Ohio Brewing Company

The fraternity of brewers adheres to a simple creed: My fermenting tank is your fermenting tank.

Elevator Brewing Company is putting the finishing touches on a pair of limited batches for Akron-based Ohio Brewing Company. Dick Stevens, Elevator owner, is friends with Chris Verich, head honcho at Ohio Brewing Company.

Now for the bad news: If you're a local beer drinker, you're gonna need to set up a road trip to sample the stout and double red potions that Elevator Masterbrewer Vic Schiltz has overseen.

"They're just contract brews, meaning they won't be available at Elevator," Stevens confirmed.

However, the lucky attendees at February's Elevator brewery tour - roughly 45 folks, the biggest tour yet - were rewarded with a treat, sampling both beers before their pilgrimage to Akron.

Barrel Shopping With Elevator

Anyone in the market for used goods?

Elevator Brewing Company is putting six barrels up for sale. These barrels have a storied history, having been used twice: Once to distill whiskey, and once to age Elevator's Horny Goat Porter.

Now it's your chance to extend a perfect lifespan. In an attempt to raise money for future brewery equipment needs, Elevator is offering empty barrels for $99 apiece. These are perfect for planters, artwork, or attempting to make your own Horny Goat at home.

Call (614) 496-3575 for info, or stop by the brewery at 165 N. Fourth St.

February = Beer + Chocolate

Since it is February, Elevator Brewing Company thought it only fitting to feature two new beers this month crafted with traditional Valentine’s Day fare.

That’s right: Chocolate. Introducing Chocolate Cherry Wheat and Mocha Plum Stout, now on tap at Elevator.

Chocolate Cherry Wheat is Brewer Mark Beery’s second creation for the Professor of Hearty Drinking (PHD) program. Beery shot from the hip for this recipe, with no smaller batch or draft version to work from. The result is a light wheat beer with fruity esters, similar to a Belgian blonde due to the use of trappist yeast.

“There’s a hint of chocolate and a hint of cherry,” Beery explained. “It’s there, but it’s not going to whack you in the face.” For a food pairing, Beery recommends a salad with ranch dressing and bleu cheese crumbles.

The Mocha Plum Stout, by contrast, is as decadent as the Chocolate Cherry Wheat is subtle. Masterbrewer Vic Schiltz packed 16 pounds of chocolate and 42 pounds of plums into this recipe, part of the Masters of Beer Appreciation (MBA) program.

“It’s just your basic chocolate stout,” said Schiltz, ever the modest creator. A fun insider secret: Elevator’s previous batch of Mocha Plum Stout, unveiled at the Columbus Microbrew Festival in September, was actually made with prunes.

Come on down and fall in love with these new beers, available for a limited time only.