2XIBA is the latest seasonal from Lakewood, NY’s Southern Tier Brewing Company. This india style black ale pours with a tremendously dark chocolate to midnight coloration and a fair amount of tannish head that creeps its way down a glass as one continues their journey. On the initial sip, imbibers will experience a blend of piney and fruity hops that are quickly followed up by a strong toasty, biscuity side…
A few months back, Teriyaki Madness opened in Akron. Any time we had driven out West Market Street, we always mused about stopping in. After a few months, we were ultimately able to visit. The restaurant is inviting without a hint of pretense, setting up the counter at the front of the location. When one puts in their order, they are greeted with a number of proteins (Spicy and normal…
Freeways of Time is a standout single from Morgan Washam’s latest album, Blood Moon. This track has a timeless feel to it that ensures that fans of the 1970s pop-country of John Denver and John Berry can appreciate.
Hobbsy have just released a single for their latest single, I Am. The track is a gritty, hard-edged rock track that has enough vocal harmony to keep listeners on the edges of their seats. The dynamic between the vocals and the drums, guitars and bass make for something that stands up to repeat listens.
There are a number of different BRAVO! Cucina Italiana locations scattered through our normal stomping grounds, but we had yet to visit the restaurant. We stopped into the BRAVO! Cucina Italiana location at the Summit Mall in Fairlawn, Ohio for dinner and had a memorable experience. The meal started with their inimitable herb bread and a spiced olive oil dip. The restaurant’s Calamari Fritti ($12.99) were succulent bites of calamari…
Sha-La Music, Inc. announces the release of Soul’d Out, the new Digital Single by Roots Rocker DownTown Mystic. The single’s release date is November 6 and will be digitally distributed via Sony Music’s The Orchard. Soul’d Out will get its World Premiere on the popular music site The Vinyl District on October 28. The single is now available for download to Radio prior to the official release date via AirPlay…
The major issue that we have experienced when it comes to pumpkin beers is the overwhelming tendency to make the efforts much too sweet to counteract some of the more sour and vegetal flavors of the aforementioned gourd. In doing so, brewers completely obfuscate what makes pumpkins so interesting. Idaho’s Tommyknocker brewery has created their Small Patch Pumpkin Ale, which is a well-balanced beer that allows the natural flavor of…
Rum King is an Imperial Stout from Minneapolis’ Indeed Brewing. The effort is aged in rum barrels, and pours with a dark brown to inky black coloration. A decent amount of mocha-colored head sits on the top of the pour. One can immediately smell the alcohol and rum burn issuing forth from a snifter; prepare to have your breath taken away with the first pull of Rum King. After this…
Death By Coconut is the latest seasonal brew from Oskar Blues, and it provides imbibers with a refreshing update to the porter style. The brewery has tagged this as an “irish porter”, meaning that it has a deep, dark coloration, a thick and fluffy amount of off-white to tannish head, and a set of flavors that are bold and front-forward. Death By Coconut is sweet with a little bit of…
Simply put, Le Meridien Columbus: The Joseph is one of the fanciest hotels in Columbus (it recently received the Four Diamond rating from AAA) and would rank in the top 10 across the state of Ohio. Clean lines, elegance, and careful planning of every aspect of the visit makes this into a must-visit for anyone that is making it to Ohio’s capitol for business, pleasure, or anything in between.
The shuffling, intense sound of the latest Bondurant (San Diego) single Crazy People will tattoo the track upon listeners’ minds. The falsetto that is weaved through this cut is catchy, building off of the trend of artists like Eric Nally (Foxy Shazam) and Adam Levine (Maroon 5). A clap-track and fuzzy guitar work give Crazy People a timeless sheen.
The Very Fairy Princess is a set of four stories – the titular tale, Extra Yarn, The Amazing Bone, and My Garden. Extra Yarn, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen (This is Not My Hat) discusses how one can utilize their imagination to transform normal life into something fantastic. What initially is something that keeps a child interested can involve a family or town; all one needs…
Winter Storm is the current seasonal from Heavy Seas Beer, and the beer pours with a dark-brown to orange-reddish coloration and a decent amount of foamy head. The beer provides imbibers with a good amount of malts at the beginning before opening up and presenting spice, toast, and caramel elements. The eclectic set of flavors that are present in Winter Storm ensure that individuals will be as stoked to finish…
The Fourth Messenger is a musical written by Tanya Shaffer (lyrics) and performed by Vienna Teng (music). The rich rising and falling that begin The Human Experience ensures that listeners take notice, while the harmonies reached by the vocals and instrumentation are complex and completely rewarding. The deliberate beat of Bois Riche provide a backdrop that the vocal side thrives on; the back and forth between the male and female…
Smuttynose has released a number of iterations of their short weisse style, including their blueberry, smoked peach, and unfruited variants. The Cherry Short Weisse is their current version, and the beer is wheaty, presenting tangy alongside yeasty notes.There is an immediately-dissipating head to the Cherry Short Weisse.
Raman Diamond has just released his latest single High Note, a track that skillfully ties together R&B and EDM in a fashion that will get listeners on the dance floor. Diamond is able to build off of the tradition crafted by Ne*Yo, Omarion, and Flo Rida.
Skeleton is the latest effort from California’s Jasmine Crowe, and the track does tremendously in blending together pop, indie, and EDM into a hard-hitting track. The harmonies of Crowe during Skeleton are fantastic, ensuring that listeners will be singing along after a few listens. Where many tracks merely use instrumentation as a backdrop for the vocals, there is a robustness to the arrangement here that pushes Crowe’s voice to the…
The Summit Unchained series continually goes and has interesting interpretations of various beer styles. The series attempts to resurrect some styles that are not as common today, and the 20th effort in the Unchained series, their Sticke Alt, looks to reinvigorate the altbier style (to say nothing about a more esoteric style, the eponymous Sticke Alt, which beefs up the malt and intensity of the parent approach). Summit’s Sticke Alt…
BLUE FELIX will perform select tour dates in the central U.S. this fall, including a Halloween show at POV’s on Saturday, October 31st. BLUE FELIX is a based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed in 2004, the band’s name is derived from a ‘certain dose’ of the psychedelic drug, LSD, also known as ‘Blue Felix’, that was favored by the band in earlier years.
SanTan Brewing Company’s MoonJuice is a fruity and piney India Pale Ale (IPA) that is eminently drinkable, hiding away a 7.3% ABV perfectly among hoppy and grainy elements. Pouring from a can, MoonJuice pours with a yellowish-gold to light orange coloration and a decent amount of whitish head. Hints of peach, pineapple, and orange can be discerned, while the bitter elements of the beer keep the brew crisp; a good…