CLEVELAND, Ohio - A pair of Ohio breweries have made USA Today's list of holiday beers: Market Garden Brewery of Cleveland and Rhinegeist of Cincinnati.
Under the headline "Winter beer brings holiday cheer across the country," the paper's website has recognized almost three dozen breweries with holiday brews out this time of year. It's not a ranking, just an intriguing assortment of seasonal flavors.
Interestingly, Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s iconic Christmas Ale did not land on the list.
Here's what the site says about the two Ohio breweries:
Market Garden Brewery
"Adjacent to Cleveland's century-old West Side Market, Market Garden Brewery operates a bustling brewpub and bottle shop to complement its 35,000-square-foot brewery (true to its name, there's a beer garden, too). This year, Market Garden Brewery has released a limited lineup of craft brews inspired by the many stages of Festivus, the celebration popularized in the TV show 'Seinfeld'. The final brew in the lineup, a red rye IPA called Airing of Grievances, gets its name from the final stage of Festivus (when guests are invited to divulge just how much everyone has disappointed them this year). Suitably, the combination of three varieties of rye malt gives this inspired brew a spicy character that surely won't disappoint."
(Market Garden's holiday trio is Festivus Holiday Ale, Airing of Grievances Red Rye IPA and Feats of Strength Strong Belgian Ale.)
Rhinegeist
"In Cincinnati, another flannel-inspired brew is game for the season. Made by Rhinegeist, it's simply named Dad, a nod to the founder's own flannel-wearing father complete with notes of pine, citrus and caramel."
The mouth-watering list encompasses some tasty concoctions from more than a dozen breweries in the country. Moody Tongue Brewing in Chicago is offering Bourbon Barrel Aged Gingerbread Imperial Stout. Three Cranes from Mystic Brewery in Massachusetts is made with cranberries sourced from Cape Cod. And Evil Twin Brewing is releasing EggNog IPA made with egg whites and yolks, plus nutmeg, vanilla and bourbon extracts.