Eclipse Is the Theme of Regional Wine, Beer, Cookies and T-shirts
A solar eclipse is the Super Bowl of celestial events. But unlike the big game, anyone can profit from its name or likeness because nobody owns it.
Northeastern Ohio is directly in the path of the rare event that will take place April 8, and businesses throughout the region are taking advantage of it.
Brewers, wineries, T-shirt shops and cookie makers are using the eclipse in a variety of limited-edition products.
Boardman-based One Hot Cookie is offering an eclipse cookie cake in two sizes.
The chocolatey treat is ringed by bright yellow icing, recreating the “ring of fire” that is visible when the moon completely blocks out the sun at the moment of totality.
The cookie cake can be purchased at the store, 1315 Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman, or online at onehotcookie.com.
A large cookie cake is $29.95, and a small is $24.85. Each cake comes with a pair of protective viewing glasses, says Bergen Giordani, co-owner of the shop.
Giordani also co-owns Gorant Chocolates in Boardman. The candymaker goes into high gear before the Easter holiday, and for that reason found it logistically impossible to produce an eclipse-themed treat, according to Giordani.
Youngstown Clothing Co., which has a store in Southern Park Mall, is currently designing an eclipse design that it will put on a T-shirt.
Matt McClure, owner of the store, said the T-shirt will be available at the store within a few days.
When most people look at the eclipsed sun, they see the ring of fire around its edge. Penguin City Brewing, however, focused on the blackened circle at the center of the ring in naming its newest beer.
Black Moon IPA is a limited-run, small-batch brew created for the eclipse, says Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki, co-owner of Penguin City. The beer will be available on draft only in the downtown taproom.
Birdfish Brewing in Columbiana is taking a similar approach with its special eclipse brew.
Black Hole Suds is a chocolate orange stout. Birdfish will brew up a very small batch – one barrel, or 31 gallons – and will make it available in the taproom at noon on the day of the eclipse, says Josh Dunn, co-owner of the brewery.
After trying a glass of Black Hole Suds, guests can hang around and watch the eclipse on the Birdfish patio that afternoon.
The name is a play on “Black Hole Sun,” the hit 1994 song by Soundgarden.
The Grand River Valley winery region in Ashtabula County is close to the centerline of the eclipse path. For that reason, it will have a whopping three minutes and 49 seconds of totality. By comparison, totality in Trumbull County will range from one minute, 57 seconds in Warren to two minutes, 50 seconds in Bristolville.
Some of the major wineries in the viticulture region are taking advantage by offering bottles of limited-edition wines with eclipse themes.
Ferrante Winery in Harpersfield Township has released its Eclipse table wine. The label depicts the ring of fire, and the tagline reads: “Limited release: Once in a lifetime.”
Eclipse table wine is available as a red and a white, but only the red is being sold in beverage stores and Giant Eagle supermarkets in the Youngstown market, according to Nick Ferrante, owner of the winery.
Debonné Vineyards in Madison has released “Lost Chardonnay,” which sports an Eclipse label, under its Bethany Ann Cellars brand. It is available at the winery or online at debonne.com.
Pictured at top: The eclipse is depicted on a special cookie cake being offered by One Hot Cookie.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
