This is a guest post from Sean Hertzsch. Sean is a bourbon and beer guy that really likes wine. He avoids vodka as much as possible, but gin makes him happy. He likes to think of himself as a well rounded drinker, but we will see what happens at the end of the night. Sean blogs at http://minguswaits.com
Now that American Craft Beer Week is upon us, we need to talk about Columbus Beerfest again. This Friday and Saturday is the return celebration of all that is hoppy and malty to Cap City. Beerfest will be held in the 75,000 square foot Battelle Hall in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. With over 170 different styles of beers to try, the new Connoisseur room, and live bands rocking the main stage, this is going to be a festival of Bacchanalian proportions.
Columbus Beerfest is a chance to taste a lot of the greatest craft beer offerings from around the country under one roof. For the price of admission, you can wander around and try an Amber from Anderson Valley, a Porter from Rivertown or a Stout from Southern Star. With live bands and a good cause, this is a festival not to miss.
This time round, the Columbus Beerfest will be featuring a “Can Corner”. There is a new trend in craft brewing to use cans instead of bottles. Cans tend to seal better than bottles and are also more effective at blocking out the sun, which results in a fresher tasting beer. Also, cans are cheaper to ship, and ultimately recycle, than glass bottles. Also new is the Connoisseur Area, which costs $65/ticket. This area will have a tasting menu paired with several exclusive craft beers, including the Left Hand 2009 Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine, Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel Aged Siberian Night, Rogue XS McRogue Scotch Ale, Bells Cherry Stout, Great Divide Barrel Aged Chocolate Yeti, and our own Columbus Brewing Company’s Bourbon Barrel Uncle Rusty.
If the Connoisseur Area is too rich for your blood, check out the VIP tickets. For $40 you get to enter the hall one hour early and receive an 8oz tasting glass. You also get the standard 25 sampling tickets. This is the best deal for your average craft beer aficionado. With the early entry, not only do you get easier access to the beer with shorter lines, but you can spread out your tasting to help keep your buzz in check.
For the rest of us, there is the $30 Grand Tasting option. With this option, you get access to the event at 7:30, along with 25 sampling tickets and an acrylic cup. This is a great option for the average beer drinker who wants to step up to the world of craft beers. It’s definitely cheaper than hitting the local pub and shelling out five bucks for a beer you may not like. And we’ve got a chance for you to score a pair of Grand Tasting tickets below!
With CD101 as a sponsor, there is naturally an incredible line up of live music. Friday will be Colin Gawel & The Lonely Bones with The Jimmy McGee Band on Saturday. In that spirit, proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Big Joe Duskin Music Education Foundation, which helps educate children about music.
Don’t forget to pick up tickets for your designated driver. With a $10 Designated Driver ticket, you get $6 in non-alcoholic beverages or food at the Concession Stands. Keep in mind though, if you are caught drinking/sharing beers as a designated driver, you will be removed from the festival.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at http://www.beerfesttickets.com.
Here is an (almost) comprehensive list of all the beers being offered:
21st Amendment Bitter American
21st Amendment Brew Free or Die PA
21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat
Anderson Valley Amber
Anderson Valley Solstice
Barley’s Brewhaus -Scottish Ale
Barley’s Brewhaus – Pale Ale
Barley’s Brewhaus – Centennial IPA
Barley’s Brewhaus – Raspberry Wheat
Barley’s Brewhaus – Weizenbock
Barley’s Brewhaus – ESB
Barley’s Brewhaus – Abbey Normal
Barley’s – Bourbon Barrel Russian
Blue Moon Belgian White Style
Blue Moon Honey Moon
Bluegrass Brewing
Boulder Hazed & Infused
Boulder Mojo IPA
Boulder Obovoid
Boulder Sweaty Betty
Breckenridge Agave Wheat
Breckenridge Avalanche Cans
Breckenridge Lucky U
Breckenridge Lucky U Cans
Breckenridge Summer Bright
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Brooklyn Lager
Brooklyn Main Engine Start
Brooklyn Summer
CBC “Petite” Belgian Blonde
CBC Bodhi (Double IPA)
CBC Bourbon Barrel Aged Uncle Rusty
CBC Creeper
CBC IPA
CBC Nightstick (Black IPA)
CBC Summer Teeth Lager
CBC Uncle Rusty (Imperial Red)
CBC Various Rotating Casks!
Crispin Cider
Elevator – 11th Anniversary – HORUS
Elevator 3 Frogs IPA
Elevator Bleeding Buckeye Red
Elevator Dark Horse Lager
Elevator Dirty Dick’s Nut Brown
Elevator Doppelbock
Elevator Heiferweizen
Elevator Mogabi
Elevator XTRA
Fat Heads Blueberry
Fat Heads Headhunter IPA
Spaten – Franziskaner Weiss
Gordon Biersch Cascade Alt – New!
Gordon Biersch Czech Pils
Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen
Gordon Biersch Marzen
Gordon Biersch Sommerbrau
Great Divide Collette
Great Divide Hades
Great Divide Old Ruffian
Harpoon IPA
Harpoon Summer
Harpoon UFO
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon
Heavy Seas Uber Pils
Ithaca Apricot Wheat
Ithaca Cascidzilla
Jolly Pumpkin Bam
Jolly Pumpkin ES Bam
Jolly Pumpkin Maricaibo Especial
Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam
Kentucky Ale
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
Kentucky Light
Left Hand 400lb Monkey IPA
Left Hand Junior Black Belt Mild
Left Hand Milk Stout
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner
Left Hand Sawtooth
Left Hand Stranger Pale Ale
Leinenkugel Summer Shandy
Magic Hat #9
Magic Hat Wacko
Magners Cider
Maumee Bay Amarillo Brillo
Maumee Bay Dry Irish Stout
Maumee Bay IPA
Mt. Carmel Amber
Mt. Carmel Nut Brown
Mt. Carmel Blonde
Mt. Carmel Summer Wheat
Neil House Cranberry Cider
Neil House Hefeweizen
Neil House Irish Red
NewCastle Brown Ale
Newcastle Summer Ale
North Coast Old Rasputin
North Coast Prankster
North Coast Scrimshaw
Noth Coast Brother Theolonious
Ommegang Abbey Ale
Ommegang BPA
Ommegang Gnomegang
Ommegang Witte
Original Sin
Pyramid Outburst
Rivertown Dunkel
Rivertown Helles
Rivertown Hop Bomber
Rivertown Oatmeal Stout
Rivertown Roebling Porter
Rivertown Wit
Rogue Chateau Dirtoir Black Lager
Rogue Chateau OREgasmic
Rogue Irish Style Lager
Rogue Mom’s Hefeweizen
Smuttynose IPA
Smuttynose Porter
Smuttynose Staten Island Single
Smuttynose Wheat Wine
Southern Star Bombshell Blond Cans
Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout Cans
Southern Star Pale Ale Cans
Spaten Lager
Steven’s Point Amber Cans
Steven’s Point Lager Cans
Steven’s Point Nude Beach Cans
Steven’s Point Pale Ale Cans
Stone Arrogant Bastard
Stone Belgo Old Guardian 1/6bbl
Stone IPA
Stone Ruination IPA
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous
Tall Grass Buffalo Sweat -Cans
Tall Grass IPA – Cans
Tall Grass Oasis – Cans
Thirsty Dog Cerbuerus
Thirsty Dog IIPPAA
Thirsty Dog Irish Setter Red
Thirsty Dog Twisted Kilt Scottish Ale
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Two Brothers Domaine DuPage
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale
Victory Prima Pils
Victory St. Victorious Doppelbock
Victory Yakima Glory
Weihenstephaner Hefe
Weihenstephaner Korbinian
Weihenstephaner Kristalweiss
Weihenstephaner Original
Weihenstephaner Vitus
Wyder’s Pear Cider
Founders Centennial IPA
Founders Reds Rye PA
Founders Porter
Founders Cherise
Goose Island
Night Stalker 22oz
Big John 22oz
Matilda 1/6bbl
Fleur 1/6bbl
Pepe Nero 12oz
Sofie 12oz
Pere Jacques 12oz
Demolition 22oz
Summertime 1/2bbl
312 1/2bbl
Widmer X-114 IPA: An beer made with an experimental hop variety & part of their Rotator IPA series
Widmer Pitch Black IPA: Awesome Black IPA
Widmer Nelson Imperial IPA: Awesome DIPA w/ Nelson Sauvin hops
Redhook Seasonal (new bottles)
Redhook ESB (new bottles)
DRINK UP COLUMBUS GIVEAWAY: A pair of Grand Tasting tickets good for either Friday or Saturday!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling us which beer(s) you are most excited to try! For a bonus entry, tweet a link to this post and use the hashtag #cbusbeerfest. Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email by 6pm Thursday, May 19th.
15 Comments on "Columbus Beerfest Concludes American Craft Beer Week"
I am really excited to try any of the IPA’s, I think I have my eye on the Harpoon IPA, I’ve heard good things, see you guys Saturday (hopefully with a pair of free tickets!
For the past six to seven years I have become enamored by the craft beer industry and its growing availability across the region. I am currently dealing with my hop obsession and trying to dial down my reliance on boozy Double IPAs & consider lower alcohol, session beers. I try to support our local brewers as much as possible since there are so many tasty releases around town. I am very excited to try CBC’s Bodhi, Barley’s Weizenbock, & Elevator’s 3 Frogs. This event really puts Columbus, OH on the beer map and let’s my fellow beer geeks around the nation know that our little Cowtown has as much brewing tradition as many of our larger counterparts.
CBC of course, especially the petite belgian blonde. I’m also curious about jolly pumpkin, does it live up to it’s name?
It is quite jolly 🙂
I’m interested in checking out Neil House’s other selections — I’ve only had their cranberry cider. And, of course, I can never turn down the KY Bourbon Barrel Ale!
I can’t wait to try the bourbon ales! Also the Pumpkin that Natasha lists above sounds yummy!!!
Just to clarify for anyone that hasn’t heard about Jolly Pumpkin before, that is the name of the brewery, not a series of pumpkin flavored beers!
Absolutley looking forward to the Stouts, but one I haven’t had yet is the Rivertown Oatmeal Stout. Mmm, can’t wait!
I keep hearing all this stuff about blueberry beers, so I’d take a try at those!
Most looking forward to the Newcastle Sunmer brew!
Looking forward to the Neil House Hefe And Elevator 3 Frogs IPA, amazing reviews from friends.
Can’t wait to try all things CBC, Neil House, Elevator, Barley’s. – Gotta support all the local fare!!!!!
I would love to try out some bourbon barrel ales and maybe even dabble in a little Jolly Pumpkin, sounds delicious!
Left Hand’s porter was one of the first porters I fell in love with back in 2000. I’d like to try their pale ale because I don’t think I’ve had it before. There are some interesting North Coast beers listed that I haven’t tried. That and the Thirsty Dog IIPPAA sounds funny/interesting. Go Ohio brewers!!!
Perhaps most disappointing is the lack of Lagunitas on the list. My favorite brewery is not showing up. Boo.
The website has Lagunitas down for Pilsner and IPA…