The Akron RubberDucks are hoping to hit a home run with their first craft beer festival.
The team will host the Ballpark Festival of Beers at Canal Park from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20.
“This is just another way of us reaching out to the community and making Canal Park the epicenter of Akron, as it should be,” said Jim Pfander, general manager and chief operating officer.
The festival, sponsored by Goose Island Beer Co., will showcase more than 100 local, regional and domestic beers. It will take place on the field, with the beer vendors set up on the warning track.
There also will be music and food from Canal Park concessions.
“A lot of people do beer fests but we’re going to do one with a ballpark atmosphere,” Pfander said. “Being on a baseball field and being able to walk in the outfield and sample a lot of different, great craft brews, it’s going to be a fun event.”
The RubberDucks, the AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, are still working on the brewery and beer list. But Goose Island, Spaten, Kona, Redhook, Widmer Brothers, Destihl, Elevator, Summit, Hoppin’ Frog, Fat Head’s, Jackie O’s, Alltech, Breckenridge and Left Hand already are lined up.
Tickets are $30 in advance, and $35 at the gates the day of the event. They include a commemorative tasting glass and 15 drink tickets.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Canal Park box office, by calling 330-253-5153, or online at www.akronrubberducks.com. And sorry, kids, but this event is only for those 21 or older.
Pfander hopes to turn the beer festival into an annual event. Times certainly have changed from when he first entered professional baseball 15 years ago, when the beer selection at the ballpark basically came down to Budweiser or Miller. Fans now expect craft beer to be available, he said.
Beer festivals also are a common promotion for minor-league baseball teams, which are always looking for ways to use their stadiums outside the baseball season.
Many hold beer events, including the Charleston RiverDogs, Dayton Dragons, Lansing Lugnuts and Fort Myers Miracle.
Best beer bar
With a selection of about 800 craft beers and more than 200 whiskeys, it’s not a stretch to say that the Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar is a great beer bar.
Now the original site in Bedford Heights — there also are locations in Copley Township and Lakewood — is being recognized as one of the best in the nation.
The Brewers Association, a Boulder, Colo., trade group, is once again looking to honor “Great American Beer Bars.” And Lizardville is one of the finalists in an online poll being conducted by CraftBeer.com — the association’s consumer website.
The website received more than 3,400 nominations and whittled that down to 50. People can now vote for their favorites based on region of the country.
Lizardville, a brand of the Winking Lizard Tavern chain, is in the North Central region. It’s the only bar from Ohio in the running.
To vote, go to www.CraftBeer.com. Voting ends Sept. 5.
Comeback beer
Hoppin’ Frog Brewery is resurrecting another beer. Smashing Berry Ale will make a comeback next week.
The Akron brewery will release the fruit beer, made with red raspberries, on draft and in bottles starting at 3 p.m. Aug. 27 at its Tasting Room, 1680 E. Waterloo Road.
The cost is $7.99 for a 22-ounce bottle. The beer will be available exclusively at the brewery.
Hoppin’ Frog stopped making Smashing Berry years ago, owner and brewer Fred Karm said, because it didn’t quite fit in with the brewery’s portfolio at the time.
“This was a beer that I absolutely loved but it wasn’t a good representation of what I wanted to be,” said Karm, who has built his reputation on producing high-alcohol, high-flavor stouts, India pale ales and specialty brews like Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin and Frosted Frog Christmas Ale. “Smashing Berry is a great craft beer but it wasn’t what I wanted to hang my hat on when we opened.”
Now that Hoppin’ Frog has solidly established its reputation, Karm feels more comfortable producing that beer. Longtime Hoppin’ Frog fans also may recall Smashing Berry Dark. That eventually will make a comeback, as well, but there’s no timetable for its return.
Smashing Berry isn’t the first Hoppin’ Frog beer to return after a lengthy hiatus. Earlier this year, the brewery brought back Gulden Fraug, a Belgian-style ale.
Speaking of Gulden Fraug, the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship selected it as the best beer in the Belgian/French specialty category during its summer session. Gulden Fraug is available in bottles and on draft at the Tasting Room.
Ohio Brew Week honors
Well, it took a while — OK, let’s just say it took fooooooorever — but Ohio Brew Week recently announced its People’s Choice beer awards.
It turns out it was a tie for No. 1, with Triple Digit Chickow! and Willoughby Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter sharing the Best Overall Brew of Ohio Brew Week 2014 top honor.
It was a three-way tie for second: Baltic Merman from Jackie O’s, Blueberry Ale from Rocky River and PawPaw Ale from Weasel Boy.
There also was a three-way tie for third: Barbarossa from Moerlein Lager House, B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher from Hoppin’ Frog and Double Couple Three Hops from Catawba Island.
In case you forgot, Ohio Brew Week took place from July 11-19. Beer drinkers got a chance to vote for a favorite brew. To see all the results, including best restaurant and other awards, go to www.ohiobreweek.com.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at www.ohio.com/beer. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.