So my wife is driving to Columbus Ohio for work today and has graciously offered to stop somewhere and get me some beer before coming home tomorrow. So I have a couple of questions that may help her search. 1. Where should she go? She is headed to the Big Lots corporate offices, but has to drive back to Illinois, so what place has the best selection, price, and customer service? Do any store in the area have an online order service where I could place the order ahead of time for her to just pick up? 2. What should i have her look for that I can't get in Illinois? Any breweries, seasonals, specials that stand out? Any help with this will be greatly appriciated. She is not into the craft scene at all, so any guidance I can give her will make it better for me and easier on her.
Have her pick up some fresh Columbus Brewing IPA. It will be in almost every grocery store like Kroger. Bottle dates are clearly printed on each label like this: 14125, which means 125 days into 2014. Also, Fat Heads just released bottles of their session ale called Sunshine Daydream. Most Columbus beer stores have it now.
Corner Store has Bodhi available for growlers right now. That should seal the deal for that place; about a 15 minute drive from Big Lots corporate offices, at most.
What are the growler rules in Ohio? Does it have to be from the place that fills it or can it be any growler?
I think generally it's up to the store. MOST stores in Columbus will fill any growler, provided it's clean. I know The Daily Growler only fills their own.
Thanks for the great advise so far. I plan on having her stop at Corner Store. Do any Jakie O's beers make it to Columbus? What does a growler of Bodhi cost?
^ growler of Bodhi is around $15. And yes, Jackie O's distributes to Columbus... I saw Mystic Mama, Hop Ryot and the nut brown ale this week at Meijer. Local craft stores like Corner Store will probably have it too.
I shop at Corner Stone frequently. They'll fill up any growler or howler. They should have all the Jackie O's cans, and depending on when you go, may have their newest bottle release Imperial Paw Paw. Generally their deliveries come on Thursday. I believe Ohio Taproom in Grandview just tapped Oil of Aphrodite, probably Jackie O's best stout. Other good places to send her would be Anderson's in Dublin or Weiland's in Clintonvile. You can get anywhere in Columbus in roughly 15-20 min. Also, last I heard, a small movie theatre/bar called Studio 35 (near Weilands) still has some extremely rare and awesome Bodhi variants from a tasting on Sunday they will sell growlers of. Good luck!
Weiland's has Hoof Hearted South of Eleven on right now, numerous Ohio bottles and cans, including bottles of Paw Paw wheat, and a ton of other amazing beer. I love Weiland's, imo it is the best place for craft beer in Columbus. The staff are all knowledgeable, opinionated (in a good way), and helpful. For purely growler fills I like the Ohio Taproom, mainly because the owner is a good guy guy and they have a great selection.
So thanks to the friendly people at Corner Stone, I was able to enjoy many tasty Ohio beers over the weekend. It sucked that I missed out on Bodhi by an hour, the keg had kicked at lunch, but had the freshest Headhunter I've ever experienced at only 2 weeks old. Thanks again for all the advice.
