one of the few agencies providing respite care services. Even as we expanded the number of people served and the types of services offered, we will not put expansion ahead of the quality we strive to provide. Our feeling is that you have to serve within your means and sometimes bigger and more is not always best.

BP: In 2001, the RHA became part of Partners for Community Living. What was the impetus for that move? How has it benefitted all parties involved?

PR: Partners for Community Living is a partnership between the Resident Home and Choices in Community Living that grew out of a philosophy that sometimes it’s easier and more efficient to manage resources in certain areas together that you may not be able to do well or at all, if you attempted to do so individually. It was with this mindset that Partners for Community was formed. Each agency maintains its own identity but we also share resources in such areas as establishing an endowment, having a shared volunteer program, utilizing the same staff to put out newsletters, participate in fund raising events and provide wish lists and “fun raising” events for residents of both agencies. We are now in our 11th year and this venture has been extremely valuable to us as it greatly adds to the quality of life for those we serve.

Peter Roll, Executive Director of the Resident Home Association of Dayton

Peter Roll, (left) Executive Director of the Resident Home Association and enjoyer of fine stouts.

BP: What projects is your organization currently working on?

PR: Right now we are in the midst of a technological transformation. All of our homes have had computers for years but we were not using our electronic capabilities to the point where we could store information. For the past few summers we have been scanning paper records to our servers (in a three week period 50,000 documents) but even as we were doing this our paper continued to grow. We are now evaluating systems that will help us electronically document our daily services and store our information. We are investing in new servers, time systems and electronic medication administration record keeping. This sounds pretty dry but it is very important for us to convert to systems that help us manage and retain our records while at the same time make us more environmentally efficient.

BP: Your organization has over 5,000 hours of volunteer work done each year. What are you looking for in your volunteers? Any skill sets you are in need of or just people willing to help?

PR: We need people of all types to help us out and volunteers are very much appreciated regardless of their skill sets. Everyone has something to offer and we many programs they could choose from that would benefit our agency and those we serve. We have Friends by Choice which is our version of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We have Adopt–A-Home where an individual or group could pick a location and help with activities, landscaping, etc. We always need help with our events, newsletter mailings and grounds clean-up. Nutritionists, exercise and healthy living, music and art appreciation are other examples of volunteers we could use.

BP: What are the biggest challenges you see for the RHA in the future?

PR: Funding and workforce development. As it stands now our funding sources barely keep pace with our expenses. With new rules, unfunded mandates and the pending impact of the federal healthcare law, we will find it very difficult to make ends meet. We also have an aging workforce especially in the management area and we really need to have some of our folks assume leadership positions. This is also a funding issue. Right now our funders expect quality but don’t want to fund adequate levels of supervision. In addition wages for direct service workers are not what they should be and the push to increase minimum wages has a detrimental effect on us as we are competing for some of the same workers but our expectations are some much higher than the typical minimum wage jobs yet our pay scales our similar. This causes some potential workers to take positions that are less demanding at a similar level of pay.

A large crowd at Big Beers and Barleywines

All of these people will be enjoying the magic of rare craft beers. Will you be one of them?

BP: What is your favorite part of the event?

PR: For me my most favorite parts are the way Mike and his employees, especially Natalie Phillips, embraces the festival but more importantly our mission. They really care about what we do and the people we serve. Their desire to obtain the finest products available to support our cause is sometimes overwhelming. I also like to see the pure enjoyment of the patrons. The smiles, laughter and goodwill gestures are very endearing.

BP: What are your favorite beers to enjoy?

PR: I’m certainly not a great beer connoisseur but I have grown to appreciate porters and stouts.

Dayton has a long history of supporting original industrial and business pursuits as well as creating a strong community that lifts up those that need it. For the price of one ticket, you get to sample some of the best beers in the country as well as help a great local organization. The event itself takes place at the Roundhouse in the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, October 5th from 4PM to 8 PM. All of the proceeds generated by Big Beers and Barleywines go to the RHA, to help them continue to provide the outstanding service that the community has come to expect from them to an even wider range of adults in need. It is a once a year opportunity that is not to be missed.

Brew it yourself!

August 21, 2012 By Brian Petro Leave a Comment

Belmont Party Supply was the original home of BrewTensils.

How are you enjoying Dayton Beer Week so far? The wide variety of beers, beer dinners, and other special events should be heaven for any beer lover in the area. Some people are not satisfied with just going out and enjoying. Some people need to create it on their own. For those people, there is BrewTensils. They have been open for just a few years, but have a much longer history than that. Darren Link, the manager at BrewTensils, took some valuable time out of his schedule to answer a few questions for us here at Dayton Most Metro. He spoke a little about the growing Dayton craft beer scene, how he started home brewing, and how you can join the ranks of home brewers in the area.

How did you get into home brewing? How long have you been doing it?

I got into it the same way almost everybody else does, a friend said “Let’s make some beer.” And I had the typical reaction “You can do that?” We made a few awful batches, I ‘borrowed’ some of his equipment to do my own beers. I got the bug and have been doing it for 4 years now.

What is your favorite style of beer to brew?

I kind of jump around with the styles I brew, so I don’t think I have a favorite style to brew. I enjoy brewing IPA’s; you will never have a fresher IPA than one you brew yourself. I also enjoy brewing English styles, Belgian Sours, and recently finished my second lager a Munich Dunkel.

What made it a good time in Dayton to open a home brewing store?

We have sold homebrewing supplies for the past 25+ years. The supplies used to be in the back of the beer store next door, Belmont Party Supply. A small shelf and items were constantly out of stock. Both BrewTensils & Belmont Party Supply are owned by Mike Schwartz. He noticed the demand increasing in the area and after the dry cleaner went out of business that used to occupy this space, established the current BrewTensils roughly 3 years ago. We’ve been consistently growing ever since.

Brew all the grains! Photo courtesy of Mike Lang

How have you seen tastes in beers change?

There’s almost an evolution in craft beer drinkers tastes. They have one craft beer or a couple beers that change their prospective. They get curious about what else is out there; they typically get into IPA’s and the hoppier styles. Then higher gravity (higher alcohol) and finally start appreciating the styles that are difficult to brew. As far a craft in general, it’s up 14% this year when beer sales in general have declined.

Do you see home brewers influencing national trends, or vice versa?

I think it’s a two way street. Brewers like to see how close they can get to brewing their favorite commercial beers. There are literally millions of clone recipes on the internet; New Belgium Fat Tire, Bell’s Two Hearted, and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald being very popular ones. On the other side of it, homebrewers have helped to save some less popular beer styles. I feel that traditional Belgian Lambics have been an example. Almost going extinct in Belgium in the 60’s & 70’s, the popularity amongst homebrewers, professional brewers & beer connoisseurs have helped to keep them alive.

IPAs look like they are all the rage right now. What do you think the next beer trend is going to be?

I think IPA’s will always be the rage. I think session beers are increasing in popularity. A session beer being defined as a beer you can drink large quantities of without getting sloshed and typically has an alcohol percentage between 4 & 5.6 or lower. People want to try several different beers in one sitting, maybe even venturing outside of their comfort zone. On the other side of that there’s ‘extreme’ beers which can clock in at 10, 12 even 18 or 20 percent, which you can have one of and be rocked.

When does your next round of classes start? What do you like most about teaching them?

I don’t have dates set for those yet but I’m looking at having a round of classes before the holidays, so October/ November time frame. Our largest attended class is right after the holidays in January. The past 2 years we’ve had 70 people attend Brewing 101.

I like seeing their excitement of getting started, getting hooked and then bringing their first or second beer in for me to taste to see what I think of it. Kind of living vicariously through my customers reminding me of how excited I was when I started.

Would you buy a home brewing kit from this man? Photo courtesy of Mike Lang

What is the:

-best beer you have tasted brewed by one of your customers?

The one that’s in front of me. No seriously, I am always pleasantly surprised by the high quality of beers that my customers brew.

-the worst beer? (or a beer that people seem to have the hardest time brewing)

There’s an ancient beer style that used a whole uncooked chicken thrown into the fermenter. He soaked the entire chicken in white wine to ‘sanitize’ it, put it in the secondary for about 2 weeks, and loosely filtered it. I thought I was going to get salmonella from drinking it but the white wine added more character than the chicken.

-a beer you thought sounded awful but ended up tasting really good?

It didn’t sound awful; I was more intrigued by the idea of using homegrown garden herbs and spices in a beer. I have a couple of those I’ve done with great success. Honey basil ale is a really popular summer seasonal. Several customers have brewed it also with rave reviews. Another one that came out well is Thai basil & lemongrass wheat. But not all experimentation beers have turned out well, I’m still trying to perfect a baklava inspired beer with honey, pistachios, and philo dough.

Dayton Beer Company just opened, and Toxic Brew Company, Fifth Street Brewpub, Vitruvian Brew, Yellow Springs Brewery and Dayton History are poised to open breweries in the near future. Plenty of restaurants already have a wide selection of craft beers in the area, like Boston’s, South Park Tavern, Chappy’s, and a few others. Do you think Dayton is close to a saturation point on breweries and craft beer?

Not even close, we’ve only just begun. I had a theory before the new resurgence of breweries. I think Dayton was the largest craft thirsty market in the US that didn’t have an operating brewery. Look at the numbers Fifth Street Brewpub got for their charter member drive. Their original goal was 300 they got 830, in one month. I feel that Dayton and surrounding areas could support a double digit number of breweries. Grand Rapids, Michigan and Ashville, North Carolina split the Beer City USA title this year. Those aren’t huge markets but beer tourism drives some of that. Don’t be surprised to see some beer tourism in Dayton a couple years from now.

What is your advice to someone that wants to start brewing? What is a good “beginning style” to start with?

My advice for new brewers is to do some reading first. Read Jon Palmer’s “How to Brew”. Either pick up a copy or read it online at howtobrew.com. He writes it in a way so you can avoid mistakes and have a successful beer they will enjoy and be proud of the first time they brew. Other than that, start small, pick up a Brewer’s Best Deluxe Equipment Kit and a small bottle of Star San sanitizer. Cleaning and sanitization are very important and are two separate actions. The Brewer’s Best English Brown Ale is by far the best selling first time brewer recipe kit, it comes out like a Newcastle. The nice thing about the recipe kits is they only require a 2 ½ gallon boil so it can be done on the stove

Belmont Party Supply, BrewTensils, and Stacker’s Subs and Grub are all located on Smithville Road, near Watervliet Avenue. You can call BrewTensils at (937) 252-4724, and become their fan on Facebook. Cheers!