Thursday, January 29, 2009

Days of the Beer, January 29

The beer for today is Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale.

On January 29, 1754, Moses Cleaveland was born in Canterbury, Connecticut. Moses was a lawyer, politician, soldier and surveyor, who founded the city of Cleveland, Ohio in 1796.

Moses was a shareholder of the Connecticut Land Company, that purchased land in northeastern Ohio. They asked him in May 1796 to lead a survey of the purchases. On July 22, the party of about 50 people, landed at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. When he climbed the bank, he saw a plain covered with forest, and thought it would be a good site for a city.

He surveyed the town into lots, and it was named Cleaveland, in his honor. After the expedition and survey, he went back to Connecticut and died November 16, 1806; never returning to Ohio or his city.

The town was basically renamed in 1830, when the first newspaper, the "Cleveland Advertiser" was established. The name Cleaveland was too long to fit on the masthead, so he dropped the "A".

As to the beer:

Great Lakes Brewing Company is located in Cleveland, Ohio. Holy Moses is a Belgian Wit style beer.

A complex and heavily aromatic ale with fruit, spice and other floral characteristics. Brewed with unmalted wheat and oats. 30 IBU.
The beer comes in at 5.4% ABV. Holy Moses used to be a year round offering, but has since stopped being that.

For the man who founded Cleveland, have a Holy Moses White Ale.

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