It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Anyone who’s familiar with Elevator Brewing’s regular list of beers, the Bleeding Buckeye Red Ale, an amber-colored brew beautifully balancing malt and hops that’s especially popular around the beginning of football season, is a true classic, and a signature beer of die-hard Buckeye fans who also happen to seriously dig local craft beers.
Columbus Underground is celebrating Local Beer this week, brought to you by our friends at Savor Growl. All this week we’re featuring articles on breweries, beer shops, tastemakers, growler fill stations and more!
The Bleeding Buckeye Red has continued to be popular after all these years not only due to its name. It’s also because of the flavor. It’s something of an every-beer, pairing equally well with Elevator’s Brewery Wings, in every flavor from Habanero Hot to Thai Chili, Almond-Crusted Chicken Salad with bacon and maple shallot vinaigrette, Bott Burger (named after the historic building’s architects), and the restaurant’s suggested dish, the Crab Cakes, topped with a Dijon-Lemon Beurre Blanc.
This beer is so well-loved, that in time for the kickoff of the Big Ten football season this year, crazy tailgaters will be able to purchase 4-packs of 16 oz cans of the Bleeding Buckeye Red Ale from stores around Central Ohio. The retail price has not been set yet, but devotees can expect to pay $8.99 per 4-pack.
“We’re a relatively small brewery to be taking on such a big venture,” explains Jay Taylor, Marketing Manager for Elevator Brewing. “But with all these nanobrews springing up, it’s obviously a trend of the future, and we, of course, want to be a part of that.”
Elevator Brewing will be using another small, local start-up, the Buckeye Canning Company, which is a mobile canning outfit, to help turn this vision into a reality. Instead of the brewers going to the packaging, it comes to them.
The advantages of canning versus bottling, something that Elevator Brewing has been doing for years, is really a matter of ease and accessibility. Cans are more tailgate-friendly, cheaper to transport, use less components in manufacturing, and is, ultimately, more environmentally responsible as cans are recyclable and carton-less.
If you find that you can’t wait till late September to indulge in the Bleeding Buckeye, visit the restaurant, located at 161 North High Street, or pop by Elevator’s tap room, The 13th Floor, which is housed at the brewery at 165 North Fourth Street (the 13th Floor’s official address is 171 North Fourth Street, but it’s the same building).
There, you can enjoy a pint of the Bleeding Buckeye for $5, or fill your growler for $12. The 13th Floor is currently open on Saturdays from 11am-5pm. The hours were set so there would be little conflict with restaurant patronage.
Elevator Brewing Company is one of the oldest in Columbus, established in March 2000, and they continue to be at the helm of evolving trends in the art of microbrewing. Brewmaster Vic Schiltz and his team are already poised to bring out their Pumpkin beer, a fundamental part of any fall season, and a sign that football’s in the air.
For more on Elevator Brewing’s several flavors, and to check out the lineup at The 13th floor, visit their website, www.elevatorbrewery.com.
Photos by Ayana Wilson.
From August 12th to August 18th, Columbus Underground is Celebrating Local Beer Week, brought to you by Savor Growl. Stop by their shop at 2991 Indianola Avenue on Thursday, August 15th to get 50% off your growler container purchase and 10% off all growler fills between 6pm and 9pm!
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