They're not us, and we're not them.

So...it's the day after Easter and one look in the fridge triggers the question "What do we do with those slices of leftover roast lamb?" Reheating the slices will just dry it out. Here at the home of the Your Beer Network, Harvey announces that he has a yen for Akron's own Thirsty Dog Brewing Company's Siberian Night Imperial Stout.

A visiting amateur cook suggests that everyone stays out of the kitchen for half hour or so. The result was Joe's Day-After Easter Spiced Lamb. Goes fine with rice, left over mashed potatoes, stuffing, baked potato, grits, toasted sourdough bread...whatever carb is at hand.

Here is the way to do it step by step. Cook without fear! Minor modifications and/or slightly imprecise spicings will not kill the dish.

We won't spoil the surprise by reproducing the recipe here. Try it yourself and let us know what you think.

The sampler pack is now expected to arrive in stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

''It's gone from a Cleveland Beer Week release to the Christmas collaboration,'' joked John Najeway, co-owner of the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron and president of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. ''It'll be well worth the wait.''

He said he's been inundated with phone calls from beer lovers asking why they can't find the sampler, which will retail for $19.99.

The delay related to how the beer was being packaged and distributed. Since the beers were made at different breweries, they couldn't be packaged at one of the sites, Najeway said. Instead, the beer has to be shipped to a distributor who will assemble the 12-pack and then send it to stores.

As soon as Uncle Sam tells us it's OK to sell it, we'll let you know here, on our Facebook page, and on Twitter via @ThirstyDogBeer.

You can only get this specially crafted beer at Lock 3 for a limited time, so don't miss out!

Those who would pass through the gates to the Underworld must first confront Cerberus, a terrifying three-headed hound.

So says Greek mythology, anyway. But at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Cerberus is the name of a very elegant, high impact golden beer.

I suppose that if I was trying to sneak past the netherworld gates, this beer would make a good guardian. I'd stop in my tracks, pop open a bottle and sit down to enjoy. The honeyed smoothness would entice me to have another, and I'd probably soon forget all about passing through the gate. Because the beer is 10 percent alcohol by volume, I'd probably be easy enough to handle when the fanged minions of the Underworld came along to drag me off to my torment.

Read the whole thing, but go get a few bottles of Cerberus first.

In anticipation of Cleveland Beer Week, our own John Najeway turned up on WMMS today to talk about the joys of beer on the Alan Cox Show.

We're looking forward to the week-long festival, and our schedule is pretty extensive, but don't limit yourself to just those events; check them all out.

We made Channel 5: 

You'll find two Akron Beacon Journal stories here and here.

http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/08/06/ca_u_list.html

Thirsty Dog of Akron was definitely the best of the three breweries featured at the tasting. They offered a nice selection of beers to please anyone's palate. The beers available ranged from light fruity beers to hearty stouts. Of the six beers available for tasting, I had the pleasure of sampling the Whippet Wheat and the Siberian Night.
 

Whippet Wheat: This beer was certainly the best beer of the night. Whippet Wheat is a Hefeweizen that is an unfiltered yeasty wheat beer. It features a cloudy gold color from the pure German yeast. The beer also has a moderate aroma filled with clove, vanilla, and banana. What makes this beer unique is the banana flavor. This beer is perfect for summer and is great for those who want to move away from the citrus flavors that many summer beers feature.
 

Siberian Night: This Russian imperial stout features an Abv. of 9% and is full of flavor. There are strong hints of coffee in both the beer's taste and smell. Siberian Night has dominate malt that does well to wash down the slight hop flavor. This is a great choice if you are looking to try a stout other than a Guinness.

Thanks for the kind review, James!

Rick Armon of the Akron Beacon Journal recently stopped by the brewery to get background on today's piece about the craft brewing industry's performance during this long dip in the economy.

Craft beer lovers haven't let the poor economy affect their drinking habits.

Sales of craft beer hit $6.9 billion last year, climbing 10.3 percent over the previous year, according to a new annual report by the Brewers Association of Boulder, Colo.

...

''In a down economy, quality beer drinking is up,'' said John Najeway, one of the owners of Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron and head of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association.

An interesting read. Be sure to flip through the seven behind-the-scenes photos of our brewery, too.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has introduced something new this year with their Beer-Tasting Trains. ... The most recent one "Brussels Comes to Cleveland" was June 12, and was my first excursion on the "Ales on the Rails."

...

Each Belgian style beer was paired with a different food. Duvel with cheese & crackers; Ommegang Witte with salad, Victory Golden Monkey with sandwich wraps, Thirsty Dog Orthus with fruit, and Thirsty Dog Cerberus with brownies.

Cameron Russell from Heidelberg Distributing was on hand in the coach car to explain the first three beers and pairings. Then John Najeway of the Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron introduced us to two of their Belgian-style beers. John says that every beer-tasting train features at least one Thirsty Dog beer, and the August train will be entirely Thirsty Dog beers.

Most fellow beer train riders were not really beer connoisseurs, and some were not even beer lovers. It's a great way to try new beers and enjoy a scenic train ride with your friends. One group bought tickets in the executive car for a surprise birthday present. All I talked to said this was their first beer-tasting train experience and they would definitely do it again! If you'd like to go on the next one, call 800.468.4070 for reservations. Upcoming trains include: July 3 - "Red, White, and Blue Beers" A taste of Chimay; August 7 - "Thirsty Dog Days of Summer", October 2 - "Oktoberfest", and November 6 - "Seasonal Beers."

Why hoist one: No false advertising here: hops, hops and more hops. Bitter like a Stone Pale Ale, but a better balance between hops and caramel mailts give Hoppus Maximus a complex - and satisfying - flavor. Pleasant amber color and a firm white head make for an appealing glass. Not as citrusy as many pale ales. Very satisfying brew.

Find it: Specialty beverage stores and some Northeast Ohio supermarket chains carry Thirsty Dog beers. We found ours at Giant Eagle, 75 Graham Road, Cuyahoga Falls.
You'll pay: About $8 or $9 a six-pack.

-Scott Stephens
-Featured in The Plain Dealer newspaper, Wednesday, December 7, 2005.

Each week, Scott Stephens spotlights a brew from anywhere around
the world that's worth trying. Availability will vary, and so will prices.