Maumee Bay Total Eclipse

When most people think of warm-weather beers, they think of patio pilsners, lawn-mowing lagers and backyard blonde ales. Dark beer is a mere afterthought during the summer months. In fact, people tend to forget about dark beers as soon as they put their sweaters away after the first spring thaw. That’s a shame. A super-frosty breakfast stout is the perfect cold dessert on a hot summer evening. My favorite is the Maumee Bay Brewing Co.’s Total Eclipse from Toledo, which hits the cool spot when the weather is brutally hot.

Total Eclipse is an imperial stout that is made with oatmeal, milk sugar and locally roasted espresso beans from Flying Rhino Coffee & Chocolate. It pours a jet black in color with aromas of mocha, milk chocolate and rich caramel. The beer is softly carbonated, which only enhances its creaminess and delicate texture. Velvety flavors of chicory, cafe con leche and vanilla envelop the palate. The finish is soft, smooth and luxurious with the coffee adding the perfect amount of bitterness to counterbalance the rich flavors.

If you are feeling adventurous, add a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream into a frosty mug of Total Eclipse for the ultimate adult version of an ice cream float. In fact, you can call it a beer float – or, maybe a bloat. Either as is or as a dessert, Total Eclipse is a tasty treat to savor when the thermometer reaches the unfathomable.

It is available in six packs for $14.99. It is distributed locally by Columbus Distributing Co.

Land-Grant Stiff-Arm IPA

The genesis was simple enough: Walt Keys and Adam Benner were two Ohio State University graduates with an unflappable entrepreneurial spirit and a love of craft beer.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign in early 2012, a relocation back to central Ohio – and more than two years of delays – Land-Grant Brewing Co. was finally a reality.

At the end of May, Land-Grant made two of its signature beers available in cans, most-notably the Stiff-Arm IPA.

Stiff-Arm pours a bright copper in color with a foamy ivory head and noticeable effervescence. On the nose, the prominent aromas are of spruce and unripened citrus fruit. The palate provides spicy, toasted bread flavors combined with hints of tangerine and wet grass. It finishes with a considerable bite of pine and an earthy funkiness best described as “forest floor.”

At 6.4 percent alcohol by volume and 54 international bittering units, this isn't your typical over-the-top grapefruit-bomb IPA, which is currently en vogue. Stiff-Arm has more structure and depth, which also allows it to be very food-friendly. It’s a formidable match for a French onion soup, a sharp cheddar cheese or even a spicy vegetable stir fry dish.

All of Land Grant’s beers are self-distributed, so the Stiff-Arm IPA should be available in six packs of cans for $9.99 at your bottle shop. If you wish to sample the entire lineup of Land-Grant beers, visit its brewery and taproom, located in Franklinton.