The Even Better CCBW Cheat Sheet: Volume 2 (05/16 - 05/19/2018)

Well, Columbus's Craft Beer Week seems to be off to a fine start, with plenty of fun events and one stalwart person already completing the latest edition of the Columbus Ale Trail. We personally found ourselves at a few events, including The Daily Growler's Infusapalooza and a rare tapping of some Cantillon Beers at the Winking Lizard Tavern and Lizardville, located right next to each other on Polaris Blvd. in Westerville.

The Ultimate CCBW Cheat Sheet: Volume 1 (05/11 through 05/15/2018)

As late as 2014, Columbus didn't have a Craft Beer Week to call its own

Amazing little factoid I'd like to share to you: by sheer chance in 2014, my wife and I stumbled into the first ever craft beer week for Greenville, South Carolina.  This fairly modest city of just over 60,000 people at the time hosted 20+ beer events that year, and we had a good time wandering around and trying out the craft wares of the area.

By contrast, Columbus, a city of more than 14 times Greenville's population and several times more breweries, had yet to have such a week to call its own.

Well, things have changed for certain: Columbus Craft Beer Week (CCBW) launched in 2015 and hasn't looked back since. Buoyed by an ever growing numbers (well over forty are projected to be operational by the end of his year), a highly successful corresponding Columbus Ale Trail promotion (more than 2,300 people earned the truly cool paddle and flight glass combo from 2017's version), and enthusiastic public support, I would say that CCBW has been a smashing success.

Black Friday Libations Tour: Columbus Edition (Pt. 2)

An older bottle of Scarlet Solstice from Brothers Drake Meadery, which
has been plying its trade in Columbus for nearly a decade.

One of the more unique aspects of our family tours lies in the fact that one of our party members who sports a severe gluten allergy (in fact, we tried to make a quick trip over to Merion Village's Bake Me Happy, but alas they were closed for the entire Thanksgiving Day weekend.)  That very fact makes our touring that much more interesting, as that puts destinations focusing on ciders, meads and spirits on our radar for possible visits. This was definitely the case when it came to Central Ohio's original meadery in the Short North's Brothers Drake.

Black Friday Libations Tour: Columbus Edition (Pt. 1)

Starting in 2015, various members of my family decided to break with the shopping tradition on Black Friday and instead embark on a brewery and spirits tour. With the Detroit and Cleveland (on last year's tour) covered, it seemed only natural to turn our attentions south toward Columbus this year.

In a way, however, this particular tour was 25 years in the making. That’s when my one of my now many brothers-in-law landed a theater assignment in Columbus in the early 1990s. During that stint, he happened to wander into a shiny brand new downtown area brewpub named Barley’s Ale House (easy stumbling distance from his Victorian Village rental) and was almost immediately hooked. From there, he gained a growing appreciation of the still fledgling local beer scene, one which was still dominated by Budweiser but dotted with a blast from the past (Hoster) as well as a few small upstarts like Barley’s and Columbus Brewing.

Also born at this time was his love for homebrewing; in fact, he bought his first homebrewing kit from Barley’s head brewer himself, Angelo Signorino. It is a passion that continues strongly to this day, with a particular interest in the classic German styles of beer and brewing. He eventually moved with his family to parts farther west, but he never lost his love for where it all started.

Pick of the Liter: Combustion Brewing

One of the blaring headlines in the craft beer world to hit early in 2017 was one that might worry aficionados at first glance. Growth in what seemed to be at times an unstoppable juggernaut of a business model in the 2010s slowed dramatically in 2016: Brewers Association statistics noted that the segment grew only 6% in volume (compared to 12-15% in prior years) and ticked up only a notch (0.1%) in total market share.

What is somewhat hidden in the statistics is that the smaller segment of younger brewpubs and breweries that open up in under-served communities continues to boom. Typically, these establishments are much more tuned in to their surrounding community and, when done correctly, are transformed almost instantaneously into local hangouts. This niche is one that the newly opened Combustion Brewery and Taproom definitively falls into.

Saisons from the Hocking: Rockmill Brewery (Lancaster, OH)

Back in 2016, I had the pleasure of visiting Texas and Austin's most well-renowned brewery in Jester King. The facility's Hill Country, farmhouse-style setting was most certainly rustic and peaceful; in fact, I noted it at the time as "second on the list of the most beautiful brewery sites I have ever had the opportunity to visit."

I figured at the time I would reveal what brewery occupied that number one spot in fairly short order, but as the saying goes, stuff happens. Thankfully for me and you the reader, that distinction still exists with the same entity, Rockmill Brewery, which is nestled in the hills surrounding a town established by well-traveled Colonel Ebenezer Zane back in 1800.

You typically can't see much from the winding country road as you approach this brewery, save maybe for the sign indicating you've reached your destination (majorly helpful advice: check their Facebook page to make sure the brewery is not closed for a private event; trust us, we know.) Once you pull in, however, you start garnering the pastoral beauty that imbues the brewery property.

Return to the Trails (Pt. 3): Seeking The Paddle-Tested - Year 3 of the Columbus Ale Trail

Earlier posts from this current "Return to the Ale Trails" series:
Part 1: Jumping Onboard The Trail Train - Newcomers to the Scene
Part 2: Ales for what Ails You - A Closer Look at Fresno, California's Ale Trail promotion

Part 1 of my original 4-part Ale Trails series (written in November 2016) can be found here.

A strong finish was in the cards for Year Two participants in what's turned
out to be a very popular and successful Columbus Ale Trail promotion

As it turned out, Columbus area craft beer seekers proved they know how to pace themselves, at least in regard to the second year of the Columbus Ale Trail promotion.

According to Jim Ellison, owner of Columbus Brew Adventures and co-organizer of the Ale Trail, April saw a huge surge in those completing the entire trail of 28 breweries for the ultimate prize of a specially-designed card deck, with many cards featuring logos of the participating breweries and trail partners. Starting with just over 300 redemptions at the beginning of the month, participants turned in enough completed passports to push the number to over by April 30th, the last day of Volume 2 promotion.  In addition, Ellison added that over 1,700 pint glasses were awarded to people who visited at least four of the participating breweries.

My spouse and I were one of those who finished strongly and claimed both the card deck and pint glass. When the card deck had been initially announced as the ultimate prize for completing the Volume 2 Ale Trail, I personally thought it was one more unique (and coolest, IMHO) offered by any ale trail. That feeling seemed to be validated by my research revealed in a series of posts last November which looked at ale trail promotions across the country.

I also wondered what could Columbus Ale Trail promoters could do the top themselves. As it turns out, the third edition of the trail I believe is the most fun yet.

First Born and Seven Years Later: Seventh Son Brewing

Sometimes it's easy to take something for granted, especially when there's quite a few around. Take Seventh Son Brewing, one of approximately 40 breweries dotting the Central Ohio region at this moment and participating member of the Columbus Ale Trail.

Now, most folks know that their now popular taproom at the corner of 4th Avenue and 4th Street opened up in April of 2013. What most people don't know is that this brewery was actually born in concept (in more than one way) an appropriate seven years ago in 2009,

(Ale) Trailblazing Across The Country: Part 1 - A Focus on the Locals

Pretty much since the beginning of our relationship with my spouse, craft beer has been part of our tourism experience. One of our first memorable experiences was a brewery tour of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing, one of the originators of the modern craft beer movement. A subsequent visit into Oregon was equally as memorable as we dropped by Deschutes Brewing in Bend. Not only were we greeted by the smell of freshly harvested hops (courtesy of a day-of-visit shipment), but also had the opportunity to sample the not-released-for-general distribution Black Butte XXII.

"Beer Tourism" is a Thing Now
These trips were long before the term "craft beer tourism" came into vogue. All-encompassing beer tourism economic stats are a little hard to come by, but hints of the economic impact that craft beer has had can be found in many places. For example, a 2015 report released by the Vermont Brewers Association estimated that craft beer contributed over $50 million dollars to the total tourism take for the state in 2014.

Even closer to home, a study released by Experience Grand Rapids in Michigan estimated an over $12 million dollar impact from 42,000 beer tourists. Most recently, the travel booking site Travelocity, in partnership with the Brewers Association, released a Beer Tourism Index, which not only uncovered some impressive statistics related to craft beer in the United States, but also revealed their poll results on the Top 6 Large and Small Metro Areas for craft beer in the country.

One tool that cities and regions have used to promote their areas has been the ale trail or beer trail concept, where incentives are offered to folks who visit a certain number of breweries. When individuals involved with the Columbus beer scene adapted the concept in 2015 to promote the area's booming industry, they expected a fairly modest response from the public.

Out On The CAT-walk: Buckeye Lake Brewery (Buckeye Lake, OH)

CAT (Columbus Ale Trail) Brewery: Buckeye Lake Brewery

First Impressions: "Garage doors...patio...a perfect warm season hangout."

Reality: Most everyone familiar with Central Ohio knows about the struggles that the businesses surrounding Buckeye Lake, located roughly a half-hour east of Columbus, have gone through the last two years. The moment, while dreaded, was inevitable - the 180-year-old earthen dam that created the lake was determined to be on the verge of failure, requiring upgrades to prevent a major flooding catastophe. However, the completion of this work would require a drastic reduction of lake levels for a few years, a reduction that would seriously constrict what has long been the area's historical financial lifeblood: tourists coming out to the area enjoy a day on and around the lake.

However, one wouldn't suspect the area was going through a crisis was going on if you looked at the area's namesake brewery. Since its opening in early 2012, the brewery has undergone two separate expansions, including bottling and distribution of their brews in bottles to local area stores and the removal of their brewing equipment to a separate space to accommodate more guests at their brewpub.

Out On The CAT-walk: Ill-Mannered Brewing (Powell, OH)

CAT(Columbus Ale Trail) Brewery: Ill Mannered Brewing Company

First Impressions: "This is a like a cocktail party...but with pints of beer."

Reality: This Powell-area nano-brewery, located a few miles north of the Interstate 270 Beltway that loops through the greater Columbus area, crams a lot into their not-quite 1,000 square foot space, including a bar area, tables and chairs, a three-barrel brewing system, and two six-barrel fermenters.

This growth reflects the interest that this relative newcomer to the Columbus-area brewing scene has generated. At peak capacity, this leads to a very lively and interactive atmosphere that is very much an extrovert's delight; those who don't find themselves a seat end up spread throughout standing throughout the entire space pints in hand, making it easy to listen in or engage in conversation. It doesn't hurt that the co-owners of the brewery aren't shy about engaging their customers as well. A small patio area in front also provides some extra room for visitors to kick back and relax or engage in more chitchat.

Who Needs Sam Malone? Staas Brewing Company (Delaware, OH)

Delaware, Ohio, has become a favorite day trip of ours to escape the Columbus metro for a bit, for both the old (we love moseying through its various antique stores), the fancy (the great tasting menu of Veritas Tavern), and the new (Delaware's newer of the town's craft breweries in Restoration Brew Worx.)

However, we're still finding new stuff to acquaint ourselves with in this town of 36,000. Our most recent trip gave us some new vinyl for our stack of LP's in Pat's Endangered Finds record store. Also, it brought us through the doors of Delaware's original entry into the new wave of Central Ohio craft breweries in the form of Staas Brewing, located just off the main downtown strip.

The Griswold Effect: Homestead Beer Company (Heath, OH)

The Griswolds arrive at Walley World (Image from www.today.com)

In the 1983 movie "National Lampoon's Vacation", the final sequence starts with the Griswold family's battered station wagon pulling into the vast (and empty) parking lot of their ultimate goal; the giganto-family amusement park Walley World. The head of the family, Clark Griswold (played memorably by Chevy Chase), parks the car about as far from the amusement park entrance as one could.  When asked why he parked so far away, Clark responds, "Right, right...and at the end of the day, when the lot's all full and everybody is fighting to get out of here, we'll be the first to leave."

Walley World, uh, cold beer on tap is down that away...

Driving into the rather substantial parking lot of Heath's Homestead Beer (a member of the Columbus Ale Trail) gives you a touch of that same feeling. You can park seemingly far enough to run off enough a full beer pint's worth of calories to the building that hosts this Licking County brewer. But there's definitely no need to be a Griswold in this case. Drive up slowly and park close, and get ready to relax.

Brews Cruising (Pt. 4): Back Home to the Locals

Winter was pretty much a no-show this year in Ohio...or so we thought

Like the dog referenced in the Devo song "Freedom of Choice," the Ohio weather can't make up its mind. On an otherwise uneventful return from the Music City to end our vacation, the cold hand slap of a winter that was many days late and several dollars short was more than evident (an actual dusting of snow would arrive the next day.)

Despite the chill and the long hours in the car, we were intent on dropping by two more breweries to close out our trip, each being a unique example of how the Columbus craft beer has grown over the past year.