FigLeaf brewery to release special IPA, celebrate anniversary

FigLeaf Brewing Co. is releasing a new Imperial IPA called "Inculpatory" this weekend as it gears up for an even larger celebration next month marking its first anniversary.

The brewery, located at 3387 Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Middletown, will host a “sneak preview” of its Imperial IPA for Founder members Thursday night, and the beer’s full public release will come at noon on Saturday, Sept. 23. It will be available on draft only, no growler fills, according to FigLeaf co-founder and brewery Jeff Fortney. The beer will then be distributed in draught form throughout the Dayton and Cincinnati markets.

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The beer is 9.9 percent alcohol by volume and measures 80 IBUs (International Bitterness Units), utilizing Cashmere, Mosaic and Simcoe hops, Fortney said. He said the overwhelming popularity of IPAs — “especially hazy, fruit-forward, juicy, aromatic, New England-style IPAs” — nudged him toward brewing the beer.

“It’s something quite special,” Fortney said. “It smells like ripe papaya and mango.”

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For FigLeaf’s one-year anniversary on Oct. 14, the brewery will unveil a Belgian Quad re-fermented on Plums and brewed specifically for the birthday celebration. “And we’ll be tapping a few select kegs that we have stored,” Fortney said. The anniversary party begins at noon on Oct. 14,

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Last month, FigLeaf signed an agreement with Cincinnati-based craft beer distributor Cavalier Distributing to distribute several of its brews throughout the Buckeye state. The brews — which include FigLeaf's Basmati Cream Ale, Pride of Cin-Day English Pale Ale, Ponderous Porter, and Iso-Trope IPA — are being offered in draft form. The brewery has not started bottling or canning for retail distribution yet.

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Other co-founders of FigLeaf Brewing Co. — which opened in 2016 at — are Brian Yavorsky, Andy Allgeyer, and Rich and Tasha Brown.

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Fortney served as brewer at Warped Wing Brewing Company in downtown Dayton; Yavorsky was one of the original co-founders of Star City Brewing in Miamisburg.

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