Just a few short years ago, Columbus wouldn’t have had enough local breweries to fill out a top ten list. But much to the delight of local beer fans, over a dozen new breweries have launched in the past two years, bringing the city’s microbrew scene up to a respectable level in terms of diversity, quantity and quality.
This year we asked our readers to select their favorite brewing operations, resulting in a solid selection that represented both the older staples and the newer startups. At the top of the list was the Seventh Son Brewing Co, a newcomer in Columbus. Located at 1101 Fourth Street in a former auto repair garage, Seventh Son opened last December as an event venue and then tapped their first kegs in April. The verdict is that not only did the bar’s locale quickly became one of the hottest indoor-outdoor hangouts of the summer, but the beers are also pretty delicious.
“My favorite of the group is the Stone Fort Oat Brown, a toasty brown ale with a round full mouthfeel,” said CU’s Food and Drink Writer Ayana Wilson in an article from June. “Despite it indeed being full-bodied, this beer is light and crisp with a slightly bitter finish that mellowed into a subtle sweetness I didn’t expect. The flavor doesn’t linger in the mouth, so by the time I was done with one sip, I was ready for another.”
Seventh Son can be visited during bar hours Thursdays through Sundays. For more information, visit www.seventhsonbrewing.com.
The Top 10 Breweries of 2013:
- Seventh Son Brewing Co
- Columbus Brewing Company
- Barley’s Brewing Company
- Elevator Brewing Company
- North High Brewing
- Four String Brewing
- Wolf’s Ridge Brewing
- Zauber Brewing Co
- Rockmill Brewery
- The Actual Brewing Co
Photo by Walker Evans.