Sometimes you just want to have a beer, and then other times you just want to have dozens or hundreds of different beers from all over the world so that you can win a prize. If you’re in the latter sort of mood, you are looking for a beer world tour.
World tours can take various forms, but the general premise is that you drink a certain number of different beers–usually a rather large number–over a period of time–usually a rather long period of time–and then you win a prize like a t-shirt or a personalized beer stein. Sound like your kind of game? Luckily for you, Columbus has a few world tour options.
Winking Lizard Tavern
To complete the Winking Lizard world tour, you need to drink 100 different beers from their list of more than 300. When you reach the half-way point at 50 beers, you receive a Winking Lizard wall clock as a prize–and who wouldn’t want one of those? Upon completing the tour, you win “the coveted World Tour jacket,” according to their website. If you complete a tour-and-a-half (150 beers), you win a Winking Lizard hoodie. You have a calendar year to complete the tour. The 2013 Winking Lizard World Tour began in January. It costs $10 to register, and you receive a wallet card and electronic tour card to keep track of which beers you’ve already tried.
Bonus: a new Winking Lizard opened today in Grandview, joining the Bethel and Crosswoods locations.
Bob’s Bar
The Bob’s Bar world tour features a list of 130 beers, and you have to try them all to win. There’s no time limit, only a $10 registration fee. When you complete the tour, you receive a snazzy t-shirt and a magical 25-ounce glass mug with the Bob’s Bar logo on it. I say “magical” because once you complete the world tour, Bob’s Bar will fill your 25-ounce mug with beer for the price of a pint anytime you bring it with you. (Patrons who completed the tour early on got the honor of storing their mug at the bar. The bar has since run out of such storage.)
Hal and Al’s
Hal and Al’s has a slight variation on their world tour in that there’s a time limit on it: you have to drink 30 beers within 30 days. Registration is free, but the time limit starts the day you register. This isn’t a case where you want to procrastinate. If you leave it til the last minute, you’re going to be in real trouble trying to drink 30 beers in 1 day. When you finish the Hal and Al’s tour, you receive a lovely Hal and Al’s t-shirt.
World of Beer
World of Beer has my personal favorite world tour because there’s no end to it: you keep winning as long as you keep trying new beers. For a $15 registration fee, you can join their Loyalty Card program that keeps track of all the different beers you try. For each beer, you receive one point; as you accumulate points, you win prizes. At 50 points, for example, you win a t-shirt. At 5,000 points, you win a polo (meh) and a party at World of Beer with a $250 bar tab (that’s more like it).
The best part of the World of Beer tour is that the leader board is available online. According to the website, the top World of Beer drinker in Columbus is Jeff Miller, with 1,075 points. That’s 1,075 beers. Assuming those were all pints, that’s 134 gallons of beer. For drinking 1000+ beers, Mr. Miller has won, to-date: four t-shirts, three polos, one mug, his name on the wall of fame, a “swag bag,” a growler, and two parties at World of Beer.
A tip of my hat to you, Mr. Miller. You’re an inspiration to beer world tourists everywhere.
creative commons photo credit: yelp.com
This is a guest post by Emily Baselt. Emily is a writer, blogger, and professional bar-goer who writes about politics by day and drinking by night.
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To clarify the World of Beer “Loyalty Card” a little further; the $250 bar tab is granted @ 500 (not 5,000). Also, the participant receives a WOB _ Brewery District membership shirt upon signing up. Every Tuesday, Loyalty Members receive %25 off all bottles, in-house.