Beer Me: Toxic Brewing Co.

The same day we hit up Warped Wing Brewing Co., we also headed over to the Oregon District to check out Toxic Brewing Co. The space, I believe, was converted from a normal bar and it looked like it. Plenty of seating though, indoors and a small outside patio as well. We sat at the bar to peruse the menu.

Eight varieties on tap that day and the friendly barkeep let us know that we could taste all for $14 (or maybe $16). Because I didn’t take good notes, I don’t really remember key points from many of them. I do know there were too many IPA’s on the board for my liking here as well. John enjoyed them though.

They had: Blonde Apple (Belgian blonde), Imperial Orange Cream (imperial cream), Practice Yoga (Session IPA), Gem City Ruby (Amber), Abby Brunette (Belgian Dubbel), Iso-Heaven (IPA), Abby’s Cure (Belgian Tripel), 5^th St. Wheat (wheat

I really enjoyed the Blonde Apple, Abby Brunette and 5^th Street Wheat. I was a little disappointed not to find anything darker on the menu but that’s okay. Apparently, they are always experimenting and switching things out. More reason to go back!

After the flight, I ordered a pint of the Abby Brunette (this was my fave). I forget what John ordered but he was able to get it in a half pint, which I thought was super cool. They also have growlers to go.

Why You Should Go: Lots of types to try and of course, it’s local. It was a little noisy in there even though there weren’t many people that day but that was due to just one woman who had possibly been over served (or started before she arrived). She was cheering for herself a lot during a rousing game of shuffleboard (is it called shuffleboard when it’s up on a table?) Convenient to so many good restaurants too! Oh, and free popcorn, which I am a total sucker for. Give me popcorn and you’ve got a friend for life!

Beer Me: Star City Brewing

Believe it or not, the Dayton region is a hot spot for new pop-up breweries. Why so many are coming here is beyond me but we are not complaining! Last weekend, John and I ventured about 15 minutes down the road to Miamisburg and decided to check out Star City Brewing Co.

The owners have taken over a historical location, the Peerless Mill Inn, and given it new life. The exposed beams and what seem to be original stone floor added to the ambiance of an old pub. Actually, I'm quite certain a lot of the fixtures were original. It was a bit dark in there but that's okay. Do you need to see what you're drinking? They have a nice large space and other rooms to accommodate over spill on busy nights.

There are a couple TV's at the bar and what John deemed to be "good music" playing unobtrusively in the background. At 3:00 pm on a Saturday, we were served right away but in the hour plus that we were there, a rotation of about 20 patrons passed through.

Since it was our first time, we wanted to try everything. The barkeep (owner? brewer? either way - he was very knowledgeable and friendly) went over all their offerings and poured us two flights. They currently have seven varieties on tap to enjoy in the taproom or take in growlers to go.

Not in the order of the photo above, we tried: Blonde, Hefeweizen, Irish Red, IPA, Winter Warmer, Oatmeal Stout and Milk Stout.

All the beers were clean and drinkable but there were some definite standouts. The Blonde was a good, lighter beer with crisp flavors. The Hefeweizen was a favorite of John's (I liked it too) and would be very nice in the spring and heading into summer. I was really impressed by the Irish Red. I like Irish style brews all right but often forget about them. This Red had a little something extra going on that I really dug. John liked it better than Great Lakes' Irish (but you did not hear that from me).

The IPA, of course, was my least favorite but John declared it decent. The Winter Warmer was a bit of a disappointment for me. Too hoppy and not wintry enough. It reminded us of Revolution's Fistmas which I hated. I'm sure hop lovers think this one is just fine. Although, we were told that one was on its way out and nearly tapped.

Not surprisingly, the Oatmeal and Milk Stouts were the winners for me. The Oatmeal had a smooth richness to it and was everything I hope for in an oatmeal stout. The Milk Stout offered up a creamy sweetness that I always love. In fact, I had a pint of that after the tasting. What? I wasn't the driver.

Tastings were $1.50/each and the pints were between $4-$5 each. Not bad at all. They don't serve food but we were given pretzels, which I appreciated. You can order from any number of local restaurants and they'll deliver as well, or you're free to bring in your own snacks too.

We are so glad we ventured out to this joint and will definitely return. We can't wait to bring fellow beer lovers who might visit us to try it out for themselves. It's also one of the closest breweries to our house. We like proximity. If you're in the area, or even if you're not, check this place out. It's worth a pint of your time.