Mogabi In Bottles!

Above: The Mogabi label features an image of Elevator Masterbrewer Vic Schiltz riding a motorcycle. "Mogabi" is his nickname.

Imagine a pint of wheat beer. Unfiltered and cloudy, right? Non-hopped, tart, perhaps garnished with fruit wedges to sweeten and soften the edge?

Not always.

Consider Elevator Brewing Company's Mogabi, a hoppy American wheat with bite, handcrafted from Masterbrewer Vic Schiltz’s own recipe.

The moniker? It’s actually Schiltz’s nickname.

Mogabi, brewed with Amarillo hops, was unveiled on Elevator taps in the fall. April 22 marked the official release of bottled Mogabi six-packs, a perfect companion on a warm spring evening.

Dick Stevens, Elevator owner and operator, accredits Mogabi’s bold flavor to “the spirit of experimentation” shared by Schiltz and Assistant Brewer Mark Beery, who have been working together for two years.

“With Mark, Vic has a counterpart,” Stevens said. “I try to give them the freedom to do things they wouldn’t have done before.”

With that freedom comes creativity – and innovation.

“This type of wheat beer is a purely American invention,” Stevens said. “We really live in Beer Nirvana. Can you think of another country that has this selection of beers?”

Fetch yourself a stash at these fine retailers:

Blacklick Wine & Spirits

Corners' (Gahanna)

Palmer's

Weiland's

Gentile's

Grapes of Mirth (North Market)

Pit Stop (Lancaster and Nelsonville)

Beverage Source (Newark)

Viking Premium Beverages

Weber Market

Whole Foods

Andersons

Clintonville Co-Op

Huffman's Market

Worthington Hills Market

Carnardo Wine & Cheese (U.A.)

Below: Mark Beery and Sean Davies bottle the first batch of Mogabi cases.