I'm heading to Columbus in a couple of weeks and I'm looking for recommendations for places that serve ale on cask. I was thinking that Barley's used to feature cask ale on Friday, but stopped doing it during the scamdemic. Are they offering it again? Any other recommendations? I appreciate any & all information!
I haven't been to Barley's in a long time so I have no idea if they still have one on occasionally or not. Other than Smokehouse which permanently closed recently, them and Barley's were the only local breweries that would have cask ales. To my knowledge no other place in the area does cask. Not exactly close, but up in Lexington there was a place called Laxton Hollow that has cask ales but from what I've seen online they're temporarily closed so that doesn't help either. If I find out anything different I'll post it here.
Looks like another possibility might be Staas Brewing in Delaware. I plan to check that one out when I'm in the area next month. Barley's still touts cask ale and CAMRA on their web site, so I plan to check that out as well.
Now that you mention it, Staas has cask on occasion if not one on all the time. I just checked their Instagram page and as of last week they said they had put on a fresh cask so that will probably be your best bet. Not sure if you've ever been to Staas, but there's a couple other breweries in the same downtown area which is nice.
In Gahanna is Edison Brewing which specializes in European beers. I've had my eye on them for a future visit. They seem like the type of brewery that might have cask offerings, but I can't find anything on their website, etc. Give them a call and ask, and, if they don't I'll bet they'll know if another brewery in the Columbus area does. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59900/
Staas definitely has had cask though I haven’t been there in quite a while. I should visit them again. They also have limited days and hours so call ahead.
I've only been there a few times, and they do have limited hours. Usually open more on the weekends, but even then I don't think they open until 4 most days and maybe at 2 or so on Saturdays. For the most part I thought they were just open Thursday-Saturday but I could be wrong about that. Definitely check ahead to make sure. But with that being said they make some good brews and it's a fun place to stop at. Usually if I'm going to Delaware I make sure to stop at Restoration Brew Worx and Old Dog Alehouse first since I'm pretty sure both are usually open most days before Staas is. And all 3 breweries are close enough to each other in downtown Delaware and it's a cool downtown in general so might as well stick around and hit up all 3 places if you're able to.
I was just at Barley's today, and yes they do still serve cask ale. It seems like they always have one on tap at any point, but of course, call ahead. I have not found anywhere else in Columbus (besides Staas if you count that as Columbus). Would be interested if there were any others out there.
@Blogjackets delayed reply due to the locked thread [original conversation]. Nonetheless, found this thread, so will add a couple additions that have not already been mentioned. Albeit, not central Ohio, and both are in opposite directions of Lexington/Laxton Hollow: Branch & Bone (Dayton) Buckeye Beer Engine (Lakewood) Both places have downtime per conditioning & (seasonal) turnover rates: B&B has two on deck [cask-conditioned]…check before going --- B&B also does BIB [Cask to Go] -
This is an awesome place. Highly recommend, the drive up from Columbus. Great restaurants in Delaware as well.
It's been a year since my last trip to Columbus. I'll be heading there again soon and I'm looking for updates on cask availability. I'll be hitting Barley's again for sure. I'll also check out Staas and Branch & Bone if I get the chance. Beyond that, any recommendations?
I love Branch and Bone but their cask availability for both on-site and to-go is pretty occasional. They just did a big multi-cask event a few weeks ago so I'm not sure whether they'll have any on-site for a while, although they'll likely have at least one English style ale on draft and in cans. I'd definitely recommend the brewery in general but it might not be worth going to Dayton from the Columbus area for the specific purpose of this thread.
Not Central Ohio, but Gravel Road has been picking up their ‘live ale’ program [Engine Est. 2024]. This is run by historian/brewer Dan Lauro, who previously led Carillon Brewing. Dan is also one of the few brewers using an RLBS system -
Gilligan’s [Irish & British Inspired] is tapping their first cask-conditioned ale today via countertop dispense: the plan is to eventually install a handpump per ‘interest’ - --- --- …this is not Central Ohio, but this is relatively close to Gravel Road, which is moderately close to Branch & Bone…
So far just about everything from both (although Gilligan's is also West Side I think) has been fantastic. Their ESB is just about perfect and would go well as a cask. Cheers
Barley's-----the scotch ale is second to none! Killer food as well! Staas is phenomenal! Great food too. Highly recommend! Visited there with the Little Lady, Bluejacket74, and our friend Laura. Good times!
