Smokehouse Brewing Co.

Smokehouse Brewing Co.Smokehouse Brewing Co.
Smokehouse Brewing Co.Smokehouse Brewing Co.
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1130 Dublin Rd.
Columbus, Ohio, 43215
United States

(614) 485-0227 | map
smokehousebrewing.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.87
Beers:
37
Ratings:
288
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.09
Reviews:
52
Ratings:
74
pDev:
8.8%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.19/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Thoroughly enjoyed this place. Nice vibe, darn good brisket, and the service was
excellent. Good food selection, knowledgeable staff, and BBQ sauce I could
drink a pint glass of (it was that good). Of note this place has not according to the
bartender been affiliated with Barley's for almost 20 years. No verification of that,
but the beer was solid and different than the standard Barley's beer---a touch lighter
on the Alexanders and more perfumed on the ESB, but still excellent. Would recommend
to any BBQ lover and good ale seeker.

Cheers
Oct 22, 2016
 
Rated: 4.4 by ckollias from Maryland

Sep 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by Ryften from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by househjj from Ohio

Apr 10, 2016
Photo of Marzen_Fan
Rated by Marzen_Fan from Ohio

3.64/5  rDev -11%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
We had a party of eight and everyone enjoyed their food. All of the beers were well done.
Mar 28, 2016
Photo of West_Chester_Ale_Tester
Reviewed by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

3.86/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
An outpost bbq restaurant for Barley Brewing. They have all of your favorites from that brewery. The vibe is pretty bad. It’s a nice restaurant that just so happens to have beer. The food is pretty good but I’d always recommend Barley’s.
Mar 20, 2016
Photo of SaltofOH
Reviewed by SaltofOH from Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3
I've never been in when it's crowded, but the vibe is always very chill. Something about the decor right when you come in strikes me as weird, but the wood benches and bar are nice. Taps are mostly their own brews, but their beer is good, so I don't mind the modest selection. Really never looked at the bottles. Lots of single malts, probably second best in Columbus. Barbecue smelled awesome, but opting for lighter fare the bean veggie wrap was so-so. Service was adequate; the server brought us the right stuff, checked in twice, abc pre bussed.
Oct 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by BigAlofOrion from Ohio

Sep 15, 2015
Photo of wapcap
Reviewed by wapcap from Nebraska

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
They used to be called Barleys, but I dont think they were associated with the other one. The best beer (or the one I liked the best) came from this place in the Spring of 2012. Some sort of IPA, and it was very good. Beers are always good, and above average. It is a smokehouse, so the food is generally good, although I do not believe they source much local. It is family friendly and a good brewery to check out in C-Bus.
Jun 19, 2015
Photo of kviper55
Rated by kviper55

4.38/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Good bbq and service. scottish ale was very smooth.
May 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by indianabeerman from Indiana

Apr 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by zimm421 from Ohio

Apr 25, 2015
Photo of BigRizz62
Rated by BigRizz62 from Maryland

3/5  rDev -26.7%
Found the beers to be incredibly average. The food was incredibly average as well
Oct 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.12 by jminch from Ohio

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JeffONeal from Ohio

Aug 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Mdodge8837 from Minnesota

Jul 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by HoppyT from Ohio

Jul 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by wildcatboy from Ohio

May 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by brycevolk from Ohio

Apr 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Farky87 from Ohio

Apr 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Lynn from Ohio

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by kvnklingler from Ohio

Feb 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by c_law from Ohio

Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Dec 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by NorthCoastPranqster from Georgia

Nov 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by canawler from Pennsylvania

Oct 30, 2013
Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

3.86/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.25
My wife, daughter and I stopped here on a Friday afternoon for a late lunch. The place was not busy so we received great service. The pub is located along a busy commercial street among other commercial businesses. A wood-plank fence surrounds a patio at the front of the building (probably for privacy and to help screen out traffic noise), and the interior of the building has a lot of wood trim that is very fitting for a pub and a smokehouse. A large bar sits in the middle of the dining area, and the brewing equipment is visible through a large window toward the rear.

My wife and I chose a sampler flight with 4 of the 8 beers that were available, and my daughter ordered a pint of the Octoberfest. There is a full page of guest beers that is also offered, and I chose a pint of an Octoberfest from another brewery so that we could have a comparison. All of the beers were very tasty and pretty much to style so that our evaluations ranged from a C+ to a B- ratings.

I love smoked foods so I was in heaven in this place. We all ordered a smoked meat entree from the extensive menu, and we all really enjoyed what we chose. The food probably was rated by each of us higher than the beers.

We enjoyed this place so that we'd go back again when in the area. If anyone who likes smoked meats and beer, this is your place.
Sep 16, 2013
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

4.39/5  rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
I stopped in before a Blue Jackets game. I've been to Barley's Alehouse several times. I've heard the food is better at Smokehouse and the beer is better at the Alehouse. I would have to disagree.

I sat at the U-shaped bar. There were only three other people. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, so I wasn't expecting a crowd, although the bar was full when I left at 4:30pm EST. I checked to see what was on tap before I headed down. I had a Roebling on nitro and Saint Joan's Revenge. Then I got a sampler of Robert Frost, MacLenny's Scotch ale, Highland Hammer (a mix of IPA and scotch ale), and Bitter Dan extreme IPA (it was extremely bitter). They also had plenty of guest taps and a limited but very nice bottle selection.

My date and I ordered sour kraut balls as an appetizer. We got six huge balls, and they were delicious. I was adequately nourished, but we decided to get a two meat sampler. I got the beef brisket with homemade baked beans, while my date got a 1/4 rack of baby back ribs and fries. The baked beans were fantastic and the brisket was very good. My date enjoyed her meal, and we left stuffed to the gills.

With a full belly and several beers in me, my bill was only $39. Both of our bartenders were very friendly and pleasant to look at. It was a Monday, and locals started coming in after work. It was mostly an older crowd which I like because they are not loud and obnoxious. I would love to return to the Smokehouse. I usually go to the Alehouse due to its proximity to Nationwide Arena, but I thought the beer and food were better here.
Feb 18, 2013
Photo of Yeastcakes
Reviewed by Yeastcakes from Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Overall: Good beers, fast service, nice local food (German, Polish & burgers).
Food: They had a great list of burgers. I did not try the Sam I Am burger, but the server recommended it and I strongly considered it. It was a burger with ham, an egg and pesto. A friend got the Cleveland Burger (burger with pierogies and kielbasa sausage). I tried the schnitzel with spaetzle. It was a fine meal and it came out surprisingly fast.
Beers: I tried the Auld Curiosity (American Strong Ale). It had great body with the dark stone fruits characteristic of strong ales along with good resiny goodness. Amber color and light carbonation. I also got the Russian Imperial Stout. It was served a little cold and carbonated for my taste. But as it warmed great dark chocolate and dark fruit flavors came out.
Atmosphere: Cool old posters on the wall, but otherwise a pretty standard brew pub look. Long and deep as a restaurant. TV in front. Nice booths in the back.
Value: Pints and meals were pretty average pries.
Location: Right downtown near the convention center.
Jan 23, 2013
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Vibe: The brewpub is conveniently located a few blocks away from an exit on I-670 and has its own parking lot. It seemed to be a popular lunch spot because I arrived on a Monday during lunchtime and the parking lot was filling up. The interior had a choice of seating at booths, tables and a large bar area.

Quality: I really enjoyed this brewpub because it combined high quality food along with good beer.

Service: The wait staff seemed friendly and both the food and drinks arrived very quickly.

Selection: The brewpub has an impressive selection consisting of 6 house taps, 8 guest taps and 20 guest bottles. Within each of these categories, there were a variety of styles of beers to choose from.

Food: I regretted not coming to this place for dinner because the BBQ ribs looked impressive. Instead, I settled for an appetizer of fried sauerkraut balls and a beef brisket sandwich, both of which were quite tasty.

Value: Both the food and beers seemed to be very reasonably priced. It was only $5.50 for a flight of four beers.
Aug 17, 2012
Photo of BeerBuckeye
Reviewed by BeerBuckeye from Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in here for dinner with some extended family and some brews.

Respectable tap list, usually about six of their own beers on tap plus a decent guest tap list (last time I was in there they had some Tommyknocker, Green Flash, Pumking, White Rajah, and some Founders Porter), plus a few more bottles.

Flights were pretty reasonable if I can recall, 4 5-oz pours for $6 or someting like that.

Their brews are decent, especially their IPAs, all the beer seemed fresh and the service was good.

Food was typical pub fare, I got the pulled pork and it was quite good. Prices were all reasonable, I'd be happy to go back.
Oct 06, 2011
Photo of Bogforce
Reviewed by Bogforce from Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
A decent BBQ place with some pretty good beer. I came twice during the summer.

Atmosphere is good, kind of has it all. A patio, pool tables, wooden booths and a big dining area. Bottles and caps cover the walls with some cool vintage signs as well.

Service is good, not sure if they known a ton about they beer but they keep it coming.

The selection is less than stellar, only 5-6 beers from Barleys on tap along with the some guests. Bottle selection is 12-15, they almost have some bourbon and scotch. But I wouldn't come to this for the selection, the beer taste fresh and good. Nothing that is going to blow your socks off though.

The food is pretty good, the bbq isn't bad and the baked beans are great.

Overall this brewpub is a decent restaurant with decent beer. You aren't going to be amazed by anything but you won't find anything disappointing either.
Aug 01, 2011
Photo of UnionBrew
Reviewed by UnionBrew from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Unlike its older sibling downtown, The Smokehouse has its own building which affords it more room for seating and brewing. However, the bar area is surprisingly half the size of the other location (go figure). Not only is the physical size of the building larger, but the food selection includes all of the normal bar fare, with a huge addition of a smoked meat section. If you like barbecue style food I would check it out, but again that was not the task at hand.

While we waited for a table to open up (25 minute wait on a Friday), I walked over to the bar and dove into a St. Joan's Revenge (their Russian Imperial Stout aged in Jack Daniels barrels.) Now I should have known better then to come out of the blocks in a full sprint, but this 12% beer was too tempting to wait for a table . . .order a sampler . . . drink the weaker beers . . . and then try it. No, this was a "do not pass Go", order as soon as you walk in the door type of beer that didn't disappoint. Although the Jack Daniels flavor was subtle, you could definately taste that it was aged in wooden barrels and you could pretty much taste all 12% of the alcohol in this black but not overly thick beverage.

Now that my taste buds were nice and desimated, the sampler was probably a moot point, but the show must go on. The sampler was not necessarily the normal fare that a brewpub would shell out to the masses. Three of the 5 beers (with the exception of the Scottish and afore mentioned stout) were pretty hop forward, and despite my bold selection to start the night, I thought the beers tasted really great and fresh. Not sure if I know the rhyme or reason, but I would say that the experience (at least beer-wise) at the Smokehouse was more enjoyable then the Downtown location.

If you're heading to a Jackets game and want to grab a bite and beers for the game, I would check out the Barley's Downtown location. But for my money, I would check out the Smokehouse for a really good beer experience at a pretty down to earth restaurant.
Jun 24, 2011
Photo of wingedeel
Reviewed by wingedeel from Indiana

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Only had time for one stop in Columbus, glad we picked Barleys Smokehouse.

Location is right on 33 near Grandview. Plenty of parking. Nice location, wish there was a close motel.

6 or 7 house beers,about the same number of guest taps, which were interesting.The bottle selection, while not huge, was also interesting and included Nugget Nectar. We stuck with the house beers and had a Bitter Dan Extreme IPA, a scottish ale, and an old ale.All were very well done.

The food was solid, if unspectacular. The sauerkraut balls were fabulous. We also splt a BBQ sampler plate which was hit or miss. The ribs and pulled pork were decent, but the brisket was a bit dry, and the smoked turkey a little salty.

We sat at the bar and got very good service.

Definately a place we will return.
Mar 13, 2011
Photo of DoubleSimcoe
Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
My wife and I love love LOVE the Smokehouse! This is a homey place kind of like the Cheers bar, where the bartender knows your name and your drink and the old bar flies have been there for ages (or so it seems).

We like that and the fact that it is pretty empty and quiet. If you prefer a more crowded, sports- and youth-oriented bar, look elsewhere. But if you want just a nice relaxed neighborhood bar to drink some high-quality beers, come to the Smokehouse.

I like a lot of their housebrews, their IPA (which tastes better here than at Barley's Downtown, for some reason), their Russian Imp Stout (draft and cask) and a lot of other stuff.

Their guest beers are usually fantastic, everything from Great Divide to Southern Tier and Ommegang, quality brews.

Food is pretty good, they have some interesting items. Their barbecue is alright but we really like the "Cuban cigars". Try those! Their menu just changed as of August 2010, so we'll have to check it out.

Service is great, attentive and fun. The girl behind the bar is a perfect bartender, approachable and so nice, she makes you feel like a local right in!

The only negative would be that it is a little pricey, specially the food. But not crazy. Love the Smokehouse!
Aug 30, 2010
Photo of MbpBugeye
Reviewed by MbpBugeye from Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This is the first location of Barleys that I visited.

The smokehouse is more of a restaurant than the downtown location. Seating is abundant, there are pool tables as well as some outdoor patio seating. The bar is smallish, about the same size as the one downtown. It might seat about 15 people.

They will have a few of the same beers here as they do downtown but a few different. In other words, each location will feature different Barleys beers.
I feel that their guest tap and bottle list is much stronger at this location. I have personally tasted GI Night Stalker on tap here, seen HopSlam, Bear Republic, Southampton, Boulder Obovoid Stout and a few other beers that arent around town very often.
It might just be me, but I feel like they feature more stouts here than they do downtown. It would make sense if this were true as these styles pair nicely with the BBQ style menu.

The food is pretty awesome. Great BBQ. One of the cities go to places for tangy, spicy and smokey BBQ.

When it comes to Columbus beer culture, this and its sister brewpub can not be overlooked.
Apr 22, 2010
Photo of jrallen34
Reviewed by jrallen34 from Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -19.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
This place is just down the street from my dad's new house so we gave it a shot.

The atmosphere is pretty boring just a big wooden room, like some crappy steakhouse. We sat at the bar in front of a tv, they a few nice ones throughout the place.

The quality is decent. They had 7 in house brews and 8 guest taps of decent quallity. However, there beer menu was totally out of date, they only had 2 of 8 beers on tap listed.

The service was really bad. The bartender new nothing about beer. I'd ask for suggestions and get just ignorant responses.

I wanted to taste all their drafts so on a plus side they offer shot tastings for .75 each, quite a deal to me.

The selection of their own taps is varied, and the guests are decent names but dominated by a bunch of ipas.

The food was ok, we had a snack of chicken tenders pretty tasty. However, the menu is just generic stuff you'd see anywhere.

Overall, a decent place. I wouldn't frequent this place because of a boring atmosphere and quite frankly none of there in house beers are top notch. Ok for C-bus I suppose.
Dec 27, 2009
Photo of beerbeerbeerbeer
Reviewed by beerbeerbeerbeer from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I go here all the time. I am not a big smoke fan but the ribs are decent and the gates of hell wings are some of the best in columbus imo. The atmosphere is laid back and usually not too crowded. They have stout and oysters on valentines day that is excellant. They also have ipapalloza every year and all pulls are ipas and lasts for days. The brewmaster (scott) can be seen here most days and is friendly and more than happy to discuss brewing. Now onto the beer. Scott brews some of the best beer in town. They normally have 5 or so of there own plus 2 of theres on cask. A firkin every friday that scott will usually take his beer and add extra hops or dry hop it to kick it up a notch. They also have typically 6 or so guest taps with a great variety and assorted bottles. Prices on the beer are a bit high but is a must visit for the quality and selection. Highly recommended!
Nov 04, 2009
Photo of Fezfreak
Reviewed by Fezfreak from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I am a regular customer of Barley's Smokehouse (Alehouse #2), as well as Barley's on High Street (Alehouse #1). The restaurants themselves are owned by different people. The Smokehouse is well-worth seeking out for several reasons:

* LOCATION: At first glance it seems kind of odd and out of place, but it turns out to be quite convenient to get to, just off the I-670 Grandview exit on Route 33. Think of it as a "destination-establishment".

* PARKING: Plenty of it.

* ELBOW ROOM: Plenty of that too. Nice big booths and two good sized dining rooms, complimented by two outdoor seating areas.

* MILDRED'S SAUERKRAUT BALLS: Although these are also on the Alehouse #1 menu, they have more of a kick, as does the accompanying dip.

My good buddy and fellow musician, Brewmaster Scott Francis (the Godfather of craft brewing in Central Ohio) presides over the production of beer at both Barley's locations. The yeast strain he employs came from a traditional London, England brewery many moons ago, and he has used it for so long now that it has become unique to Barley's. This is one of the key elements in the flavor profile and complexity of their beers. You can't get the taste anywhere else. Some of my favorites include the ever-dependable MacLenney's Scottish Ale, Hoptopus IPA, Hop Envy IPA, Russian Stout, and of course the amazing Pilsner (when it's there). Scott is always coming up with something different, his beers a true embodiment of the brewer's art.

By the way, both locations offer Cask Conditioned Ale (yep, REAL ALE!!!) in addition to regular draft (the tower).

Good place to take the family and /or other non-imbibing associates. Strongly recommended!
Sep 04, 2009
Photo of OSUBeerStudent
Reviewed by OSUBeerStudent from Washington

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
One of my favorite places to get a beer and BBQ in Columbus. The food first. This is actually my favorite BBQ in the city. Everything I've had here has been excellent at least, including jerk chicken, jerk shrimp, pulled pork, grilled chicken, brisket, and ribs on the BBQ side. The see-gars are very good, being filled with veggies/cheese and BBQ meats, but the sauerkraut balls are the best thing on the appetizer side. Excellent quality sauerkraut with cheese and sausage battered and fried, served with chipotle cream sauce. Just plain awesome food. Some is made with their ales, also, like the Scotch ale French onion soup.

On to the beer. The selection isn't huge, like Barley's or Bob's or whatnot, but it is high-quality. Maybe half of the beers are brewed by Barleys, and the selections here are different than at the other location in general. The fruit-flavored beers are the only ones I've had that aren't very good at the least, but they're still not bad. Highlights include Hoptopus (drinking from a growler right now), Pint o Joe, Alexander's imperial stout, Maclenny's Scottish, and Draggin Ass stout. As a brewpub the selections change really frequently, but everything is quality. Maybe stay away from the raspberry saison, which I don't remember the name of.

Guest taps are decent number (~7) and good quality. Last time I visited they included Festina Peche, Southern Tier Creme Brulee, Wood/oak-aged Mad Hatter (don't remember the exact name), and others. Have also had Oaked Yeti in the past. I tend to gravitate towards the house brews, though, so don't always notice the guest taps.

Their specials are also quite good. There are almost always the normal 6-8 house beers on draft plus two cask-aged versions which change constantly. Firkin Friday is the best time to go, though. They open a firkin on top of the bar and serve it from there till it's gone. Selection changes every week, but firkin beer is excellent. I've had raspberry porter, Left Coast pale, and several others, and the firkin versions are much better than the normal ones. If you plan it right you can sometimes get a normal draft, cask, and firkin version of a single beer, which is just plain awesome.

Summing up: excellent BBQ food, lots of good house-brewed beers, a decent number of guest taps for a restaurant, ability to get growlers to take home (just got a 1/2 gallon for $9!), and plenty of versions of different ages of the same beers. Great place.
Jul 18, 2009
Smokehouse Brewing Co. in Columbus, OH
Brewery rating: 3.87 out of 5 with 288 ratings