Ohio Brew Week, a nine day long celebration of Ohio craft brewing, kicks off July 15 in Athens. The week is centered around celebrating the things that deem Ohio brewing unique: quality, community and variety. And what place better embodies this culture and love for beer than Athens? Ohio Brew Week entails a number of events that bring together brewers, connoisseurs and the Athens community.

Ohio brews will begin to take over Athens taps beginning on Friday, July 15 with a brew week happy hour at Court Street favorite J-Bar. Brew Week officially kicks off later that evening where dinner will be provided at the Rock N Roast event hosted at the Ohio University Inn. Other events on Friday include the Cincinnati Reds Baseball and Brews at Cats Eye Saloon. During this event Cincinnati's own Christian Moerlein and MadTree breweries will be celebrated. Also at Cats Eye, the Cleveland Indians Baseball and Brews will take place, celebrating Clevelanders favorite breweries such as Great Lakes and Fat Head's. The remainder of the weekend includes events like Brunch at Sol, home-brew competitions, more Ohio rivalry baseball, and even a kids day.

Monday July 18 continues Ohio Brew Week. Events of that day include Beer BBQ Night at Sol, a local food conference, and a Keg Tapping Ceremony at Jackie-O's. The ceremony honors Jon Sparhawk, the founder of Ohio Brew Week. Highlights of Tuesday's events are not limited to the Five Course Food and Beer Pairing at Sol, Taco Tuesday also at Sol, and the Barn Quilt Square Raising and No-Cry IPA Tapping at Little Fish Brewing. On Wednesday, hit an Ohio University student favorite bar, The Crystal, to enjoy a coffee brown ale served in a Mt. Carmel mug. After, be sure to stop by Pints for a Purpose to enjoy brews whose profits will go to benefit bettering Athens. Thursday's events include several different opportunities to try unique craft brews such as Great Lakes and Thirsty Dog at various different bars including Casa Nueva, Cats Eye, The C.I., Crystal, The Pub and Pigskin. Friday entails things such as Mad Moon Hard Cider tasting at Athens Unlocked and Badass Beer Friday at J Bar that will surely force you outside of your beer comfort zone and encourage you to try some different bold brews. In a farewell manner, Ohio Brew Week will shut down Court Street during its infamous Last Call event on Saturday that will showcase tons of breweries, foods and other venders from throughout the week. Other events on Saturday include Special Cask Tapping at Little Fish Brewery and more Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians Baseball and Brews. Ohio Brew Week will come to a close on Sunday, July 24 with a brew week inspired brunch hosted at Sol.

These are just a few of the opportunities to celebrate Ohio Brew Week and see Athens in a new light. Ohio has a lot of great things to offer, and its craft beers are certainly one of them. A list of all events, specific times and other details for Ohio Brew Week can be found on the Ohio Brew Week website. Cheers!