I'll be in Columbus from Monday 6/23 thru Wed 6/25 for a business conference at the Hyatt on N. High. Is there anything around that hotel, within walking distance that I should check out beer-wise? I see a couple of bars and breweries listed that seem close by but since I won't have much extra time to waste, I thought I'd get advice on which are better. Thanks
I am not from there but do get there from time to time. This place is really cool and worth a walk http://www.northhighbrewing.com/ Get some Jeni's Ice Cream too. God sent her right down here to make the best ice cream on the earth. There are two on N. High I believe. Lots of cool bars and restaurants on that same street. Just walk straight down N. High towards campus and you'll see all kinds of things you'll like. Also, try to score some Rockmill while there. The guy makes legit Belgians. Like, the correct water and everything. Not sours, but saisons, dubbels, trippel and a barrel aged trippel which is sick! Have fun.
Barley brewing Compamy 467 N. High St. It's not to far from the hotel..if i remember... barleysbrewing.com. Been there 1x and had a nice time.
The food at Barleys is great - the beer is so-so (except for Alexander, their RIS - it's pretty solid). Take a walk down to the newly re-opened Bodega for a wide variety of craft options, and be sure to try Bodhi by Columbus Brewing Company while you're here.
There are also two distileries in Columbus; I serve them both at my house actually Oyo and Watershed. I like the bourbons. Watershed does tours, the owners are very cool and the liquor is good.
Both Barley's and Elevator Brewing are a quick walk from the Hyatt on High. I'd give Barley's the slight edge on beer, and I like their food, Elevator is a bit priceyer, but very nice inside. I've never been impressed with the Bodega, lotsa beer but kind of a hipster vibe(I hate hipsters, and Columbus is full of 'em). Maybe a half mile closer to your hotel than the Bodega is Melt, which has a pretty good beer selection too. But yeah, tons of restaurants and bars on High St headed north from the Hyatt. If you do go to North High Brewing, Brother's Drake Meadery is just around the corner from there, probably worth checking out.
Go up North High Street you can hit Bodega, Melt and the Pint House all of which have solid beer selections. You can also easily reach Seventh Sons Brewery, Wolf's ridge Brewery from where you are. Easily can hit Dirty Franks as well.
If you are on a time limit, Barley's would be a good choice. It's a 5 minute, quarter mile walk from your hotel (you literally just cross a bridge and there it is). Be sure to grab a pint of the Two Tones IPA. It will be tapped on Sunday the 22nd, so it will be super fresh when you are there. It was a homebrew recipe that my friend and I brewed on their system and they are releasing for us for winning their homebrew competition. It has several newer hop varieties including Mosaic. It was a kick ass homebrew, so hopefully the scaled up version will be as good or better. Their food is also amazing, and they have a few good beers on draft, my favorite being Chupacabra (an imperial brown ale with cacao and vanilla).
Hope you enjoyed it. For me, it could have used a little longer conditioning time. It was quite a bit cloudier than the original homebrew product we submitted. But hey, I get it.. breweries need a quicker turnaround. Amazing beer overall though.. I hope other BAs can make it down to Barley's to give it a try. Would love to have some feedback/criticism. They'll have it on firkin this Friday with Simcoe and Columbus hops added.
^ I've lived in Columbus for many years, but still haven't made it down to Barley's. I'll make sure to stop by this summer.
