(Cantonrep) - CANTON Local brewers will soon be able to make beer as strong as they want, limited only by their know-how and the hardiness of their yeast.

“I think everyone has had recipes in the works for quite some time,” said John McGroarty, head brewmaster at Canton Brewing Co.

The Ohio House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that removes a cap of 12 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) on beers brewed and sold in Ohio. The same bill passed the Senate earlier this month.

Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, said the bill was driven by customer demand.

“As the craft beer fan base grows, so does the thirst to get things that are unusual,” she said

Ohio’s ABV limit has meant some kinds of beer weren’t available in the state, but residents could buy them in neighboring states, except for West Virginia, that don’t cap alcohol.

Experimenting with high-alcohol beers should help brewers attract attention, McDonald said.

“You can make a great lager, day in, day out, but if you release a special Russian imperial stout for Christmas, that’s going to get you a lot of publicity,” MacDonald said.

She hoped Gov. John Kasich signs the bill quickly.

“The sooner he signs it, the sooner my brewers can start being more creative,” MacDonald said.

Challenging beer

Canton Brewing’s McGroarty said he wasn’t surprised the new law passed, especially since Scottish brewer BrewDog is putting its new American headquarters in Canal Winchester.

BrewDog makes heavyweights such as the 32 percent Tactical Nuclear Penguin and the 41 percent Sink the Bismarck!, alongside tamer beers.

Dave Sutula, the brewmaster at Royal Docks Brewery in Jackson Township, said it was ridiculous for the state to limit the amount of alcohol in beer, even though nearly all beer styles are less than 12 percent.

Making high-alcohol beer can be a technical challenge for brewers.

With regular brewing yeasts, fermentation slows as the alcohol level rises. To get past that, a brewer might start a second fermentation with wine or champagne yeast that does better in a high-alcohol environment.

But high-alcohol beers have their strong points. For example, they age well because the alcohol inhibits the growth of micro-organisms that would ruin the beer.

Beers over 12 percent can have a “boozy,” alcohol flavor and feel viscous in the mouth. The trick is to make a balanced brew, Sutula said.