#ub files

[unionbrew]

UB Files: Barley's Brewing Company (Alehouse)

When we decided to visit a different central Ohio brewery every month and post our experience, we wanted to primarily focus on the new crop of breweries that have bloomed throughout the area.  We assume a majority of the local beer enthusiasts have already visited veteran breweries like Barley’s Brewing Company, Elevator Brewery, and the Columbus Brewing Company. So, in the interest of providing new content for everyone, we were hoping to avoid those establishments for as long as possible.  We lasted a couple months, but due to the challenges of scheduling, we find ourselves sitting in a booth at Barley’s about to ask what they have on cask.

With over 21 years of brewing beer in what is now the Arena District, Barley’s Brewing Company has a history of brewing in central Ohio that predates the current craft brew boom by a considerable length of time. This place is the very definition of old-school brewpub.  With decorative tiled ceilings and wall paintings celebrating the history of not only Barley's, but the city itself, it's easy to feel some sense of nostalgia even if this is the first time you've stepped foot in this establishment. With the beer scene in central Ohio rapidly changing and growing exponentially in recent years, they haven’t felt the need to re-brand or update how they approach the beers they make or how those beers are produced or distributed, quite the opposite, they wear their age like a badge of honor.

With an entrance on High Street facing the Columbus Convention Center and a door in the back that beckons locals exiting the North Market, the great location of the Alehouse guarantees you’ll probably be dining with a healthy number of patrons at any given time.  Fortunately, the abundant number of deep seated booths can still provide an intimate experience. If you find yourself waiting for one of those booths to open up, the large bar located toward the front of the building allows you to grab a pint or two in the meantime.  And like the floor plan of Wolf's Ridge, the bar is located right next to windows that overlook the brewing equipment in the basement of the building.  

One of the unique aspects of visiting Barley’s Alehouse is their dedication to real ales, which is reflected by the fact they normally have a couple of their beers available on cask. For those unfamiliar with the concept of real ale, they are beers served directly from the same container where they are actively fermenting.  Due to the fact that the beer is naturally carbonated, the drinker will notice a little less carbonation than you would expect from a beer from a traditional tap (cask beers are pumped.)  In addition, these beers tend to be served at room temperature, which sometimes can be a little off putting if you're not ready for it, but we find the lower temperature allows the flavor of the beer to come through clearer.  It's definitely an interesting departure from the normal drinking experience, and although it may not be for everyone, we think beer enthusiasts (or anyone for that matter) should try it at least once.

What you’ll notice from their draft menu is that their selection is very diverse and features a wide range of beer styles and strengths to choose from.   You’ll always be able to find some tap regulars such as their Pilsner as well an accessible IPA on the list, but the selection will also be littered with seasonal offerings along with the aforementioned cask selection.  Fortunately, their wait staff tends to be fairly knowledgeable and usually willing to help you navigate through their selection according to your palate.  But if you can't make up your mind, their sampler is very reasonably priced.  As frequent patrons to Barley’s we passed on the sampler experience and went straight to ordering pints from their menu of about 10 in-house brews.

Tasting highlight from our visit:

Barley's Barleywine - (12.0% ABV) When we first got to the table, the server thought this was available on cask and unfortunately it was not. On the plus side it was on tap, but I think the beer would have been a bit smoother if it was aged in a cask. Bordering on the legal alcohol limit of what you can brew in the buckeye state, you could taste all 12% of this malty strong ale.  Like many Barleywines, aging is critical because the copious amount of grains, and in some cases hops, added in the brewing process need time to blend, which tempers the boozy taste. Even though Barleywines lend themselves to bottling, I almost always order this type of beer if it is offered on tap. Barleywine's usually provide a complex drinking experience, even if the flavors within aren't quite playing nice with eachother.

Weather you're looking for a place to pregame for an event at Nationwide Arena or trying to immerse yourself in a great beer experience, we would recommend a visit to Barley's Alehouse to almost anyone regardless of their interest in craft beer.  It offers an unassuming family friendly atmosphere that makes everyone feel welcome.  And if you're hungry for a bite to go with your drinks, the large menu features a nice mix of American and German style food that pairs well with the beers they serve, but you'll have to go to a foodie blog for that review. Prost!

[unionbrew]

UB Files: Wolf's Ridge Brewing

Over the course of the many visits we plan on making during the next year or so, we look forward to experiencing a wide variety of brewing centric businesses.  Last month we featured the “Brew-It-Yourself” business model of the North High Brewery, and this week we experienced a high end restaurant that’s trying to make everything local and from scratch, even the beer they serve.

On a snowy day in December, the down-home aesthetic of the interior of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing invited us in from the cold.  With sparsely decorated walls, kitchen towels for napkins and tables positioned in a family style arrangement, the rustic appearance of the dining area attempts to shed any semblance of pretention and instill a sense of accessibility in its place.  Although this seating arrangement easily lends itself to large parties, the close proximity of adjacent tables could be off-putting for those seeking a more intimate escape.  Due to the limitations of the space, the tight positioning of the tables carry over into the overall floor plan of the restaurant itself.

Located in the back of the long but narrow space that Wolf’s Ridge occupies, the dining area gives way to a very small bar that overlooks the brewing area and is adjacent to the kitchen.  Since the wait staff has to walk past the bar in order to fill any food or drink orders, our attempt to sit at the bar was quickly abandoned when we realized that the amount of foot traffic made it a less than ideal place to sit or stand comfortably.  Fortunately, the host was able to get us a table close to the bar, where we would be able to have a perfect vantage point of the brewing equipment, as well as be able to take in the full breadth of the restaurant itself. It also provided us a nice view of the open kitchen concept that complements the rustic theme. With a menu featuring a variety of locally produced ingredients, the plates coming out of the kitchen are visually stunning and the positive reactions from those around us appear to confirm that the dishes are not just a façade.  It quickly becomes obvious to us that Wolf’s Ridge Brewing is not only a new player in the Columbus beer scene; they are also positioning themselves as a destination for fine dining.  Although the price point of most of their dishes are well above the expected cost of menu items you would see from your run of the mill brewpub, this isn’t your average brewpub fare. We’re not here for the dining experience though, so let’s get to the beers.

By just viewing the 6 large sterling silver brewing containers, it’s easy to see that the brewery aspect of the restaurant has not been taken lightly.  They’ve obviously invested in top quality equipment, which we hoped would translate into a quality sampling experience.  Their in house beers are very reasonably priced at $5 a pint and their 5 beer sampler came in at $8 so we decided to start there.  Like our experience at North High Brewing, our hopes for any introduction to the establishment or their beer menu were misplaced, as our server hastily took our drink order.  

That slight was quickly forgotten however, when she produced 2 hefty sized sampler holders with each sample clearly identified on a cardboard nameplate.  A glance at the Wolf's Ridge brewed stable of beers featured relatively conservative beer types and strengths, but we were pleasantly surprised by the overall flavor profile of the sampler.  Almost every beer in our sampler was true to it's type, full bodied and enjoyable to drink.  However, there were only a couple that really made a lasting impression.

Tasting highlights from our visit include:

"Duke's Holiday" Spiced English Brown - (6.0% ABV) If our first two posts are any indication, we will be featuring quite a few seasonal beers over the next year or so.  Seasonal offerings tend to be one off beers that are either too time intensive or experimental to justify year round production, so often times these can be the most complex.  In "Duke's Holiday" WRB has taken their traditional Brown Ale and added some holiday seasoning like nutmeg and cinnamon to add a very nice spice nose and finish to an already complex beer.

“Zane's Trace” Roggenbier- (4.5% ABV)  Don't let the low ABV fool you, this amber hued beer is worth your time.  A nicely balanced blend of malty sweet flavor with a barley finish you would expect from this beer type, this Rye beer was one of our favorites of the sampler.

Overall, our impressions of Wolf's Ridge Brewing were generally positive.  However, I wouldn't identify it as a destination for beer enthusiasts.  If you're out for a guys night out or just meeting up for some beers (what we did), Wolf's Ridge may not be the place for you.  And after having to wait 20 minutes for our server to pick up our checks, the wait staff doesn't appear to be all that enthusiastic for drink only tables anyway.  With that said, if you're meeting up with a group of friends for dinner or even going out with a significant other, the charm and aesthetics of this rustic fine dining establishment are ideal.

[unionbrew]

UB Files: North High Brewing

We find our intrepid explorers meeting at the corner of 6th and High with camera in hand and a thirst for knowl-who are we kidding, you know what we have a thirst for.  Nestled smugly in between the Short North and the Ohio State campus, the unassuming building that houses our destination blends seamlessly into its surroundings.  Were it not for the well-lit sign out front and the welcoming scent of countless boiling brew kettles wafting into the street, one could easily pass by without knowing anything of note was there. And that would be unfortunate.

North High Brewing is a one of a kind business in the central Ohio area that allows you to walk through the door and actually be the brewer.  You just pick your beer style of choice from about 30 recipes that range from a light Hefeweizen to an Imperial Stout, then head into the brewing area to get your brew on. Sure you can brew at home, but NHB provides the ingredients, a proven recipe, and by far the best part, they clean everything for you!  If you’ve home brewed before, then you are well aware that the process is 2/3 cleaning and 1/3 actual brewing.  Worry not my friend, we’re not throwing out our brewing kettle any time soon.

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with being hands on from cleaning your brewing equipment all the way through to bottling that can’t be replicated outside of your home.  With that said, North High does provide an enjoyable atmosphere and a nice experience for those that want to try the brewing process without the commitment of investing in the equipment.  We saw several groups of young men enjoying a guys night out by a brew kettle, and even a group of couples picking out the beer they were about to start brewing.  Not only that, a nice perk about brewing at a bar is that you have your selection of about 30 beers on tap to help pass the time as you wait for the water to become wort.  We’re not here to brew though; it’s the finished product that we’re interested in. The tasting room, adjacent to the brewing room, has wooden tables and a bar adorned with re purposed wood that provided a natural warmth to the decor. There are a couple of TV's on the wall, but they were positioned in a way that didn't detract from the overall "lived in" feel of the room itself.  You could tell that the proprietors took care to ensure that this relatively new bar gave the appearance of being there for decades.

Considering this was our first visit and we were there to get a feel for this unique business model, we were hoping to get a bit of an introduction.  Unfortunately, the bartender wasn’t particular engaging when we walked up to the bar. During our visit though, we were able to answer most of the questions we had going into the place.  And as a nice touch, the bartender did call us by name as we walked out the door. (Our credit cards betrayed our identities for the last time!)

Along with a diverse selection of visiting craft beers on tap, NHB offers up a nice menu of beers that were brewed in house.  You can order a small sample of 6 all the way up to 10 beers, depending on your appetite.  For our purposes though, we skipped the sample option and went straight to full size beers of a select few styles that appeared to stand out from the pack.

Tasting highlights from our visit include:

Citra Smash IPA aged in Watershed Gin Bourbon Barrels- (8% ABV, 85 IBUs) We actually took a tour of the Watershed Distillery last month and really enjoyed their Bourbon Barreled Gin, so this was a no brainer.  The look of the beer is that of a golden light ale, with a citrusy nose. Although barrel aged beer can be overpowered by the flavor of the spirit that was originally in the barrel, the gin paired very nicely with the citrus flavor of the IPA.  The beer had the profile of a non-abrasive IPA with a complementary gin kick in the finish.  We would have ordered this a couple more times, but 1 beer does not a good brewery make.

“Queen Maudine” Milk Stout- (6% ABV, 20 IBUs) As this was on nitro we were drawn to this selection.  Though there was nothing amazing about this particular Milk Stout, it was very true to style.  This thick beer had a very nice creamy head, which one would expect from a beer on nitro. With a complex flavor profile of chocolate, malts, and vanilla among others, this is pretty much the chocolate milk shake of beers, and this version did not disappoint. 

Overall, the combination of a couple really good beers, trappings that include a wall of functional post office boxes, and the occasional whiff of hops being dumped into wort, all combined for a very unique experience.  Although some of their beer offerings can be fairly forgettable, the draw of North High Brewing isn’t the creation of a menu of unique beers, it’s the opportunity to witness  the entire brewing process from the comfort of a bar stool.  We would recommend visiting this place to friends, but until they start brewing a larger sample of outstanding beers, NHB will probably take a back seat in our brewery rotation.  Prost!