Get over to Athens for brew week fun

It all begins again this weekend in Athens, Ohio, as the 13th annual Ohio Brew Week begins. And on Friday the 13th, no less. Every year, beer geeks and casual fans alike fill the town to sample hundreds of beers from 45 Ohio craft breweries.

The Brew Week crew provided us with the following outlines of this year’s top events.

• Ohio Brew Week kicks off each year with the annual Rock n’ Roast at the Ohio University Inn and Conference Center. The Rock n’ Roast features live music, a beer-infused BBQ buffet from the OU Inn chefs and beer from area breweries. It runs from 5-9:30pm, Friday July 13.
• The Brew Choo Choo on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway returns to Ohio Brew Week on Saturday July 15. Guests will ride along in the train cars while sampling beers from Great Lakes and Land-Grant Brewing. Tickets cost $29.95 each and can be purchased at ohiobrewweek.com.
• Monday, July 16 at 6pm is the annual Keg-Tapping Ceremony, conducted in honor of beloved local businessman Jon Sparhawk. A founder of Ohio Brew Week, Sparhawk passed away in 2007. Each year, Jackie O’s brews a special batch of “Sparbock” to be officially released at the Jackie O’s Brewpub during the ceremony.
• Tuesday July 17 is officially Jon Sparhawk day. Everyone in town is encouraged to wear a Hawaiian shirt in his memory. Ohio Brew Week Executive Director Brandon Thompson wants community members to put forth a strong weekday showing on Sparhawk Day for the local bars and breweries.
• On Wednesday, July 18, OBW offers the Top Deck Dinner, a fancy beer and food pairing put on by Corner on Union and Rhinegeist Brewery. It takes place on the top floor of the Athens Parking Garage, from 6 to 8 p.m. July 18. Tickets cost $35 single / $65 per couple.
• The second weekend of Ohio Brew Week begins with music, food and brews for the annual Brew BQ, located at the Athens Train Depot on West Union Street, Friday July 20 from 4-10pm.
• The Last Call street festival closes out the week on Saturday July 21, from noon to midnight. Court Street in uptown Athens is blocked off from Washington to Carpenter Street to host taps from dozens of breweries, along with food and craft vendors, a kid’s zone and live music stage. Thousands of attendees fill the brick streets each year for this essential Ohio Brew Week event.
• The annual Homebrew Competition, which drew 349 entries from homebrewers across the region, takes place on the opening weekend. Little Fish Brewing and Devil’s Kettle Brewing will each choose a “brewers’ choice” from the best-in-category beers and invite the winning homebrewers to brew a batch on their respective premises.

The Ohio Brew Week website features a fully-functional beer list. Fest-goers can sort beers and mark ones they have tried and note their favorites, all saved on the site. As always, a print beer list will be available at local venues. Attendees are encouraged to refer to the website for the most up-to-date information on events and beers.

For more information, visit ohiobrewweek.com for a full list of events, beers, sponsors and helpful maps to all Ohio Brew Week participating locations.