One of man’s greatest inventions. We here at TCP truly appreciate beer, and felt the need to recognize the local watering holes that serve it best. So here is our 2013 Beer Guide. Inside you will find what’s on tap at some of Toledo’s finest pubs, restaurants and venues, as told by the bartenders themselves. We traveled from barstool to barstool, picking the minds of the bartenders to create a map of the best pints in town. From obscure microbrews to imported lagers or even just a cold Budweiser — we’ve got you covered. So sit back, crack a cold one and get ready to relax — cheers Toledo.
Ashley Lieber – Bartender at swig restaurant and bar
Right now I’m drinking: New Holland Dragon’s Milk
The beer I could drink everyday: Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
Dark or light? I like both.
What about medium? In between? I honestly like both. It depends on my mood.
Hops or no hops? Hops!
Favorite after work beer bar? The Village Idiot
Favorite snack to eat with beer: I like chips!
Must try beer: Crabby’s Ginger Ale
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
Specials we need to know: Beer flights! Four samples of beer that equal a pint for $9!
Taylor kaatz – Bartender at bar 145
What beer are you drinking right now? Right now I am drinking the Warsteiner Dunkel, our featured beer of the month. It’s a delicious Munich-style lager that is perfect for a hot, summer day. It’s our featured beer because we are teaming up with the German-American Festival and hosting shuttles to and from the event all weekend.
Beer you could drink everday? I like just about anything by Great Lakes Brewing Co. out of Cleveland. We rotate quite a few of their seasonal beers here at Bar 145 and they are all great.
Favorite after-work beer bar? Bar 145 of course!
Favorite snack food to eat with beer? I’m going to have to go with our charcuterie that we serve here.
In 1788, Ale was proclaimed the proper drink for Americans at a parade in New York City.
Most delicious beer you have ever tasted and where? A Firerock Pale Ale by Kona Brewing Co. sometime last year.
Specials and happy hours that we need to know? Monday through Friday we have our happy hour from 4-7pm. On Tuesdays we have our ‘Pinot on the Patio’ special, Wednesdays are $5 martini night, and Thursday is our ‘Industry Night’ with rotating specials.
Sergio Rios – Bartender at El Camino Real
Right now I’m drinking: Blue Moon
Beer I could drink everyday: Leinenkugel Summer Shandy
Hops or no hops? No hops
Hops are thefemale flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant used as a flavoring andstabilizer in beer. They impart a bitter, tangy flavor.
Dark or Light? light
Favorite after work beer bar: Chuck’s
Favorite snack/food to eat with beer: I really don’t eat with beer
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: Berryweise. I bought a case a while back and really liked it.
Specials that we need to know: 16oz aluminum cans for $3.50
Mark Tabone – Bartender at the Oliver House
What beer are you drinking right now? Right now I’m drinking two beers — our Buckeye Beer which is a good, light lager and our Total Eclipse Breakfast Stout, which has a heavy dosage of espresso beans right in the recipe. Both are brewed right here by Maumee Bay Brewing Company inside the Oliver House.
What beer could you drink everyday? My staple is a Buckeye Beer. It’s light and good at any time.
Favorite after-work beer bar: I would have to say Mutz here in the basement of the Oliver House. There are 15 widescreen, high definition TVs and it has a real laid back atmosphere. I see lots of people I know — it’s got a neighborhood bar feel.
Favorite snack food to eat with beer: I like the Big Pretzel that we serve here. Its easily 12 inches in diameter and big enough to feed a party. Its one of our most popular orders.
Tossing salted peanuts in a glass of beer makes the peanuts dance.
Most delicious beer you have ever tasted and where: I’m gonna have to plug the Oliver House again. The most delicious beer I have ever had is the Rye Level Double IPA from Maumee Bay. It’s twice as hoppy as a regular IPA, and its got a serious bite. Sometimes I just like a stronger taste.
Specials and happy hours that we need to know? Happy hour is from 3 to 7pm throughout the entire building. On Tuesdays, Buckeye Beer bottles are $1.65 at Mutz and we offer $6.50 pitchers of select beers on Monday Trivia nights.
Carey parker – manager at doc watsons
Right now I’m drinking: Definitely Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. We always keep it on tap. It’s one of the best Porters in America.
Beer I could drink every day: We do have Founders All Day IPA. It is lower in alcohol, so you can drink more of it … everyday.
Hops or no hops? I love hoppy beer. We just finished up our keg of Lake Erie Monster.
Dark or light? I like the heavier, stronger, flavored beers, like stouts, porters, IPA’s.
Beer is the second most popular beverage in the world, coming in behind tea.
Favorite after work beer bar: Swig always has good beer on tap. I like to go places that have good food and good beer
Favorite snack/food to eat with a beer: There’s nothing like a good beer and a burger or a good beer with pizza.
Must-try beer: Lately, I’m a big fan of Dark House beer and Founders. I haven’t tried anything by Founders that wasn’t a superb beer. Great Lakes is always good too.
Most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: I am getting excited for Founder’s Breakfast Stout. Great Lakes has the best Porter. Founders has my favorite Stout.
Specials we should know: Craft beer is a dollar off on Mondays and after 9 p.m., appetizers are half off. We do offer flights of beer and a 5 oz. sample for $1.50.
adam brant – bartender at dorr street cafe
Right now I’m drinking: I am a big Yuengling guy.
Beer I could drink every day: Yuengling Light: tastes great, less filling.
Hops or no hops? It depends on the season. In winter, I want something that’s going to coat my stomach. I’ll get a Bell’s Double Chocolate Stout. There’s nothing better; it’s like drinking motor oil.
Dark or light? Depends on the season as well. The darks are full flavored and thick. You want them in the winter.
Favorite after work beer bar: Mulvaney’s Bunker, once it reopens. If not, The Bar downtown or Bar 145.
The oldest known written recipe is for beer.
Favorite snack/food to eat with a beer: A chicken wing
Must-try beer: A Shandy Bear. It’s a Leinenkeugel Summer Shandy with a splash of Barenjager Honey, which is one of our August specials in a snifter on the rocks.
Most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: I had a Bass Ale on the beach in Florida during my honeymoon.
Check out the beer road map by Heidleberg
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steve mcmillan – head bartender at degage jazz cafe
Right now I’m drinking: Well we cycle our six tap handles at DeGage pretty frequently, We try to rotate every couple of weeks. Right now I’ve been enjoying the Sum’r Summer Ale by Uinta Brewing Company and our own DeGage Amber Ale, which is a customer favorite.
The beer I could drink everyday: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy
Hops or no hops? I prefer lager style to hoppy beers.
Favorite after work beer bar: Swig in Perrysburg
Favorite snack/food to eat with beer: Burger and hot dogs.
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted and where: A Zombie Dust by Three Floyds Brewery at a party a couple of weeks ago.
Nick & George Mancy
Right now I’m drinking: Shorty’s 10th Anniversary. [It’s the third beer released since Mancy’s partnered with Maumee Bay Brewing Company.] We’ve teamed up locally to make a great beer. Right now I’m drinking Frankenmuth Twisted Helles. They only make it in cans and it has it’s own dedicated website.
Beer I could drink everyday: When I’m at a restaurant or bar, I tend to not drink the same beer twice. I like to try them all. It’s the new wine.
Dark or light? I’m not big on dark, but I’ll drink it. It’s really based on the seasons.
Favorite food to eat with beer: Depends on the restaurant. I like to drink my carbs more than I like to eat them. These days though, it’s cheese.
Must-try beer? The beers we make, you’ll probably never have again unless I make them again. Papou’s Pale Ale debuted April 9 and we sold out of an eight barrel batch in five weeks. Papou’s Belgium White sold out in seven weeks and we made a 10 barrel batch. In November, we’ll release a double IPA to last through the holidays. When it’s done, it’s done.
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted and where: I think Michigan has the best craft breweries in the country. Petoskey Brewery, being less than a year old, is doing a phenomenal job. Saugatuck Brewery makes a neapolitan stout and you can taste the strawberry and the vanilla and the chocolate.
Specials we should know? During the month of August, those who have the Mancy’s Restaurant Group app can buy a growler at regular price from any of the four restaurants and receive $5 off when they go to refill it.
brandy morrison – manager at mainstreet bar and grill
Beer I could drink everyday: My favorite beer is Angry Orchard. It’s a good summer beer for sure.
Dark or Light? I’m a light beer fan.
Favorite after work beer bar? That would probably be The Attic.
Favorite food to eat with beer? Especially if you’re drinking beer, I’d have to go with a burger and fries.
Q. What was the length of Prohibition?
A. Prohibition lasted 13 years, 0 months, 19 days, 17 hours, 32.5 minutes
Must-try beer: Great Lakes Commodore Perry. It has that citrusy smell to it and caramel, nutty, flavor. It’s really good.
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon at the Ottawa Tavern. It’s different and that’s why I like it…and it’s not dark.
Hops or no hops? I’m not big on hops or IPA’s, but there are certain ones I can drink, certain ones I like a lot or not at all.
What should we know about your bar? We’re actually turning it back into a music venue. Especially for us 30-year-olds, we remember what Main Event was like. The stage is bigger, the bars are bigger. We just want to take it back to its original glory of being a great music venue with food, a bar and a patio.
denny milligan – beer-ologist/owner of denny's craf beer and wine cave
Right now I’m drinking: My go-to beer is Two Hearted Ale by Bell’s Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. It’s what I call my “gateway” beer — it’s the first craft beer I had that made me decide to never drink a Bud Light again.”
Hops or no hops? IPA’s [the typically hoppy uncle of the beer family] are my favorite style of beer.
Favorite after work beer bar: Swig in Perrysburg
Favorite snack/food to eat with beer: Sausage
Must try beer: I always recommend anything by Founders [out of Grand Rapids, MI]. You really can’t go wrong with anything by them.
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: A Dark Lord Imperial Stout by Three Floyds Brewery.
stephanie soldner – general manager at barr's public house
Right now I’m drinking: I’m really getting into sour beers. The process is similar to making sourdough bread, but they have a light, crisp, clean flavor. We carry the 1809 Berliner Weiss, Bell’s Oarsman and Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour. [Monk’s] almost tastes like a cranberry apple cider.
Beer I could drink everyday: Stone Levitation because it has a really deep, red, amber color and full of hops, but not too crazy. It has a little lower ABV so you can drink a few and be OK.
Dark or light? I’m all over the board. It depends on my mood. I usually prefer an IPA but I always want to try something new.
Favorite after work beer bar: The Attic on Adams; Amelia is a friend of mine and they have great beer.
Favorite food to eat with beer: We just did a Stone beer dinner with salad, calamari and catfish. Even desert was paired with an IPA.
Must try beer: One of the most interesting beers we have for the open minded is JW Lee Harvest Lagavulin Casked Aged Barley Wine. It’s very balanced between the malt and the barley and the smoky and peaty as well.
The most delicious beer you’ve ever had: A Dogfish Head Sixty-One IPA at The Attic. The beer was matured in Petite Sirah wine barrels and was smooth and delicious. I wish we could get some here but it is a very limited release.
Specials we should know about: Tuesday through Saturday, our happy hour is from 4-7p.m. and it’s $1 off all alcohol and Tuesday we have $1 off all beer from open until close. Thursday night is our ladies night and we have a handful of beers on special.
amelia garret – general manager at the attic
Right now I’m drinking: I’m so excited. I’m about to put Dreadnaught IPA from Three Floyds Brewery on tap. It’s a double IPA. Hopcentric from Two Brothers is really awesome. We also have Stone Mixtape, which is ridiculously good. It was made for the Winking Lizard in Cleveland.
Beer I could drink everyday: Maumee Bay Brewing Company IPA is always on draft. Also, I love Lagunitas Little Sumpkin Sumpkin or the Perkulator from Dark Horse. It tastes like Coffee!
Dark or Light? I love all beer; all beer that is done well.
A beer lover or enthusiast is called a cerevisaphile.
Favorite after work beer bar? If I’m not drinking here, I’m at the Ottawa Tavern.
Favorite food to drink with beer? Spicy food with a good IPA. The way they juxtapose together is so awesome.
Must try beer: We just got cans from Jackie O’s in Athens, Ohio. We will have the Chomo-long-ma and Firefly. [Ohio University grads rejoice!]
Most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted: Stone’s 16th Anniversary Lemon Verbena IPA brewed with green tea leaves. They only made one batch and we got a half-barrel. It was almost a year ago and I can never have it again and I still think about it!
Specials we should know? One dollar off Maumee Bay Brewing Company beers and on the weekends, we have rare craft beers in cans. We always try to have one of each type of beer people are into. We have something for everybody.
timothy pecsenye- chairman of the german american festival
Beer I could drink every day: My favorite is Warsteiner
Dark or light? I’d have to say dark and, in the case of the Warsteiner, it’s the Dunkel.
Favorite after work beer bar: Probably Rocky’s and most of the Mexican restaurants in town. I’m more of a margarita and martini drinker
Must-try beer: The Warsteiner Dunkel. A lot of people shy away from dark beers. They think they’re too bitter, too strong. We get people to try it and the next thing you know, they’ll be coming back for more.
Unexpected beer at the festival: People should consider Aecht Schlenkerla Rauch Bier. It has a very smoky flavor to it
Total GAF beer consumption? Approximately 33,000 people will drink 1100 kegs and 200 cases.
Most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted? Free beer–the last time somebody bought it for me.
Specials that we need to know? This year the GAF brought back the Beer Tour. Obtain a punch card and buy each of the seven beers listed and get a free glass from one of the breweries at the festival.
alex shimm – general manager at buffalo wild wings
Right now I’m drinking: Summer Shandy is my go-to summer beer. I’ve also been drinking a few beers, like Strongbow.
The beer I could drink everyday: Either Miller Lite or Red Hook’s Game Changer Ale, which was brewed with sports fans in mind and pairs perfectly with wings.
Dark or light: I prefer light to middle of the road.
Favorite after work beer bar: Honestly, I hang out here. It’s close to home, we have 22 different beer choices, and there is always a sports event on the TVs.
Favorite snack food to eat with beer: Either boneless wings, chili con queso dip, or mozzarella sticks.
The most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted and where: A Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale in the middle of last winter. It is a great ‘warm-you-up’ beer that kept me toasty all night.
Specials and happy hours at your bar that we need to know: We have $2 pints of everything (excluding Guinness and Sam Adams) every Monday. Customers receive $.50 cents off of each tall draft during happy hour and our beer of the month special features a rotating beer that changes every month.
