MadTree Brewing Company - Happy Amber

This brew pours, unsurprisingly, a deep amber color, topped by a generous head of beige foam. Though called Happy Amber, we kept calling it Hoppy Amber, as there’s quite a bright hoppy character coming forth in the aroma straight away. Juicy and zesty citrus notes jump out, bolstered by soft floral tones, and all overlaid atop a good dose of caramelized malts. On the palate, those malts come through robustly, forming a deep core of toast and caramel. But the hops really steal the show for us, offering zesty character and a moderate bitterness that easily subdues any residual sweetness to keep this brew refreshingly dry. We love malt-focused amber ales, but we really also enjoy the rarer versions with bolder hop contributions like Happy Amber, and we’d welcome more brewers going in this direction. For pairing options, spicy pizzas should play well off the beer’s bready and bright hoppy notes. Barbecued chicken or pork basted with a tangy sauce sounds great, too. Cheers!

When MadTree Brewing Company opened for business early in 2013, it was the culmination of almost a year and a half of business planning, but the roots of the business go back even further. Co-founders Kenny McNutt and Jeff Hunt started their beer journey by hosting weekly beer tastings with friends, which, unsurprisingly led them into the world of homebrewing. Soon after, the duo befriended another homebrewer, Brady Duncan, and the three joined their homebrewing forces, producing 15-20 gallons of beer each weekend as they perfected their craft. When the trio decided to go pro, they set about carefully developing a business plan and raising money, and 16 months later their new brewery opened its doors in Columbia Township to an enthusiastic audience of local beer lovers. In February 2017, MadTree expanded into a larger 50,000 sq. ft. facility in Oakley, featuring a much larger taproom, a beer garden, and private event space, not to mention much increased brewing capacity.

MadTree was founded with a core ideal: to not only brew fantastic beer, but to also support their community and the environment. They are members of the Arbor Day Foundation as well as “1% for the Planet,” a non-profit group supporting businesses which dedicate 1% of sales to environmental causes. MadTree has donated over 15,000 saplings to re-grow forests, and they donate 50,000 lbs of spent grain each week to feed livestock at local farms. They were also the first brewery in Ohio to package craft beer in cans, putting them at the forefront of the trend which has several environmental advantages over bottles in addition to providing better protection for the beer.

For more info on the brewery, their beers, or their taproom where you can grab a pint and some wood-fired pizza from Catch-a-Fire Cafe located on premises, call 513-836-8733 or visit www.madtreebrewing.com.