Drinksgiving Goes to Eleven: Chapter V

By Sunday, we were starting to get a little burned out. We'd covered a lot of ground over the last few days. I was also happy to visit a lot more record stores than I typically would on a beer trip (although my wallet was a bit cranky as a result). For our last full day in Columbus, we decided to follow a more leisurely pace than we're used to.

First up was a visit to 16-Bit. Part arcade, part craft beer bar, and 100% nostalgia, this place boasts dozens of classic 80's arcade games, a well-curated craft beer menu, and lots of 80's flair. Similar to Barcade, 16-Bit takes things a step further by not charging customers to play the games (except pinball). The caveat? You have to be drinking a beer. In addition to all of the games, the place is decorated with tons of 80's memorabilia and murals of classic movie characters. To put the icing on the cake, the music of choice was none other than 80's hair metal and power ballads. I felt like I was transported back to 1985.

Inside 16-Bit. Throw in a record store and I'm in heaven!

While I could have stayed here much longer than we did, I opted for a one-and-done visit and returned to a favorite beer of the trip, Bodhi by Columbis Brewing Company. I'd had this a few days earlier and it was one of my favorite beers of the trip. I sipped this as a enjoyed playing some of my favorite games including Paperboy and Dig Dug. I was so stoked to see Spy Hunter (in my Top 5 classic games of all time) but unfortunately it was out of order. Still, there was plenty of fun to be had. Even Brewslut didn't mind playing a few games because it didn't cost her anything. And as we all know, girls aren't quite as agile with a joystick as their male counterparts. (Don't read too much into that, perverts.)

After spending about an hour at 16-Bit, it was off to Actual Brewing Company. Yes, that's actually the name of the brewery. When we pulled up, I thought it would be another start warehouse-turned-brewery like so many others we'd encountered traveling about the country. Turns out this place has a lot of character inside!

The facility features an on-site beverage analysis laboratory, which allows the brewers to experiment and obsess over the fine details. Yes, they are real-life "mad scientists," apparently. Aside from taking a scientific approach to its beers, there is an artistic side to the brewery as well. The folks at Actual take pride on designing their beer labels and tap handles, screen-printing T-shirts, sandblasting glass, painting murals, sculpting narwhals, and even erupt vinegar volcanoes.

Scene from the 3-seat bar.

The tasting room space was laid out kind of like a mobile home, in that there were a few rooms connected to each other. One of the spaces was a lounge area with furniture, a TV and video game system. There was a science lab. The bar itself was tiny and only accommodated three or four people. A tour was just about to start, but we decided to chill and just enjoy a few beers. The guy at the bar was really friendly, talkative, and eager to answer our questions. Beer-wise, they were pretty scant with the selection compared to other local places, but I was happy to see "real ale" listed on the beer board. Obviously, I knew what I was getting... initially, at least.

The beer was Oughtness, a cask-conditioned IPA brewed with lychee, a reddish, rough-textured fruit with sweet flesh and a big black seed on the inside. The fruit is prominently found in China and other countries in southeastern Asia. They are similar to rambutan fruit, another weird-looking, spiky fruit with a sweet, fleshy center that someone brought to last year's Ffej of July fest (yes, I have my own festival, people.) I enjoyed this sweet-tart IPA quite a bit.

The other two beers I sampled during our visit, Orthodox and Fat Julian, were enjoyable as well. Orthodox, a hearty winter ale, features roasted malt and musky hops that would make a great beer to sip aside the fireplace on a cold winter evening. Fat Julian is a bittersweet Imperial Stout reminiscent of (according to the folks at Actual) "leathery elephants dipped in dark chocolate." While I would never consume an elephant (they are right up there with goats and donkeys in my hierarchy of cool animals), I thought the description was fitting. Elephants are big and leathery, just like some imperial stouts. I really appreciate the complexity of leather, coffee, smoke, and tobacco notes in stouts a lot more than chocolate, vanilla, and fruit. Weighing in at 10% ABV - like they say at the brewery - "It barely fits in your mouth."

Pleeps with his gang of new chums.

We exchanged some Mad Elf and Scratch Beers for a mixed six-pack of assorted cans to take home and enjoy. All in all, it was a fine visit to this quirky brewery.

Pigskin, our next stop, came across as a bit wet behind the ears. Once we got settled in at the bar, we discovered that the brewpub was under new management. The people were super friendly, but the atmosphere was a little too "sports bar" and a little less "craft brewery." The decor was football themed, and almost all of the beer names made reference to the game in some fashion. The tap area evoked an old-school light-up scoreboard, which was kind of neat.

We settled on a flight of the following four beers:

• 12 Gauge - citrus-forward DIPA weighing in at 9.9% ABV
• Bourbon Barrel-Aged Autumn Wind - Russian Imperial Stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels
• Punt Return - maple pumpkin stout 
• Night Game - coffee IPA

Pigskin's starting lineup.

Nothing was really memorable in the grand scheme of things, but nothing was undrinkable either. I seem to recall enjoying the Night Game coffee IPA most. All in all, it was just another day at the office and yet another middle-of-the-road brewery to check off my laundry list of 7,000 breweries across the country. Pleeps always has a good time, though. Score!

Our final stop of the day Temperance Row. Before we left for the trip, I'd gotten in touch with friend and fellow Rush (and Solar Federation) fan, Christi, who lives in the Columbus area. Temperance Row turned out to be a fairly convenient place to meet based on our itinerary for the day. Although not a beer person, we had plenty to talk about. I mean, I could ramble on and on... and ON... about Rush. Turns out she can too, which made for some great conversation and changed up the pace a bit from beer, beer and more beer.

Taps at Temperance Row

The tap list was small but varied, and both of us went outside our wheelhouse during our visit. First up was the aptly named Christmas Ale, a spiced ale to be enjoyed during the holiday season. Since it was Thanksgiving weekend, this was an obvious choice. The other beer, Contradiction ESB, is inspired by the classic English ESB, Fuller's. Fermented with very similar yeast, this Americanized version of the style boasts a dark amber color and rich malt character.

Pleeps playing on pipes.

To be honest, I really wasn't paying too much attention to the beer because I was entrenched in Rush talk. Pleeps seemed to take more notice of the beers here. See?

Overall, the beers here were solid and done in the more traditional brewing realm. I fine with that, especially since so many places are trying to get on the map with a hazy IPA or beers brewed with Oreo cookies, Cocoa Puffs, or other weird adjuncts. The food was quite good as well. But as with the ends of most of our trips, this old man was ready to wind down and head home. Stick a fork in me, Columbus.

Postscript: Since we decided not to stop on our way out, we made sure to hit Buckeye Beer Engine for lunch on the way home. Always a favorite stop when we're passing through Ohio, the beer selection is tight and the lunch specials are economical and delicious. Plus their house Buckeye beers are almost always above average. I'd really enjoyed their Hippie IPA on previous visits. Sadly, it seemed as though the brewery operations had taken a backseat, and the Beer Engine had been reduced to a beer bar. One lone Buckeye beer graced the taps during our visit, and it was a leftover barleywine from a an anniversary party a few months earlier. I inquired about this, and the bartender told us that they hadn't brewed anything new in about four months. 

Editor's note: I'm ashamed that it's taken me until the middle of March to finish a Drinksgiving blog. I mean, the trip occurred back in November of last year. Sorry for the lack of detail with this one, but I really need to put this one to bed and start working on my next piece, called "Snoochie Boochies: Dicking Around Jersey." Stay tuned for that shit. Until next time...