Bridges, Bikes & Beer.
I read a few years ago that Ohio has the second highest number of registered motorcycle riders after California -- obviously the abundance of
winding country roads, with valleys and forests has something to do with this. Also, at the 2006 Columbus AleFest I was told that Marietta Brewing
Co. has "better" beers than The Great Lakes Brewing Co.
On the last Sunday in August 2007, I had the opportunity to marry a motorcycle ride with a trip to Washington County -- ostensibly to look for some
of the last remaining covered bridges in the area -- but with Marietta Brewing Co. being nearby, I saw an opportunity for a bike ride and a pint ! I
was also curious about the information given to me at the 2006 Columbus AleFest -- I mean, Great Lakes Brewing Co. reigns supreme, how could a
tiny brewpub in BFE match up to the Cleveland giant and supremo?
Myself, Bob and Scott, three of the four members of the infamous Fulloshite motorcycle "gang" agreed to meet at Roberts Manor for a prompt
9.00am Sunday departure. At 9.30am prompt we took off on the road to Washington County. The previous day had seen two tornado touchdowns
in the Columbus region, and as we headed east, it became clear that we were following the trail of the tornados. An extremely windy motorway ride
was not helped by heavy traffic, and then of course, dealing with those who shouldn't be allowed to ride a three wheeled tri-cycle at a park, let
alone something with an engine inside it on a motorway.
I was wearing a full-faced helmet and was ducked behind my bike windshield, and was still being buffeted around by the wind. Scott, on the other
hand, had no windshield and no helmet -- all the forces of nature were being flung right at him, and at 85mph ! I don't know how he was able to
breathe; but, he had youth on his side -- unlike this old timer brandishing my AARP card !
Following two motorway journies, we headed into south-east Ohio, and Washington County. Due to a need for food, and a desperate desire for a
pint on my part, we made for Marietta and it's brewing company. At the brewpub, we met Bob's brother, who had ridden on his motorcycle, and
another bloke called Mark, who was married to the sister of Bob's wife. Mark had the loudest Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster I had ever heard; it
was absolutely deafening. Mark was going to be our "unofficial" covered bridge tour guide, as none of the Fulloshite gang were able to read the
maps.
But, to the brewpub. Marietta Brewing Co. is located in an attractive old brick building in downtown Marietta. Inside are exposed floor to ceiling brick
walls, with two groundfloor large brew kettles at the front of the pub, and three large holding tanks raised above them on platforms. It all looked very
trendy and appealing.
I ordered the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever tasted; the pork was so tender it simply melted in one's mouth. The chips ("French fries" to
relatives of Oliver Hazard Perry) were special too. A simple, yet excellent lunch. Only three MBC beers were on tap, which was just as well as we
were on the bikes.
There was a Raspberry Wheat Ale which didn't really titilate my interest, plus Marietta Pale Ale (yes, please!), and McLaren's Scotch Ale (a bit
tricky, but I needed to try more than one ale). First to the table was Marietta Pale Ale. Using American north-west Cascade hops for aroma,
flavouring, and bittering, this ale was subtitled An American IPA. At 6.2% ABV we had a beer that was trying to find an identity -- was it a Pale Ale,
or an India Pale Ale ? Funnily enough, the answer lay inbetween.
Mount Hood Hops are becoming popular in the UK, for bringing a floral aroma (as opposed to the traditional herbal aroma in the UK) and a citrusy
bitterness to brews. There are brewers in the mother country that are now brewing what's called American Pale Ales -- The CAMRA award winning
Coniston Brewery brews both Bluebird Bitter, and Bluebird Bitter with Mount Hood Hops (both available in Columbus). The MBC Pale Ale was
obviously hoppy, without being too bitter which allowed for a little bit of malt character to shine through. It had a very nice flowery aroma (Mount
Hood ROCKS !), and really was an impressive flavorsome ale. A hybrid of two distinctive styles. 8/10
I have never had a good experience with any type of Scotch ale, the classic malt and caramel flavours being way too powerful for my young
tastebuds. I remember the Orkney Brewery Skullsplitter -- an 8.5% ABV Scottish Wee Heavy -- giving me a hideous migraine which lasted into the
next day !
So, with some trepidation, I ordered McClaren's Scotch Ale. This ale had won an award for the brewery -- July 2000 Bluegrass Brewing Company
Festival, Louisville, Kentucky Best of Show. Well, they all count ! Apart from an ABV of 8.2%, the other notable feature of this ale was the use of
whiskey malt which added an amazing smooth creamyness to the ale. The malt and caramel was still clearly in evidence, but was tempered by the
whiskey malt. This was an absolute delight and very moorish ! The creamy texture and whiskey aroma made for a ripper of an ale, with a port-like
toasty finish. Dare I say bloody delicious ! 10/10
After such a fine pair of brews, anything else was a bonus. The three of us with our guide Mark, lept on our bikes and headed down a series of
country lanes to the 1832 built Mill Branch Covered Bridge. We lept off our bikes and armed with our cameras, photographed the bridge at different
angles for posterity. The bridge was no longer in use, although it was still spanning over a creek -- the road being diverted many years ago.
Next up, after another run along country lanes was the Harra Bridge, built in 1871. This was larger than the previous bridge, but again was no
longer in use -- still spanning a river. After more photos, we headed towards our third bridge. This took us on a journey deep into rural Washington
County, and I mean RURAL. Up and down valleys, along country lanes (at one point topping 95mph), negotiating hairpin tree-lined curves and
gravel tracks. No sign of the bridge though, so we went to Plan B and looked for bridge number four instead. After riding up and down valleys,
along yet more country lanes and challenging hairpin curves, we came to a halt in the middle of bloody nowhere. These rural adventures were
reminding me of The Judybats song Down in the Shacks where the Satellite Dishes Grow. Either that or Deliverence II.
A decision was made: we were lost. The maps that myself, Bob and Scott couldn't read made perfect sense to Mark, but somehow it wasn't coming
together. Bob knew a "large" road was nearby, but the bridges were nowhere to be found. So, on that note we called it a day. We found the nearest
decent sized road, and with Mark pointing out the direction we needed to head in, we took off on our long journey back to Columbus. We all agreed
it was a great riding day (a total of 310 miles), and we were still able to see two covered bridges, PLUS partake of a couple of extremely fine brews
at the Marietta Brewing Co.
The nagging question in my mind was does the MBC brew superior ales to the Great Lakes Brewing Co.? With just two beers on tap, plus a dodgy
Raspberry Wheat Ale, there's no way to tell at this moment in time. I've had the GLBC Loch Erie Scottish Ale, which I thought was complete shite, so
MBC takes the lead in that race. The Marietta Pale Ale doesn't really compare with any GLBC brew, so really the jury is out. Give Marietta Brewing
Co. a few years to grow, and I think we could see some fascinating comparisons !
Cheers !
I read a few years ago that Ohio has the second highest number of registered motorcycle riders after California -- obviously the abundance of
winding country roads, with valleys and forests has something to do with this. Also, at the 2006 Columbus AleFest I was told that Marietta Brewing
Co. has "better" beers than The Great Lakes Brewing Co.
On the last Sunday in August 2007, I had the opportunity to marry a motorcycle ride with a trip to Washington County -- ostensibly to look for some
of the last remaining covered bridges in the area -- but with Marietta Brewing Co. being nearby, I saw an opportunity for a bike ride and a pint ! I
was also curious about the information given to me at the 2006 Columbus AleFest -- I mean, Great Lakes Brewing Co. reigns supreme, how could a
tiny brewpub in BFE match up to the Cleveland giant and supremo?
Myself, Bob and Scott, three of the four members of the infamous Fulloshite motorcycle "gang" agreed to meet at Roberts Manor for a prompt
9.00am Sunday departure. At 9.30am prompt we took off on the road to Washington County. The previous day had seen two tornado touchdowns
in the Columbus region, and as we headed east, it became clear that we were following the trail of the tornados. An extremely windy motorway ride
was not helped by heavy traffic, and then of course, dealing with those who shouldn't be allowed to ride a three wheeled tri-cycle at a park, let
alone something with an engine inside it on a motorway.
I was wearing a full-faced helmet and was ducked behind my bike windshield, and was still being buffeted around by the wind. Scott, on the other
hand, had no windshield and no helmet -- all the forces of nature were being flung right at him, and at 85mph ! I don't know how he was able to
breathe; but, he had youth on his side -- unlike this old timer brandishing my AARP card !
Following two motorway journies, we headed into south-east Ohio, and Washington County. Due to a need for food, and a desperate desire for a
pint on my part, we made for Marietta and it's brewing company. At the brewpub, we met Bob's brother, who had ridden on his motorcycle, and
another bloke called Mark, who was married to the sister of Bob's wife. Mark had the loudest Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster I had ever heard; it
was absolutely deafening. Mark was going to be our "unofficial" covered bridge tour guide, as none of the Fulloshite gang were able to read the
maps.
But, to the brewpub. Marietta Brewing Co. is located in an attractive old brick building in downtown Marietta. Inside are exposed floor to ceiling brick
walls, with two groundfloor large brew kettles at the front of the pub, and three large holding tanks raised above them on platforms. It all looked very
trendy and appealing.
I ordered the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever tasted; the pork was so tender it simply melted in one's mouth. The chips ("French fries" to
relatives of Oliver Hazard Perry) were special too. A simple, yet excellent lunch. Only three MBC beers were on tap, which was just as well as we
were on the bikes.
There was a Raspberry Wheat Ale which didn't really titilate my interest, plus Marietta Pale Ale (yes, please!), and McLaren's Scotch Ale (a bit
tricky, but I needed to try more than one ale). First to the table was Marietta Pale Ale. Using American north-west Cascade hops for aroma,
flavouring, and bittering, this ale was subtitled An American IPA. At 6.2% ABV we had a beer that was trying to find an identity -- was it a Pale Ale,
or an India Pale Ale ? Funnily enough, the answer lay inbetween.
Mount Hood Hops are becoming popular in the UK, for bringing a floral aroma (as opposed to the traditional herbal aroma in the UK) and a citrusy
bitterness to brews. There are brewers in the mother country that are now brewing what's called American Pale Ales -- The CAMRA award winning
Coniston Brewery brews both Bluebird Bitter, and Bluebird Bitter with Mount Hood Hops (both available in Columbus). The MBC Pale Ale was
obviously hoppy, without being too bitter which allowed for a little bit of malt character to shine through. It had a very nice flowery aroma (Mount
Hood ROCKS !), and really was an impressive flavorsome ale. A hybrid of two distinctive styles. 8/10
I have never had a good experience with any type of Scotch ale, the classic malt and caramel flavours being way too powerful for my young
tastebuds. I remember the Orkney Brewery Skullsplitter -- an 8.5% ABV Scottish Wee Heavy -- giving me a hideous migraine which lasted into the
next day !
So, with some trepidation, I ordered McClaren's Scotch Ale. This ale had won an award for the brewery -- July 2000 Bluegrass Brewing Company
Festival, Louisville, Kentucky Best of Show. Well, they all count ! Apart from an ABV of 8.2%, the other notable feature of this ale was the use of
whiskey malt which added an amazing smooth creamyness to the ale. The malt and caramel was still clearly in evidence, but was tempered by the
whiskey malt. This was an absolute delight and very moorish ! The creamy texture and whiskey aroma made for a ripper of an ale, with a port-like
toasty finish. Dare I say bloody delicious ! 10/10
After such a fine pair of brews, anything else was a bonus. The three of us with our guide Mark, lept on our bikes and headed down a series of
country lanes to the 1832 built Mill Branch Covered Bridge. We lept off our bikes and armed with our cameras, photographed the bridge at different
angles for posterity. The bridge was no longer in use, although it was still spanning over a creek -- the road being diverted many years ago.
Next up, after another run along country lanes was the Harra Bridge, built in 1871. This was larger than the previous bridge, but again was no
longer in use -- still spanning a river. After more photos, we headed towards our third bridge. This took us on a journey deep into rural Washington
County, and I mean RURAL. Up and down valleys, along country lanes (at one point topping 95mph), negotiating hairpin tree-lined curves and
gravel tracks. No sign of the bridge though, so we went to Plan B and looked for bridge number four instead. After riding up and down valleys,
along yet more country lanes and challenging hairpin curves, we came to a halt in the middle of bloody nowhere. These rural adventures were
reminding me of The Judybats song Down in the Shacks where the Satellite Dishes Grow. Either that or Deliverence II.
A decision was made: we were lost. The maps that myself, Bob and Scott couldn't read made perfect sense to Mark, but somehow it wasn't coming
together. Bob knew a "large" road was nearby, but the bridges were nowhere to be found. So, on that note we called it a day. We found the nearest
decent sized road, and with Mark pointing out the direction we needed to head in, we took off on our long journey back to Columbus. We all agreed
it was a great riding day (a total of 310 miles), and we were still able to see two covered bridges, PLUS partake of a couple of extremely fine brews
at the Marietta Brewing Co.
The nagging question in my mind was does the MBC brew superior ales to the Great Lakes Brewing Co.? With just two beers on tap, plus a dodgy
Raspberry Wheat Ale, there's no way to tell at this moment in time. I've had the GLBC Loch Erie Scottish Ale, which I thought was complete shite, so
MBC takes the lead in that race. The Marietta Pale Ale doesn't really compare with any GLBC brew, so really the jury is out. Give Marietta Brewing
Co. a few years to grow, and I think we could see some fascinating comparisons !
Cheers !
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