Drinksgiving Goes to Eleven: Chapter III

Day three, a Friday, proved to be quite productive with a grand total of eight new brewery visits under our belts. When all was said and done, we'd covered a total of eight breweries. Since it was also Black Friday (and therefore Record Store Day), I was also able to squeeze in visits to three small mom-and-pop record stores.

Oddly enough, our first beer stop of the day wasn't even on our original itinerary. Over the last two days, a few people in town asked if we had planned on visiting Brewdog. We hadn't. While Brewslut and I both enjoyed the Brew Dogs television show quite a bit, I honestly was never wowed by any of the entertaining Scottish duo's beers. Frankly, I wasn't even close to wowed. I'd had a few in the past and they were definitely less than stellar, especially the Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which is the lowest rated beer I ever logged back in my Beer Advocate reviewing days. (You can read it here.) Past experiences aside, we decided to stop in since it was just a few feet away from the first record store I was going to check out that day. It was a perfect scenario for Brewslut too: she could hang out and have a beer while I leafed through shelves of vinyl.

This particular location was the BrewDog Short North site (apparently they have multiple tasting rooms situated in Columbus). It was small and cozy, and kind of reminded me of Toronado's San Diego location. We plopped down at the bar, got our bearings and scoped out the beer list, which to my surprise included about 14 house beers and 9 or 10 guest taps. Right off the bat, a beer called Elvis Juice jumped out (if only for the name). Could this beer a peanut butter, banana and bacon beer? Mmmmm... a smoked hefeweizen with emulsified peanuts. Thankfully, it was a grapefruit-infused IPA. Based on the beer descriptions, another called Piña Playa intrigued me. So we ordered both of those.

BrewDog's beer selection.

Elvis Juice was actually pretty tasty. It was straight-up grapefruit juice with a big smack of citrus rind up front and a bitter, almost pithy finish. With that said, it was also pretty one-dimensional, but I'd say "mission accomplished" with this one. The grapefruit dominance was unwavering. Of the two beers, though, I definitely favored Piña Playa. Described as a kettle-soured Gose brewed with pineapple, rum extract, and coconut, this beer tasted like a Piña Colada/beer hybrid. A touch of sea salt kept it true to style, while hopping with Mosaic and Amarillo gave the beer a fresh, tropical nose and played nicely with the pineapple and coconut notes. I enjoyed this one quite a bit! 

Elvis, Pleeps and an unknown playa

I included Hofbrauhaus on the list even though we'd already visited the Pittsburgh location in the recent past. I'm always down for a half liter mug of some straight-up German beer. True story: The first beer I ever consumed was a Hofbrauhaus lager straight from the source during a trip to Germany and Austria with my high school German Club. We visited Munich as well as an assortment of cities in both countries, and we were required to get a permission slip from our parents if they allowed us to consume alcohol on the trip. Having just turned 16 years old at the time of the trip, I found it quite appealing that I'd be able to drink alcoholic beverages legally. Some kids went way overboard and were shitfaced 24/7. Aside from the one beer at Hofbrauhaus (it was a liter mug from which I was intoxicated by the end of it), some friends and I hit up two discoteches in Innsbruch, Austria, where I discovered Screwdrivers. After the trip, I enjoyed drinking screwdrivers once after invading a friend's parents' liquor cabinet. I overdid it but wasn't thwarted by the negative effects of too much alcohol (i.e. I didn't vomit). The next time, though? I got so sick (i.e. I did vomit... profusely) from drinking shitty lime vodka that the mere aroma of hard liquor sent my innards into an upheaval of queasy uneasiness. As a result, I wasn't even able to smell liquor - much less drink it - until I was of legal drinking age. I mean, I had to enjoy the novelty of being twenty-one, right? It was short-lived, though, and I stopped drinking for about 4 or 5 years. Then I found beer, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hofbrauhaus Columbus, OH.

But let's get back to Columbus. The Hofbrauhaus chain in the States is definitely more of an Americanized experience versus the real thing. In the U.S., they still have long, communal "beer hall" tables, German grub, and busty serving wenches decked out in dirndls. The beer was authentic, too. Well, some of it. Brewslut noticed this sign in the far distance beyond where we were sitting at the bar and joked, "I don't think those would comply with Reinheitsgebot." I love it when she makes me laugh.

Reinheitsgebot doesn't reside at Hofbrauhaus.

We'd just done a really good Dunkel Weisse at Troegs through our Scratch Series, so I decided to go that route rather than the tried-and-true Helles Lager. The Dunkel Weisse was enjoyable; notes of German hefe yeast (pepper, clove, touch of fruit) played nicely with the chewy, crusty wheat bread character that's a hallmark of the style. By this time of day, we were in need of a light snack, so we opted for the giant German pretzel served with a trio of cheese and mustard dips. The Dunkel washed it down nicely and it was a short albeit satisfactory visit.

Aside from David Hasselhoff, Germans love copper vessels.

Our next stop, Smokehouse Brewing, reminded me of an antiquated brewpub from the mid 1990s that hasn't made any changes since day one. Even when we pulled into the parking lot, it didn't seem like they were open. The building appeared to be in need of some serious TLC, and even the parking lot was weedy and unkempt. I had a sneaking suspicion that this would be indicative of the beer we were about to be served. 

Inside, the place was pretty dead, although it was between lunch and dinner time when we arrived. We sat at the bar and perused the beer list. I had pretty much already decided that this was going to be a one-and-done stop for us. Some called Clan Brodie caught my eye: a beer described as a "dry-hopped Scottish Ale." It sounded interesting. I wasn't privy to precisely which variety or varieties were used to dry-hop said beer, but this might have been the first time I'd ever encountered something called a "dry-hopped Scottish Ale." I was underwhelmed. Fun fact, though: There actually is a Scottish Clan Brodie, and its origins are apparently unknown. So I suppose it is kind of a fitting name for a style of beer I'd never came across before. Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a sour beer whose name escapes me, but I had a few nicks and it was much better than my selection. 

If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!

I must admit I wasn't too inspired as I sat and sipped on my beer. I just went through the motions and thought to myself, "Well, at least I'm cross another one off my list." Visiting a brewery like this always brings me back to the "quality vs. quantity" debate. There's a new acronym that I've been hearing in the craft beer industry for a while. It's called FOMO and it stands for "Fear of Missing Out." The phrase can also take on the proper noun form, as these folks are sometimes referred to FOMOs. In essence, they are afraid of missing out on a great, sought-after beer. So I guess I can relate to this, at least somewhat. I'm typically pretty good at picking out duds when planning our itineraries, but every now and then a brewery will turn in a lackluster performance. If the beers sound interesting on paper, I'll usually give them a shot. Had I known in advance, I would have gladly spent a bit more time at our next destination. Oh well. Live and learn.

Pleeps... forever the sillyhead.

Our next stop, Endeavor, was probably our favorite of the day, not only for the beer but just for the unpretentious atmosphere and super-cool bartender. I love the word "endeavor" and feel that it fits nicely with a small craft brewery of this kind. They beers we sampled here were all above average and stand-outs of the trip. It wasn't too busy when we arrived, so we easily procured two seats at the bar and got down to business. 

After perusing the beer list, I inquired about a beer named YNDA. I could have sworn the bartender said it was some kind of reference to a favored soccer team. I could be wrong. Sadly, I couldn't find any information about this beer other than it's an English-style Mild Ale (which I already knew), a style to which I seldom gravitate. But something about it piqued my interest, so I ordered it. Perhaps it was the 3% ABV that reeled me in. The only kernel of information I could find concerning "YNDA" on the good ol' interwebs was this:

In the DC Comics realm, Ynda is the younger cousin of the Omegan Kalista and is a novice magic user.

Regardless of the origins of its name, YNDA is an excellent interpretation of the classic, low ABV English Mild ale style. Serving via nitrogen really rounded out the mouthfeel and made for an enjoyable quaff. This one boasted a nice toffee character with a hint of nuttiness and some butterscotch. Overall, it was a fine first impression of Endeavor. 

Photo courtesy of drinkupcolumbus.com.

My next beer, Campfire S'mores, was an absolute delight. Infused with real cocoa, vanilla beans and milk sugar (the latter two ingredients to impart marshmallow flavor), this creamy nitro-dispensed stout also features massive amounts of biscuit and honey malts to mimic graham crackers. But the real stroke of genius here is the use of smoked malt to elicit the flavor of toasted marshmallows over a campfire. This might have been my beer of the day, now that I think about it. Everyone loves s'mores (if you don't, you're a Communist!), and this beer delivered.

While we were enjoying our visit, I got to talking about music with the bartender. Turns out he's a bass player and our musical preference overlapped in many areas. He eventually commented on Brewslut's shirt (one of our new Solar Federation ladies' designs), asking: "Is that some kind of Rush shirt?" After opening that can of worms, we talked about Rush (and Solar Federation) for quite a bit, so I suppose that had something to do with how much we liked this place. It's always great when the beer is top-notch, but engaging in an enjoyable conversation about like-minded topics is the icing on the cake for me.  

In keeping with a (loose) Rush theme, I decided to get a small pour of New World IPA (although not likely named after the Rush song "New World Man"). A variety of hops from three different continents provide aromas of tropical fruit and minimal bitterness. This one was a pretty easy-drinking IPA, although I preferred the other two beers over this one overall. Still, it was good to try one of the hoppy offerings after having a pair of malty beers. 

New World Pleeps.

Sideswipe, the next brewery on our agenda, reminded me of so many other "garage-style" breweries we'd encountered in California, Oregon... really just about anywhere these days, it seems. This place is the definition of a tiny brewery with an adjoining tasting room; no food, just beer. 

To celebrate his celebrity status, I decided to share a flight of imperial stouts with Pleeps. After all, it is his favorite style of beer, even though he has been known to go off the deep end from time to time after enjoying too many. Despite his tiny stature, he can put away quite a bit of beer. His tolerance continually astounds me. And with a few variations of Sideswipe's imperial stout, Mastermind, available on tap, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Here's the low-down:

• Coffee Mastermind - featuring cold brewed coffee from the Backroom Coffee Roasters.
• Cherry Mastermind - with sour cherries added.
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Mastermind - aged in OYO bourbon barrels.
• Plumberry Mastermind - some delicious concoction of plums and fresh berries.

Oddly enough, the one I was anticipating least turned out to be my favorite: the Plumberry variant. This one featured a sweet berry character with the complexity of dark stone fruit and a slightly tart finish. It was definitely the most complex of the bunch and therefore the one to which I gravitated. Sadly, I failed to snap any photographs during our visit, so there's nothing to see here, folks. Move along... move along... 

Like Smokehouse, the next brewery on our agenda, Knotty Pine, also came across as an "old school" brewpub-type establishment that just keeps on keepin' on. We bellied up to the bar and checked out the beer situation. The tap list was pretty slim, but I immediately was drawn to the Cherrywood Smoked Porter (you know me and smoked beers by now). It wasn't overly memorable; in fact, I'm struggling to remember much about this place or the beer at all. 

This place kind of felt like I was hanging out in a Bonanza restaurant in Shamokin, except they served beer. I don't know. This place seemed pretty vanilla. You know, incredibly mediocre. Bland would be a good description. The food looked very good though, which is typical of the "brewpub" model: bangin' food and lackluster beer. 

The only photo I snapped at Knotty Pine.

I just remember there were several TVs placed high on the walls around the bar area and the place had a diner feel to it. I think we finished up our beers and headed out to the next place. I'm just not inspired to write more about this place, so we'll move on.

Earlier in the day, our paths crossed with Lineage when we visited our first record store of the day. Another place that wasn't on our original itinerary, we decided to head across the street after digging around the record store for half an hour or so. Unfortunately, they didn't open until 4 p.m. So we made a note to try and squeeze it in later in the day. That time was now. (Turns out one of the other places on the agenda had recently closed its doors, so we had to fill the space with another brewery. Even Steven!)

Exterior of Lineage Brewing.

The place was booming when we entered, but we managed to snag a pair of seats at the full bar a minute or two after we arrived. After scanning the beer and food menus, we decided to grab something to eat. The "hand pies" sounded interesting, and the one that jumped out at me was the "Farm Hen" featuring slow-cooked chicken, peas, carrots, and potatoes in pan gravy with a touch of cream. It was really tasty with a nice, flaky crust but kind of small. I definitely could have eaten two of them. Still, it hit the spot and provided the necessary fuel to help keep us vertical.

View from our bar stools at Lineage.

Beer-wise, I settled on Oscura Obscura, a blonde stout served via nitrogen. These have been becoming quite popular lately and I've enjoyed most of the ones I've come across. Taking its favorite stout recipe, Lineage replaced the roasted malt with locally roasted coffee, organic cocoa nibs and vanilla beans to up the ante and introduce a creamy chocolate character with plenty of coffee notes. Like so many others I've had, this too was served via nitro, giving it a creamy mouthfeel.

Pleeps is a dark beer monkey, but he's willing to try anything.

Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a pour of Alobar, a beet saison. I had a few nicks and it was one of the most beet-forward beers I've encountered in our travels. Beet beers are uncommon but have become somewhat of a thing in the last few years among more experimental breweries. I've noticed that saisons are typically the bases for beet-infused beers, which pair nicely with the sweet but subtle earthy and vegetal qualities of a red beet.

As I often like to follow a malty beer with something more hop-forward, I ended our visit with a pour of Space Echo, a soft, supple NE-style pale ale. Overall, it was pretty tasty with notes of tropical fruit and citrus. The beers here were some of the better ones we'd had throughout the day (possibly even the best aside from Endeavor).

Pleeps looks ready to perform the Triple Lindy.

We'd already had the opportunity to sample a beer from Zaftig during Creed 2 the previous day, and it seemed like a promising brewery. Zaftig was on our agenda for a different day but we were nearby and had ample time to squeeze it in before we retired for the evening.

After perusing the beer list, I settled for a pour of Nuttn' 2it, a brown ale brewed with pecans. I opted for the coffee variant served via nitrogen. I find brown ales in general to be a bit pedestrian. Add coffee, though, and my eyes widen and ears perk up. Plus this particular brown ale was brewed with pecans, and I enjoy the roasted nuttiness of a "nut brown ale" as opposed to a "plain Jane" British-style brown (i.e. Newcastle). The nitro pour softened up the mouthfeel and gave the body a creamy texture.

Zaftig's bar, minus the cat.

Meanwhile, the brewery cat was mesmerized with Pleeps and kept batting at him with his paw. We've encountered a few "house" brewery cats in our travels. Brewslut is highly allergic to felines, and I have a mild to moderate reaction (depending on the number of cats in my vicinity), but thankfully we didn't have any issues. After all, this little guy was crawling all around the bar and acting like he owned the place. I've found that this behavior is commonplace among the majority of cats with which I've interacted over the year. They think the world revolved around them. I'm a die-hard dog guy and find them to be soooo much cooler than cats. With that said, this house cat was pretty chill and also quite fun to observe. I think he actually believed Pleeps to be a living, breathing thing. At any rate, it made for a fun visit. The bartender was pretty talkative too, and interacted with Pleeps and the cat as well. Good times!

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty..." - Pleeps

We finished the evening with a shared pour of BamBaLam Stout (whoa! Black Betty), a breakfast stout brewed with flaked oats, locally roasted Crimson Cup coffee, and Ghirardelli chocolate. This one (a recent release, perhaps on black Friday) was pretty tasty but ultimately didn't inspire me to procure a bottle to take home. Still, it was a good way to finish out our (long) day. Great name, too!

Thus concludes Chapter III of "Drinksgiving Goes to Eleven." Stay tuned for Chapter IV as we continue to work our way through every nook and cranny of the Columbus beer scene. Until next time...