Columbus North Market Micro Beer Fest

Just wanted to get the word out for those who don't check the events page (I feel like few do given the lack of listings...).

This weekend the North Market is hosting their annual Micro Brewfest. IMO it's the best event that the city sees all year. Only "local" breweries are in attendance. I use quotes as this year is the first time we see other regions represented (Thirsty Dog, Great Lakes, some stuff from Toledo, etc).

Hours are:
Fri - 5-9
Sat - 12-8
Sun - 12-5

There's not a ton of info out there for whatever reason, so I'll let everyone know to expect it to be outdoors this year. Many breweries bring a ton of offerings (Elevator, Barley's) and many also bring special beers (ie: casks, BA stuff, etc).

I haven't seen a list of beers for the entire fest yet but I can confirm a few from CBC:
Bodhi
Habanero Bodhi Cask
Big Frank
BA Rusty
Rhapsody
IPA
Pale
Fest

There will be other casks TBD. Also we'll be debuting a brand new beer that is likely to sell like hotcakes. I'll leave it a surprise for the event.

Admission is $20 which gets you a pint glass, 10 tickets, and a $5 coupon for use at the North Market. It is meant for food but last year I used mine at the Barrel and Bottle.

Always a good time, I look forward to this event every year. Stop on down, chat with the brewers, and sample some fun offerings from Cenntral and Northern OH breweries. This is also likely the first time many will get to sample the likes of: Four String, Buckeye Lake, Zauber, and Hoof Hearted.

 

Hey guys, FYI I got too far ahead of myself when I shouldn't have. The Habanero Bodhi was an idea the brewery had but time/resources/unforeseen circumstances prevented that from happening. Not sure if there will be any replacement casks, but casks or not, there will be some kick ass beer flowing. But regular Bodhi ought to be plenty to get you to stop by the CBC beer truck anyways!

I can't confirm what the final rules will be yet, each year it seems to change slightly, but typically they are for 4oz pours. For this event a brewery can decide how many tickets and the size of the pour themselves though. So you may pay 2 tickets for 4oz of one beer, 2 tickets for 2oz of a high alcohol beer somewhere else, or be able to fork over 4 tickets for a full pint at a third booth. At least that is how it has worked in the past.

 

It's all related to how the market pays the breweries. Many events pay breweries either a flat fee or for the beer they bring, and many others pay based on the kegs tapped (Columbus Beer Fest).

At North Market, the breweries are paid based on the number of tickets they collect. So if Elevator normally charges $8 for a special release, then they have reason to want multiple tickets for a single pour. As with any fest some pours will wind up with nothing collected and many people will pretend/cheat on relinquishing their tickets, too. The point of the fest isn't to make money, but it's nice not to lose much money either.

I agree that it's a weird way of doing things, but considering the format, you can't blame the breweries for it. It's also (intentionally or not) a great way to keep things legal, as in OH alcohol cannot be given away for free, hence the paid tickets you get at any event. So far this is the best incentive I have seen to get the breweries to actually request tickets from everyone...

 

Just to be clear I'm not saying one method is better than the other, each way of running a festival has its pros and cons, and unfortunately Ohio law makes for more convoluted festival rules than in some states.

The price is still good considering the coupon. Most fests are $35+. For $30 (only $10 more) you can buy an additional 20 tickets, which ought to be more than enough to get the average person pretty toasty.

 

I could barely move at this year's summer beer fest. For those who paid it was also more expensive. The four food trucks had enormous lines and ran out early. You get the food of all north market for less, a food coupon, and they finally announced a coupon for $2 off admission at the participating breweries. Not to mention that one entry fee gives you access to all three days if desired...