Columbus, OH, Breweries

Taste being subjective, I can't really agree with the assessment that Columbus craft beer drinkers are supporting "less than mediocre beer." Less than exciting, in some cases, okay. But by and large I have a good opinion of the beer being brewed here. Have I tried everything? Certainly not. I haven't been to North High in a couple of years, and wasn't all that impressed on that one visit. Maybe they've gotten better since then, which has led to the need for them to expand production. I wouldn't know, but it's certainly possible. Like a lot of people, I love the vibe at Seventh Son, but I'm not blown away by their beers. Still, I wouldn't call them mediocre. Other than the above, I thoroughly enjoy the other beers brewed here that I've tried, by CBC, Rockmill (too pricey, but terrific beers), Zauber, Barley's, Actual, Sideswipe, Four String, Hoof Hearted, Elevator (since they embraced making good beer several years ago), Wolf's Ridge, Gordon Biersch. For me, the hit rate has been pretty damned good.

Regarding the number of breweries and what the market can support, well, it's the obvious question that crops up every time a new place opens up, now that we have so many breweries. I just don't think it makes makes much sense. First, I don't think it's accurate to question how many breweries Columbus (or any other market) can support. It's not so much about breweries but, rather, craft beer. I moved here 11 years ago, and there wasn't one spot in town with 20 taps back then. That changed when Bodega opened, but even then the ramping up of the beer bar scene in Columbus was very gradual, until the past few years. Where I live, in Clintonvuille, on Indianola there was Studio 35 (with, as I recall, 12-13 taps) and nothing else. Now Indianola boasts 160 taps at The Crest, Savor Market, and Studio 35 and another, what, 14-16 combined at Savor Growl and Weiland's?

None of these places are breweries.

Same goes for House Beer, Beer Kitchen 101, Growl!, the Daily Growler, Pies and Pints, The Market in Italian Village, Yellow Brick Pizza, Bob's Bar, Harvest Pizza, the St. James Tavern, the aforementioned Bodega, Winking Lizard, World of Beer and shitload of other places that focus on craft beer. Support for craft beer in Columbus has literally exploded in recent years. New local breweries are just a reflection of that larger, wonderful trend.

Second, close to 30 craft breweries sounds like a lot, perhaps, but obviously not all of these places are the same. CBC is about to undergo a huge expansion, while tiny Sideswipe is using Kickstarter to try and fund a tap room. Yet they each count equally in my list of Columbus breweries. Columbus, as of yet, hasn't developed a large regional craft brewery. CBC may become the first (I'd not bet against it), and I know other breweries hope to distribute more widely. Still, for the most part, the Columbus craft brewer scene is made up of lots of small producers who sell their product locally; some of them don't bottle/can; virtually all report that they can't keep up with demand. It's a pretty damned cool environment, if you ask me. Maybe someday a few of these local breweries will try and gain a larger footprint, requiring millions in investment to do so; investment that might not pan out. Maybe. But that's not where we are today. Some seem to think the craft beer industry is, somehow, a bubble that'll someday burst. They're welcomed to their opinion. I just don't see that happening, just like I don't see the "good restaurant industry" as something that'll burst. Even in hard times, craft beer is an affordable luxury. I can't see a point where American just stop drinking beer, especially good beer. So for guys that stay small and local, I think there will always be a welcoming craft beer market in Coumbus. It's the big brewers that have to be wondering what the hell is going on.

I do question where, geographically, newer breweries will crop up in the years to come. As someone who lives in the city, I LOVE the fact that so much of the Columbus beer culture is focused downtown. Still, in a metro area of 2 million, fewer than half live in the City of Columbus. And, thus far, the suburbs and inside-270 communities haven't seen much of the action. Westerville finally has a place, as does Gahanna; Delaware will soon have its second brewery. But Dublin, New Albany, Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Grove City, Polaris, etc, remain off the grid as far as local breweries are concerned. A lot of people live in those communities, and I'd imagine that a brewery or several could easily find an untapped (so to speak) market in them.

 

Okay, updated list. Lineage is in their soft opening phase and has three beers of their own on tap. I stopped by last night to check it out. That qualifies as "open" for me. Knotty Pine is also open now. I deleted BJ's since they don't appear to brew on premises. Which gets us to 28 breweries in the Columbus metro area, 25 open now, and 26 as soon as Restoration Brew Werx opens in Delaware later this spring. By the way, it was great to hear that beers from several local breweries are now available at Columbus Crew games.

COLUMBUS AREA BREWERIES – March ‘15

1 Columbus Brewing Company – 2555 Harrison Road, Columbus (tap room opens summer 2015)

2 Seventh Son Brewing Co. – 1101 N 4th St, Columbus

3 Zaftig Brewing Co. – 545 Schrock Rd, Columbus

4 Barley's Brewing Company – 467 N. High St., Columbus

5 Smokehouse Brewing Co. – 1130 Dublin Rd., Columbus

6 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant – 401 N. Front Street, Columbus

7 The Actual Brewing Co. – 655 N James Rd, Columbus

8 Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus – 161 N High St, Columbus
Elevator Brewing Company – 165 N. 4th Street, Columbus

9 Sideswipe Brewing – 2419 Scioto Harper Dr, Columbus

10 Four String Brewing Company – 985 W 6th Ave, Columbus

11 Zauber Brewing Company – 909 W 5th Ave, Columbus

12 North High Brewing Company – 1288 N High St, Columbus

13 Wolf's Ridge Brewing – 215 N 4th St, Columbus

14 Hofbrauhaus Columbus – 800 Goodale Blvd, Columbus

15 Lineage Brewing – 2971 N High Street, Columbus

16 Pigskin Brewing Company – 81 Mill Street, Gahanna

17 Knotty Pine Brewing – 1765 West Third Avenue, Columbus

18 Land-Grant Brewing Company – 424 Town St., Columbus

19 RAM Restaurant & Brewery – 920 N High St, Columbus (spring 2016)

20 The Brew Brothers, Scioto Downs Racino – 6000 S High St, Columbus (late 2015)

21 Temperance Row Brewing – 41 N State St, Westerville

22 Rockmill Brewing – 5705 Lithopolis Road NW, Lancaster

23 Staas Brewing – 31 W Winter St., Delaware

24 Restoration Brew Worx – 25 N Sandusky St., Delaware (spring 2015)

25 Homestead Beer Company – 811 Irving Wick Drive West, Heath

26 Granville Brewing Company – Granville (no tasting room)

27 Buckeye Lake Brewery – 5176 Walnut Road, Buckeye Lake

28 Hoof Hearted Brewing – Marengo (Italian Village brewpub opening 2015)

 

Obviously, lots of buzz here about BrewDog, but while we await details on that project, Four String is the latest Columbus brewery to announce a major expansion:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus...g-brewing-tripling-capacity-with-move-to.html

 

What's the buzz about BrewDog? I haven't heard anything new.

 

Pretty interesting article about Four String Brewing's expansion plans:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto...ger-plant-part-of-taking-beers-statewide.html

 

Looks like James Watt is in town:

James Watt @BrewDogJames · 15h 15 hours ago
Drinking @seventhsonbrew syzygy dipa and listening to @editorsofficial at @ColumbusBodega Columbus fucking rocks.

 

The craft brewery scene here continues to creep out into the suburbs. Ill Mannered Brewing (a nano brewery) will open in Powell this autumn:

http://drinkupcolumbus.com/2015/05/08/ill-mannered-brewing-coming-to-powell/

Which gets us to 29 breweries operating or under development in the greater Columbus metro area. Wouldn't it be nice if BrewDog could make it an event 30:


1 Columbus Brewing Company – 2555 Harrison Road, Columbus (tap room opens summer 2015)

2 Seventh Son Brewing Co. – 1101 N 4th St, Columbus

3 Zaftig Brewing Co. – 545 Schrock Rd, Columbus

4 Barley's Brewing Company – 467 N. High St., Columbus

5 Smokehouse Brewing Co. – 1130 Dublin Rd., Columbus

6 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant – 401 N. Front Street, Columbus

7 The Actual Brewing Co. – 655 N James Rd, Columbus

8 Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus – 161 N High St, Columbus
Elevator Brewing Company– 165 N. 4th Street, Columbus

9 Sideswipe Brewing – 2419 Scioto Harper Dr, Columbus

10 Four String Brewing Company – 985 W 6th Ave, Columbus

11 Zauber Brewing Company – 909 W 5th Ave, Columbus

12 North High Brewing Company – 1288 N High St, Columbus

13 Wolf's Ridge Brewing – 215 N 4th St, Columbus

14 Hofbrauhaus Columbus – 800 Goodale Blvd, Columbus

15 Lineage Brewing– 2971 N High Street, Columbus

16 Pigskin Brewing Company – 81 Mill Street, Gahanna

17 Knotty Pine Brewing – 1765 West Third Avenue, Columbus

18 Land-Grant Brewing Company – 424 Town St., Columbus

19 RAM Restaurant & Brewery – 920 N High St, Columbus (spring 2016)

20 The Brew Brothers, Scioto Downs Racino – 6000 S High St, Columbus (late 2015)

21 Temperance Row Brewing – 41 N State St, Westerville

22 Ill Mannered Brewing – 30 Grace Drive, Powell (autumn 2015)

23 Rockmill Brewing– 5705 Lithopolis Road NW, Lancaster

24 Staas Brewing – 31 W Winter St., Delaware

25 Restoration Brew Worx – 25 N Sandusky St., Delaware (spring 2015)

26 Homestead Beer Company – 811 Irving Wick Drive West, Heath

27 Granville Brewing Company – Granville (no tasting room)

28 Buckeye Lake Brewery– 5176 Walnut Road, Buckeye Lake

29 Hoof Hearted Brewing – Marengo (Italian Village brewpub opening 2015)

 

I spend a bit o' time at Barley's especially when the Jackets are playing and I luv their Beer. They recently expanded their operation to keep up with current demand and to offer Barley's Brew at a few other taps around town. The attached CBUS Dispatch Article details their growth and plans for the future. They unlike some other brewers around Central Ohio really don't plan on bottling their Libations. This disappoints me but I understand that they like the way their business is running and don't want to go into bottle production.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/04/03/barleys-expansion.html

 

I need to correct my statement regarding Barley's potential bottling in the future . After reading the article again They ARE planning on Canning-Bottling for a larger market. Wow Glad I screwed that up the first Go Around

 

I am trying to get an in-person trading group going on facebook for Columbus. If you're interested its called "Columbus Beer Exchange" thanks!

 

Restoration Brew Worx is having its grand opening (I know it's been in a soft opening stage for a few weeks already):
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/06/17/delawares-second-craft-brewery-opens.html

 

Here's a kinda cool interactive resource for Columbus Ale Trail participants. http://www.dispatch.com/content/topic/news/2015/05/columbus-ale-trail.html

 

Can't believe y'all have almost 30 breweries just within the metro area. We have less than 10 in Houston. I'll be up there in October for an OSU game - what would y'all rank as the top... 5 maybe? breweries in town. Despite our best intentions, I don't think we can hit them all in one weekend.

 

Honestly, there are many great places about that would allow you to try a lot of beer from local places in one spot. The Ohio Taproom has a Pegas counterpressure growler filler, and everything they sell is Ohio only (not just Columbus). They often have things that aren't available anywhere else because John will go pick kegs up from places that don't distribute themselves.

The breweries that I recommend are Seventh Son, Lineage, North High, Barley's, and Zauber.

If you'd like some places to visit for food/beer, or for bottle shops/etc, send me a message, and I'll be glad to point you toward some options


Cheers,
Kef

 

Since BrewDog has officially announced their Canal Winchester location and a projected opening date, here's the updated Columbus metro area brewery listing:


1 Columbus Brewing Company – 2555 Harrison Road, Columbus (tap room opens summer 2015)

2 Seventh Son Brewing Co. – 1101 N 4th St, Columbus

3 Zaftig Brewing Co. – 545 Schrock Rd, Columbus

4 Barley's Brewing Company – 467 N. High St., Columbus

5 Smokehouse Brewing Co. – 1130 Dublin Rd., Columbus

6 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant – 401 N. Front Street, Columbus

7 The Actual Brewing Co. – 655 N James Rd, Columbus

8 Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus – 161 N High St, Columbus
Elevator Brewing Company– 165 N. 4th Street, Columbus

9 Sideswipe Brewing – 2419 Scioto Harper Dr, Columbus

10 Four String Brewing Company – 985 W 6th Ave, Columbus

11 Zauber Brewing Company – 909 W 5th Ave, Columbus

12 North High Brewing Company – 1288 N High St, Columbus

13 Wolf's Ridge Brewing – 215 N 4th St, Columbus

14 Hofbrauhaus Columbus – 800 Goodale Blvd, Columbus

15 Lineage Brewing– 2971 N High Street, Columbus

16 Pigskin Brewing Company – 81 Mill Street, Gahanna

17 Knotty Pine Brewing – 1765 West Third Avenue, Columbus

18 Land-Grant Brewing Company – 424 Town St., Columbus

19 RAM Restaurant & Brewery – 920 N High St, Columbus (spring 2016)

20 The Brew Brothers, Scioto Downs Racino – 6000 S High St, Columbus (late 2015)

21 Temperance Row Brewing – 41 N State St, Westerville

22 Ill Mannered Brewing – 30 Grace Drive, Powell (autumn 2015)

23 Rockmill Brewing– 5705 Lithopolis Road NW, Lancaster

24 Staas Brewing – 31 W Winter St., Delaware

25 Restoration Brew Worx – 25 N Sandusky St., Delaware

26 Homestead Beer Company – 811 Irving Wick Drive West, Heath

27 Granville Brewing Company – Granville (no tasting room)

28 Buckeye Lake Brewery– 5176 Walnut Road, Buckeye Lake

29 Hoof Hearted Brewing – Marengo (Italian Village brewpub opening 2015)

30 BrewDog Columbus – 96 Gender Road, Canal Winchester (summer 2016)

 

30 BrewDog Columbus – 96 Gender Road, Canal Winchester (summer 2016)

Ooh! A mere mile away from the National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame! You can hit both in one day!

Kidding aside, this is 4 miles from the in-laws, so that makes me very happy.

 

About ten miles drive from Rockmilll Brewing, as well. Not exactly the most convenient central Ohio location (for me, anyway), but two places to visit make it that much more likely I'll head out that way more often.

 

For those interested in a bit of a history lesson on the 2nd oldest active brewery in Columbus, this blog post is pretty great.

http://patspints.com/2015/09/10/talking-ales-with-angelo-part-1-a-look-back/

 

Interesting article and video in the Columbus Dispatch about Actual Brewing's plans to get into the commercial yeast business:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/10/25/1-science-pirates.html

I don't know that Wyeast and White Labs need to get too worried right now, but (1) they come across as being very serious about this and (2) there does appear to be a LOT of room in the industry for this kind of thing.

 

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting the Columbus Brewing Company is finally pushing to clean up the modest, but real, confusion related to a local restaurant having the same name (and a very similar web address):

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto...wants-restaurant-of-same-name-to-drop-it.html

Sounds like, in the end, the brewery will win this battle. I have nothing against CBC restaurant, however, the confusion over the common name, but there being no legal connection whatsoever between the two businesses, is a problem. As Columbus Brewing Company gets bigger (and it's just launched a large new facility, a re-brand and is rapidly ramping up bottling of its beers to accommodate broader distribution (Bodhi in June, I think), one would think the restaurant would benefit substantially from people going there assuming that it's the equivalent of a CBC taproom (that already happens).