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So while you’re mingling with thousands of your fellow craft beer fans, the following is a short list of selections that caught our “connoisseur’s” eye.
Click here for the full beer list.
Rogue Ales Hazelnutly Choctobulus, ABV: 5.7 percent, IBU: 51
If you’re a fan of chocolate stouts or porters, this selection from Oregon’s Rogue Ales doubles down. Hazelnutly Choctobulus combines two other Rogue Ales beers – Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Rogue Chocolate Stout – into a dark, nutty, chocolate truffle-y concoction that might be too rich even for hardcore chocolate lovers. There’s only one way to find out.
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Moerlein Lager House Cherry Cordial Barbarossa, ABV: 5.3 percent, IBU: 0
Another dessert-flavored brew comes from the Moerlein Lager House, a favorite of denizens of the Banks or just people going to a Reds game. This dark lager is infused with cherries and vanilla. With this beer, you can skip the ice cream.
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Fretboard Vlad the Impaler Czech Pilsner, ABV: 5.3 percent, IBU: 17
Like all Czech Pilsners, Vlad is brewed using the Saaz hop, which produces a malty, moderate-to-full-bodied beer with an earthy, herbal aroma. This one, courtesy of Blue Ash’s Fretboard Brewing, is for serious pilsner drinkers only, as Vlad the Impaler was a somewhat serious dude.
Figleaf Iso-Trope IPA, ABV: 7.2 percent, IBU: 68
Who doesn’t like a little radioactivity with their brew? Seriously, the “iso” refers to “iso-alpha acids,” the primary bittering compounds created by hops. This one, from our very own Middletown brewery, Figleaf, is flavored with floral and fruity American hops.
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21st Amendment Back in Black, ABV: 6.8%, IBU: 65
This highly political beer is brewed like an American IPA but with rich, dark malts. In other words, it’s a bold challenge to the British-style IPA. But what do you expect from a San Francisco brewery named after the constitutional amendment that repealed Prohibition?
Alaskan Smoked Porter, ABV: 6.5 percent, IBU: 45
Using five types of malt and two varieties of hops and yeast, this limited edition porter has a relatively rare, smoky flavor. In addition to smoking their malts, this Juneau brewery gets its water from the glaciers in their back yard.
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Avery Liliko’i Kepolo, ABV: 5.4 percent, IBU: 10
Sometimes, craft beer drinkers suffering from the winter blahs need a taste of the tropics. This Belgian-style white ale is infused with hefty amounts of passionfruit flavor. This one comes courtesy of Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Colorado.
13 Below Lock and Dam #37, ABV: 6.9 percent, IBU: 32
This Scotch Ale, from Sayler Park’s 13 Below Brewery, uses Caravienne and brown malts and Edinburgh ale yeast to produce a malty beer with low to medium hops and a caramel color.
WANT TO GO?
What: Cincy Winter Beerfest
When: Feb. 2-3, 6:30-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Cincinnati
Cost: $45-$95
More Info: www.cincybeerfest.com | Facebook
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