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Chappy's Tap Room

Original Chappys Location To Close

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It was one of the first local bars to embrace the craft beer craze when it opened it’s West Alex-Bell location in 2007. Chappy’s, owners Dave and Lori Camplin   announced tonight on their facebook page that they will be closing the Moraine operation and concentrating on the Centerville store:

 

Our lease is up and Saturday will be our last day at this location. We are moving everything to our Centerville location 7880 Washington Village Drive. We will be open 7 days a week at 11am and will have Trivia on Monday, 2 for $24 dinners on Tuesday and Pint Night on Thursdays. All gift cards are good at the Centerville location and all the beer club cards will be transferred. Dave and I will be here Saturday night so hope you can stop in for a great beer or 2 (seriously help us kill some kegs so we don’t have to move them!!) and share some great memories of the place that started it all!!

The newer Chappy’s opened in May of 2015 and is almost twice the size of the original,  with 340 seats, a large patio and a private room that holds up to 70 guests.

Big Beers gets even Bigger!

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

 

ka6-iv0gz7k7repojehdrsi2bwtwxezkg3wulkh1ado-1Dayton 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 31st. 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 h0syi8putqfdcqwo1ep5xa7l4lhs-wowwp8z2zdksdkStathes, 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.

 

crckh7n9jcgcv0gmhhm-d8mgyfhkayx3xyo4v0pocmsWant 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.”

resident-home-association

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.”

 

beer-fest-logoAll 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.

 

 

 

This Weeks Beer Tasting Bonanza

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It’s long been known that Dayton offers an array of wine tastings that rival towns twice our size, but in the last few months our local taverns have really been stepping up the craft brews they offer.

Here’s a quick round up so you can taste your way across town- be sure to click on the link for more detailed information on each event.

Tues
5-7pm Abita Beer Tasting at Rue Dumaine

Wed
7pm – Mike Scwartz from Belmont Party Supply hosts the monthly Trolley Tasting
9 beers and munchies just $20- arrive early this sells out!

5pm – Archer’s Tavern taps a new craft beer each Wed night

Thurs
6:30pm  Goose Island Beer Dinner at Dorothy Lane Springboro

7pm  Dogfish Head’s Hellbound On My Ale Tapping at Spinoza’s

7pm La Tappe Isid’or Tapping at Chappy’s

Fri

5-7pm Arrow Wine Centerville‘s Weekly Beer Tasting
There will be more posted as the week goes on, so be sure and check back.  Did you know you can choose the Dayton On Tap header under DatyonDining and you’ll get a weekly listing of beer tastings around town that’s constantly being updated located on the right column!  And if you know of a place that serves up some great beers, add it below in the comments!  Cheers!

The Darker, Richer Side Of The Beer Spectrum, The Stout.

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My brother and I were hanging out with an Ireland native a few years back, chatting and drinking beer. St. Patrick ’s Day was right around the corner, and  we asked him if the Irish drink green beer, like we do here in the United States. He looked at us and answered “No self respecting Irishman would be caught drinking a beer light enough to be dyed green.” St. Patrick ’s Day is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to the darker, richer side of the beer spectrum, the stout.

Initially, stout referred to any beer that was stronger than normal. For years, stout pale ales and brown ales were brewed in many parts of England. Stout was first associated with the darker,  porter style of beer in London in the 18th century by Arthur Guinness, and eventually instead of referring to the drink as “stout porter”, people started referring to the drink as “stout”. There is very little difference today between stouts and porters. Porters tend to use malted barley, and stouts use unmalted roasted barley. Some say it is the amount of water that is added when brewing. There really is no consensus at to a true difference. What you do get from stouts (and porters) is generally a deep, rich, roasted flavor with a hint of bitterness, much like you would get from a full bodied coffee or a dark chocolate.

Stouts have been gaining popularity in recent years, but there are still plenty of misconceptions about it. Many of them came from marketing campaigns before calories and carbs were bad. Stouts were long advertised as filling and healthful, especially milk stouts (brewed with milk sugars, which do not ferment well and lower the alcohol content) and oatmeal stouts (which adds oatmeal to the list of ingredients, giving it a sweeter taste and thicker feel). They were sold to athletes, workers, and nursing mothers because of their high carbohydrate content. While stouts still have a higher than average amounts of carbs, the calorie count and alcohol content can be relatively low. Guinness weighs in at 4.1% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is about the same as you would get in a Bud Light. Guinness also has just sixteen more calories than Bud Light in a 12 oz. bottle. Guinness is almost as light as Bud Light.

Guinness has been judiciously used in this article because when people think of stout, they think of Guinness. If you are going out for St. Pats that is probably the stout you have on your mind, but hold up. Maybe you should explore a little. Chappy’s Tap Room and Grille has a wide range of stouts, such as Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (a personal favorite), Rogue Imperial Stout, and much hailed Lion Stout. If you are a little closer to downtown, South Park Tavern has its own selection of great beers, including Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and Murphy’s (a little lighter and sweeter than Guinness). If you are planning a little party at your place, you can stock up at Belmont Party Supply, where they have a full range of fine stouts from all over the world. Mt. Carmel Stout and Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Edmund Fitzgerald are delicious Ohio stouts, and Samuel Adams Imperial Stout is a smooth, rich treat for your taste buds. Southern Tier Brewery, also available at Belmont, offers delicacies such as Chokolat, Crème Brule, and Mokah stouts.

If you do plan on going out and celebrating with a traditional pint of fresh poured Guinness, then heading over to The Dublin Pub should be your location of choice. They pride themselves on pouring the Perfect Pint, and it is a very unique ritual to drinking Guinness. It takes 119 seconds to pour it, and The Dublin Pub has made it part of their art. Their kegs have the appropriate blend of nitrogen and carbon dioxide to ensure the waterfall effect that is also part of pouring the Perfect Pint. If you are still on the fence about trying a straight stout, The Dublin Pub also offers quite a few variations. Guinness layers nicely on a variety of beers, such as hard cider (Black Velvet or a Snakebite), Blue Moon (Black and Blue), Newcastle (Black Castle or Black and Brown), or the traditional Bass (Black and Tan). The young lady I spoke with said they would layer Guinness on most any beer they had, as long as you ask nicely.

On St. Patrick’s Day, we get to be a little Irish. Celebrate that little part of by introducing yourself to a traditional Irish beer. There are plenty of options out there, and many establishments have their beer lists online for you to look over.  And remember, no beers that are dyed green. Slainte!

Hey Hop-Heads – This One’s For You!

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The Hoptimum was created during on of Sierra Nevada’s “Beer Camps,” a new program where people — usually beer distributors, retailers and others — spend two days at the brewery’s pilot brewhouse learning about the brewery and making their own small batch of beer.  After the success of the single batch, beer camp Hoptimum, Sierra Nevada tweaked the formula for a commercial release, which they describe as follows:

Hops, hops, and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous “new-school” and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar, and tropical fruit — all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.

Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced.

alcohol content 10.4% by volume BITTERING hops German Magnum
beginning gravity 22.8 Plato AROMA hops Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
ending gravity 4.5 Plato DRY hops Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
bitterness units 100 TORPEDO hops Citra & Chinook
yeast Ale malts Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat

Get your Hoptimum fix at at:

Chappy’s – keg tapping at 7pm on Thurs, Feb 10th

Spinoza’s – keg tapping at 6pm on Fri, Feb 11th

Adoration Winter Ale debuts at Chappy’s

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Not far from the birthplace of baseball, in Copperstown NY,  is one of our countries most unique microbrewery’s. Set on a former hop farm in upstate New York, Brewery Ommegang was born with the philosophy that truly unique ales must be built from the ground up. Brewery Ommegang is the place where brewing is an art and partaking is a passion.

And just in time for some holiday swilling, Ommegang Adoration, brewed in the authentic style of Belgian winter, or noel beer, is dark, strong, malty and assertively spiced, will make it’s debut at Chappy’s Tap Room & Grill.

At 10% abv Adoration is not a lightweight beer, and is best sipped before a roaring fire, or on a sleigh ride over the hills to Grandma’s house. (But let someone else drive.)  Even at the strong abv, the beer is well-balanced and not at all hot or fiery. The dark malts give it lush, malty flavors and aromas, strongly complemented by the five spices, including coriander, cumin, mace, cardamom and grains of paradise. Hopping is modest, as befits such a beer.

According to the brewery’s Larry Bennett, “The idea was to do a traditional, Belgian-style winter/Noel/Christmas beer in the US. Few breweries here attempt to make one in the traditional Belgian style.  It’s malty, spicy and dry. It’s 10% abv but has no obvious alcohol burn.”

And here’s a head’s up, next Wed, Dec 29th at 7pm Chappy’s will tap Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence.  I’ll be there, will you?