The I-X Center International Beer Fest is back for a second year on May 11 & 12, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever! And to celebrate, I’m giving away two tickets to the tasty event! All you have to do is comment here on my blog, telling me which beer you’re most looking forward to tasting. I’ll throw in an extra entry if you tweet your response on Twitter.com to my attention @brewersdaughter as well! I’ll draw a random winner on Wednesday, May 9th at noon. If you’ve won tickets on other local blogs, you are not eligible to enter this contest. (Disclosure:  I was given two tickets to give away and Media Passes to attend the event.) 

This year’s fest features over 230 breweries and more than 800 beers. Other fun includes Ohio’s largest Silent Disco, an enhanced Real Ale Bar, Mixology Lounge, plus a Cider & Meads tasting pavilion!

If you don’t win tickets here, you can buy general admission tickets online at www.ixbeerfest.com by midnight on Sunday, May 6, and enter promo code REALDEAL5 for $5 off! Here’s more info:

Tasting Sessions:
Session 1 -- Friday, May 11 from 7-11 p.m.
Session 2 -- Saturday, May 12 from 1-5 p.m.
Session 3 -- Saturday, May 12 from 7-11 p.m.   

Pricing:
Single-Session General Admission
(Choose from Session 1, 2, or 3): $45
Single-Session “VIP exBEERience”
(Choose from Session 1, 2, or 3): $75
ALL-Session General Admission
(Includes ALL 3 Sessions): $120
ALL-Session “VIP exBEERience”
(Includes ALL 3 Sessions): $200
Designated Driver Ticket - excludes alcohol sampling
(Choose Session 1, 2, OR 3): $10

It’s a little last minute, but sometimes these things just work out that way. I have two tickets to give away to this weekend’s Spring Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center. Just post a comment on this blog entry telling me your favorite thing to grill–and I’ll draw a random winner TODAY at 4 p.m.! Personally, I like the beer drinking part that goes along with the grilling. The tickets will be emailed to you.

The timing is great as the grilling season gets underway in the CLE. The best celebrity grillers in the business will be sharing their tips, including Chefs Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and the “Barbecue Bible” grilling authority Steven Raichlen!

If you don’t happen to win the tickets, I’ve got a promo code for you. You’ll get $7 off admission courtesy of Weber Grills, the Official Grill Sponsor of the Food Show. The promo code is WEBER7. Use that when you check out here: http://www.fabulousfoodshow.com/tickets.aspx General admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door.  Happy grilling!

Are you a NE Ohio blogger? Or a follower/supporter of a NE Ohio blogger (like this one)? You’re invited to join the Ohio Blogging Association and me for a night out at Lizardville Beer Store and Whiskey Bar on Tuesday, April 17th at 6:30 p.m.!

You can RSVP on the Facebook event page, here: https://www.facebook.com/events/191074104334897/.

For $20 (payable at the door) you will get to enjoy a taste of the following beer and munchies:

Lager: Lagunitas Pils
Amber Ale: Bells Amber
Belgian: Victory Golden Monkey
Porter: Founders Porter
Stout: Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout
IPA: Bells Two Hearted

Food:
Cheese & Sausage Tray
Beer cheese bread
Margarita Flatbread
Buffalo Chicken Flatbread

If you haven’t been to Lizardville yet, this is a great opportunity to stop in and check out this unique beer and whiskey bar. Soft drinks and wine will also be available. Come meet your fellow/favorite NE Ohio bloggers! Hope to see you there.

March Madness is now behind us–the basketball tournament and the college admissions process. My pick to win, the Buckeyes, only got to the Final Four in New Orleans, and no further. But last night we celebrated the game with our good friends Cami and Tim–with cajun style shrimp, crawfish Étouffée, gumbo and more than a couple of Hurricanes! We were also celebrating the fact that our daughters–best friends since they were three years old–made their college decisions:

Molly is heading to The Ohio State University honors pre-med program, and my girl Ali will be heading off to the Ivy of the South, Tulane!

I’m thrilled for both girls, and looking forward to some really great trips to the Big Easy–I’ve actually never been before. Looks like I’m about to become a regular. Cheers to the next four years– “Laissez le bon temps rouler - let the good times roll!”

I confess that I have made this very mistake myself in the past, but I am here to set you straight as an arrow: it is NOT St. Patty’s Day. Patty is a nickname for a girl, or a slab of hamburger. Paddy is the nickname for Padraig, the masculine of Patrick in Ireland. It is fully explained here on this blog post: PaddyNotPatty.com. A very entertaining read, where everyone who makes that particular mistake on Twitter is called out in real time. Don’t get called out for your ignorance. Read the post for that bit of information and more, including why a 4-leaf clover is not a shamrock. And remember:

IT’S PADDY, NOT PATTY. EVER. 

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY? GRAND. 

PADDY’S DAY? SURE, DEAD-ON.  

ST. PAT’S? AYE, IF YE MUST.  ST. PATTY? NO, YE GOAT! 

Happy St. Paddy’s Day! May the luck o’ the Irish be with you always!

My affinity for college hoops in the month of March is only heightened by my excitement of waiting to hear from several colleges that my daughter Ali could be attending this fall. So far she has been accepted at Tulane (in New Orleans, scene of this year’s Final Four tourney), Hofstra, Washington & Jefferson and Washington College. We are waiting for notices from the schools she is most interested in– her Final Four include Brandeis, William & Mary, American U. and Georgetown. (I can just see her playing her saxophone along with the pep band in the stands of those NCAA basketball games.)

It has been a long winter getting to this month–we expect to hear from the first of those three in the next few weeks, and the Hoyas are torturing us by making us wait until an April 1st notification date. Of course we’re expected to make our deposits and commitments by May 1st. We have visited all her top picks already, except for Brandeis. Should she get an admit there, we may be making a trip to Boston over her spring break for their Accepted Students Day. I may have to pop in at Boston Beer and say hello to my friend Jim Koch if we do. In any case, I can’t wait to know for certain where my girl (and my money) will be headed for the next four years. It has been making me a bit of a crazy person.

Meanwhile, Cleveland Magazine has published its own form of March madness. Recently on Twitter, their editors asked Clevelanders for some favorite local blogs. I’m thrilled to have been mentioned and included in their “Nothing But Net” feature–which pits me against the very wonderful GreenDogWine in the first bracket. Voting opens up on March 5th! It’s a silly contest of course, but a great introduction to some wonderful blogs and bloggers in our fair city.

Then of course, St. Patrick’s Day weekend will soon be here, and that’s March Madness in itself. I’m looking forward to my Irish beer dinner with The Chubby Cook on Friday the 16th, as well as the high holiday–which falls on a Saturday this year. You’ll likely see me raising a few pints with friends at Chardon BrewWorks–they’ve got kegs and eggs starting at 7a.m.! That’s more than enough March Madness for me. Slainte!

I have been a frequent visitor of the small town of Chardon in Geauga County the past few months, working with Mike and Donna Nedrow, proprietors of Chardon BrewWorks. I’ve met all of the Nedrow children–college freshman Alyssa was the first to wait on me at the restaurant; high schooler Gabby has cheerfully pulled several shifts while I’ve been there; and middle schooler Davey is often found doing his homework and coming up with great ideas for promotions at the pub. They are a tightly knit family with deep ties to their community. Mike and Donna often host fundraisers, and they are always giving their time and sharing their beer with event organizers.

The charming town square and friendly people I’ve met at the upstairs bar — and of course the great beers Mike brews– have made it a pleasant place to spend a little time outside our family’s annual trips to the Geauga County Maple Festival. (Chardon is also our county seat, and I’ve made one or two visits to the court there for various traffic offenses. I much prefer visiting the brewpub.)

As anyone who has followed the news this week knows, Chardon High School was the scene of unfathomable violence — three teens are now dead, and two more are recovering from injuries they received in the mayhem at their school this past Monday morning–and countless others are mourning and reeling from the fact that this even happened. Several teachers are being called heroes for their selfless acts in preventing further violence, the school administration is providing calm leadership, teens in other school districts are wearing the Hilltoppers’ red and black in support, and the entire world is watching as this community comes together in the wake of this terrible event.

As it has been for centuries, the brewpub is a place for gathering and sharing fellowship, food and good brews. Mike and Donna have extended an invitation for all who want to share their feelings to come in and talk. They’ll be there as much as possible. They’ll also be donating 5% of their proceeds in March to the Chardon Healing Fund.

When you visit Chardon in the next few weeks, you’ll notice the red ribbons tied around the maple trees along the pretty streets and on the Square, and you’re sure to notice a quiet sadness too. But when you stop to talk to the person at the bar stool next to you, you’ll also feel the hope of a community that faced a tragedy and comforted one another, now sharing their Hilltopper pride with the world.

I had such a good time at the Beer Pairing Ladies Night with The Chubby Cook, we’ve decided to do another event. Make plans now to attend our Irish-themed beer dinner on Friday, March 16th! This is more than just a pairing/tasting, this is a hands-on cooking class with Scott Groth, the Chubby Cook himself–I’m providing the beers to go with his wonderful food.

Here’s the menu (I’m salivating already!):

Warm Cheddar, Ale & Bacon Dip

This lucious dip is served up with a delicious beer bread we will make together!

Shepherds Pie with Brown Ale

A hearty and classic dish which is satisfying and easy to assemble.

Guinness Marinated Pork Chops

Delicious bone-in chops cooked to perfection on the grill.

Braised Cabbage with Potatoes & Carrots

Chocolate Guinness Pudding

Combine a dark chocolate pudding and Guinness topped with a light, Guinness flavored whipped cream in a pint glass.

It’s $55 per person, call 216.342.4840 for your reservation! Slainte!

It’s precisely mid-February, and this year we even get an extra day of winter with Leap Year. Skies are overcast, there’s a damp chill in the air, what little snow we’ve had is grey and ugly and hanging around the edges. Time to think of some summer fun: beer festivals, beach picnics, vacations, July 4th parties…ahhh.

One of the traditions of New Albion Brewing back in the day was a Summer Solstice party, one of Jack’s favorite throw-downs of the year. He would brew a special beer for the party–one year it became known as “Old Toe Sucker.” I’ll let you think about that one.

Recently one of my California correspondents sent me a bit of memorabilia from those days, and I thought I’d share it here. It puts me in the mood for some summer fun, how about you? I’ll keep my toes in the sand.