- Maumee Bay Brewing Co. is located in the Oliver House
While vacationing in Toledo, OH; I had met up with an old friend of mine Brian Hunter. We decided to visit Toledo’s very own local craft brewery, The Maumee Bay Brewing Co. (MBBC) which is located within the Oliver House, downtown Toledo. When we first arrived to the brewery, we were immediately greeted by their friendly staff. We decided to sit at the bar to be close to their draft taps and talk with their staff. After reviewing their menu, I decided to go for the sampler before I got a pint’s worth of beer. My friend on the other hand decided to go for the full pints worth of their India Pale Ale. Almost instantly, our beers were served up as soon as we ordered them. My sampler had six 6 oz beers that were chilled to perfection. Going in Order from left to right, I started off with their infamous Buckeye Beer!
Normally I’m very sketchy about trying craft breweries light lagers. This is only because this particular style of beer is very hard to create. But to my surprise, Buckeye Beer was a very crisp and refreshing beer. Weighing in at 5.2%ABV, 14 IBU’s and holding a brilliant golden straw hued color, it’s a great starter in their arsenal of beers they have to offer. To the nose it has virtually no malty or hop aromas, Buckeye Beer is very smooth, crisp, balanced, light-bodied, and finishes slightly sweet and dry. Overall I though it was a great beer, although its head diminished fairly quickly. This is to be expected for this particular style of beer. If you’re ever in the Toledo, OH area. I highly recommend to grab a pint or a 6 pack of this delicious beer! At the brewpub, they offer 6 racks of Buckeye Beer that are extremely fresh to take on the road. Priced at $2.50 a pint glass, this is also a good beer to drink if you’re on a budget. If you or your friends are hardcore Bud, Miller, Coors fans…you might want to give this beer a try. Overall I give this beer a 4.1 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 3.5
- Flavor – 3.5
- Appearance – 4.5
- Overall – 4.1
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After a great start on their beer line up, I proceeded to the next beer from the sampler. This was MBBC’s interpretation of the English Pale Ale. Normally, I’m not a fan of any English beers..only because they’re not for me. But I’m willing to try any beer for the sake of doing so. Weighing in at 5.6% ABV and 34 IBU’s, while holding up to the light. It held a slightly hazy-golden-amber-hued-color in the glass. To the nose it was slightly hoppy from the English Golding’s hops with some bready maltiness from the Maris Otter malts used. On the palate it had a warm malty presence that finished slightly hoppy and sweet. It had a low-medium body and it’s head retention quickly faded shortly after the Buckeye Beer head fell. I really enjoyed Kings Schilling Pale Ale, MBBC did a great job with their interpretation of the English Pale Ale. Although, I’d say this beer was slightly over carbonated for this style of beer. Priced at $4.00 per pint, this beer gives you a bit more octane/bang for your buck than the Buckeye Beer does. Overall I give this beer a 3.8 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 4.0
- Flavor – 3.8
- Appearance – 3.5
- Overall – 3.8
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Being a huge fan of IPA’s, I had the privilege of trying a very unique IPA. I’ve never had a IPA that was hopped with Centennial hops the way that MBBC did with their IPA. Weighing in at a whopping 7.0%ABV and an insane 80 IBU’s, this beer is to not take lightly. While holding up to the light, the glass was as hazy as a Hefeweizen; but was amber in color. Which is appropriate for this style of beer from being dryhopped. To the nose, its citrusy-hoppy notes were extremely evident. No maltiness note were present, this was dryhopping done right! On the palate, it was like a citrusy-hop bomb that kept you coming back for more. It was well attenuated, carbonated to perfection! Residual sweetness from the crystal malts used countered the bitterness in a pleasant way. It held a decent head throughout the glass, which both the hops and crystal malts lended a hand in. Both Brian and I thoroughly enjoyed this beer and I highly recommend anyone to try this amazing hop-bombed IPA! Setting you back at $4.25 a pint, this is a beer where you’ll only need a few to get you a good buzz. Overall I give this beer a 4.5 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 4.6
- Flavor – 4.4
- Appearance – 4.5
- Overall – 4.5
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Being that I’m a rabid fan of American Amber Ales (AKA Red Ales), I had very high expectations for this beer. According to their menu and website, this is a local favorite and many customers often check back for its availability. Thankfully, MBBC has this amazing style of beer on hand for me to try. Weighing in at 5.0% ABV and 31 IBU’s, this was a perfect medium for the Red Ale. Holding the Red Ale up to the light, it had a brilliant yet gorgeous red-hued-deep-amber-color. To the nose, a slight citrusy presence from Cascade hops were evident, while some subtle toffee/chocolately notes were present from the chocolate malt used in the mash. This was my first Red Ale that used chocolate malt in the mash, and I must say it smelled delicious! On the palate, it was medium bodied, malty but balanced. There was hints of toffee/chocolately notes present and had a clean hoppy finish to it. As soon as I finished the Red Ale, I immediately knew that this would be my favorite beer that MBBC had to offer! Setting you back at $4.00 a pint, this is a clear winner while eating MBBC’s very own pizza! If you’re a fan of Red Ales, I definitely recommend this beer to try. Overall I give this beer a 4.5 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 4.5
- Flavor – 4.5
- Appearance – 4.5
- Overall – 4.5
Watermelon Wheat
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My second to last beer on my sampler I had left was the Watermelon Wheat Ale. I’ve heard of other breweries making this kind of beer, but never had the chance to try or make one myself. Weighing in 5.3% ABV and whopping 41 IBU’s. In the light, this beer was not hazy at all like most wheat based beers I’ve seen/drank before. Normally, the only clear wheat-based beers I’ve had before were Krystalweizens. I expecting this beer to have a deeper pink or red hue from the watermelon. But to my surprises, it held a brilliant amber color instead. To the nose it held sweet mouthwatering watermelon presence. There was no malty notes or hoppy notes present at all. As sweet as it smells, it’s definitely confusing to the palate for it’s very bitter from the hops and some citrusy notes from coriander seeds. No tasting notes from watermelon at all, and it has a lot of body and finishes slightly dry. I personally felt that the Watermelon was over bittered with hops, but it was a decent beer to try. I personally wouldn’t grab a pints worth of this beer, nothing against it…it’s just not for me. This beer will set you back at $4.00 a pint. Overall I give this beer a 3.2 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 4.0
- Flavor – 2.0
- Appearance – 3.5
- Overall – 3.2
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Being this was the last beer I had to try from my sampler I ordered. I was excited to try the Dry Irish Stout that MBBC had to offer. Weighing in at 4.9% ABV and having 38 IBU’s and having the best head retention out of all the beers I’ve had so far. I held the glass in the light and it was a dark ruby-hued black in color. To the nose it smelled just like a stout should smell. Having toffee/coffee/chocolately/roasty notes with no presence of hops. I took a swig of the stout and found that I wasn’t too fond of their flavor at all. So I tried another swig and on the palate, there was strong roasty notes that was cloying and unpleasant to me. My friend Brian agreed that it wasn’t the best example of a stout. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any further tasting notes of this beer for we met one of the Production Brewer’s at the time and completely forgot to write down any further notes. From what I remember from my Dry Irish Stout experience, I decided to give this beer an overall 3.2 out of 5.0.
- Aroma – 4.0
- Flavor – 1.5
- Appearance – 4.0
- Overall – 3.2
Overall we enjoyed our time at Toledo’s very own craft brewery and will continue to drink their beers. I suggest if you’re ever in the area to drop on by the brewery to eat their amazing food and try their beers they have to offer! Until then Brian and I on the hunt for local beers around the Northwest Ohio area!
More coming soon!
Project Norse God Microbrewery 