Stone Brewing Co. releases seasonal Pataskala Red X IPA
PATASKALA - A popular craft brewer has ensured the city's name will be known far and wide.
On Feb. 1, Stone Brewing Co. released its seasonal Pataskala Red X IPA, and the beer is available domestically in nearly every state, in addition to overseas in places such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong.
The move comes less than six months after Stone first brewed the beer as part of a promise the brewer's co-founder, Greg Koch, made to a Watkins Memorial High School student.
Koch, himself a Watkins Memorial graduate, pledged to brew a special edition beer for Pataskala if voters approved Southwest Licking Local Schools' May 2015 emergency operating levy. He made the pledge after a then-freshman at the school wrote him a letter, articulating her fears about the potential failure of the levy and its effect on her school.
After voters overwhelmingly supported the levy, Koch and Stone followed through and brewed Pataskala Red X IPA, a dry-hopped, deep crimson-hued IPA.
Stone made the limited-edition beer available for a short time locally, both at Ziggy's Bar and Grill in Pataskala and a handful of locations in Columbus, agreeing to donate proceeds from the limited sale; Stone reportedly brewed just 32 kegs. Stone ultimately donated more than $10,000 to the Watkins Memorial High School Band Boosters and Ally's Warriors of Stone Foundation.
The feedback the brewer received prompted it to add Pataskala Red X IPA to its seasonal lineup.
Stone named the beer after Koch's hometown.
On its website, Stone playfully references the trouble some people have pronouncing the city's name.
"Pat-ASK-ala? Pata-SKALA? Pa-TASK-a-la? While those in the know favor the third pronunciation, no matter how you say it, this is a unique red IPA," Stone wrote on its website under a description for Pataskala Red X IPA. "The beer was first brewed in September 2015 to support music and arts education programs in Pataskala, Ohio, where Stone co-founder Greg Koch grew up. People there loved it, so we added the beer to our seasonal lineup. The deep crimson hue is courtesy of a fairly new special German malt variety by BESTMALZ called Red X. Dry-hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops, this beer is incredibly citrus-forward, rounded out with biscuit and toffee notes. We think you’ll find this red IPA to be quite deliciously satisfying, no matter how you choose to pronounce it."
Stone's website indicates the beer should be available in central Ohio as early as Feb. 4. It will remain available in limited quantities through May.
For more information on the seasonal IPA, check out Stone's website at www.stonebrewing.com. There is a video interview with Brewmaster Mitch Steele, who talks about the beer.