There’s a special place in our summer heart for beer—whether it’s in a tall frosty glass with a foamy head, a chilled bottled, or a can, dripping with delightful little beads of sweat—and who doesn’t love the sweet sound of a pull tab popping ?

- off the vine -

a catawba island blog

Ørchard on Catawba Island is about an hour from Toledo and just over an hour from Cleveland. We’re on the way to the Miller Ferry and an easy stop whether you’re going or coming back. We are open daily at 8AM and invite you to join us for dining, wine, beer and cocktails, a wonderful shopping experience and a chance to enjoy the atmosphere of the grounds, from the orchard to the vineyard and all the feature we create to make your visit special. Visit us at 3350 NE Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452.

The Derek Wolf Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub from Spiceology is fantastic as a dry rub that adds a beautiful crust, texture, and hits of bold flavor. Mix it with a bottle of full bodied ale and create a marinade for steaks, chops and wings. Add fire and bring out the flavors of smoky, earthy chipotle and tart dried cherries. It’s also a great flavoring for grilled veggies, too like zucchini, onions and peppers.

Want to make a bold move? Spiceology also makes a Peach Porter Rub, a friend to grilled steaks and burgers. It adds chocolate, caramel and toffee tones, the sweetness of dried peaches and a hickory-flavor to steaks and burgers. It makes you hope grilling season lasts forever. Add a bottle of porter for a flavor-packed beer marinade that helps tenderize cuts like pork shoulder and beef chuck for shredded sandwiches.

At Orchard Bar & Table, and on all our patios at The Coop and Farm Stand, we serve up the time-tested brands our customers expect: Bud, Miller, Heineken, Blue Moon and more but we make room for small craft brews that make us talk in flavor profiles: crisp, hoppy, malty, roasted, smoky, tart and funky (it’s a desirable sour taste). Our own signature brews, made just for us by Blue Heron Brewery in Medina, evoke such chatter. One of our own Farm Stand signature brews, Hazy Hot Peach IPA, made just for us, is less hoppy, fruitier with a spicy after kick. And our Orchard Honeybee Cream Ale is light and slightly sweet with honey from our estate beehives. And not to forget, it's certified gluten-free, too!

At the Farm Stand at the Orchard on Catawba Island, we’ve also decided that the taste of beer shouldn’t be limited to liquid deliciousness. So, we searched (and found) gourmet products for our Farm Stand retail store where beer is an ingredient—a flavor—in rubs, dips, spreads, mustards, bread mixes, and more. We think they all pair nicely with beer and summer!

Even if it is from Michigan, Food for Thought has a Beer and Honey Mustard made with New Holland Brewing Full Circle, a refreshing Kolsch-style beer. Its “biscuity” malt character balances this versatile and delicious mustard. Use it on brats, dogs, soft pretzels, roast beef or pastrami sandwiches.

We love convenient (but interesting) cheese spreads to pack for picnics along with beer, wine and summer fruits. DiBruno Brothers Smoked Gouda & Beer Spread is a favorite. It’s smoky, nutty and a splash of brown ale plays a supporting role. Schmear it on a toasted bagel, crackers or stir it into little heavy cream for sauce for a burger, salmon or roasted chicken.

Soberdough Brew Bread Cornbread is a quick bread mix. Moisten with beer, any beer, depending on what flavor you’re after. Dark beers, like stouts, will bring out more prominent flavors like malt and coffee and maybe a little “hoppiness,” while light beers like wheat and pilsners are subtler in their delivery. Either way, this cornbread comes out of the oven moist with a touch of sweetness, We think it would be a terrific sidebar to any beer-marinated grilled meats.