First look at Columbus Ale Trail Volume 5

The Columbus Ale Trail is back for a fifth year of beer drinking, stamp collecting and prize unlocking.

The passport program, which was launched in 2015 by the owners of Drink Up Columbus, Columbus Brew Adventures, The Ohio Taproom and Cliff Wellness, encourage locals and tourists to explore the many craft breweries in Central Ohio. Participants collect stamps in their Columbus Ale Trail books over a one-year period by making a purchase at partner breweries, and free swag is earned depending on how many stamps are collected.

The fifth volume of the Columbus Ale Trail, featuring 46 stops, will launch on May 17 coinciding with the kickoff of Columbus Craft Beer Week, which runs May 17-25. You will be able to pick up a free copy of the Volume 5 Columbus Ale Trail Book at any participating brewery beginning Friday, May 17, 2019 — the fifth volume will run through May 1, 2020.

Prizes for Volume 5 include a beer can-style glass that can be picked up after getting 4 stamps, a bottle opener which can be collected halfway through the trail after collecting 23 stamps, and a locally designed and screened art print (pictured above) will be yours after earning all 46 stamps.

New this year to the Columbus Ale Trail are 2 Tones (Whitehall), Galena Brewing (Johnstown), Nocterra Brewing (Powell), Old Dog Alehouse (Delaware), Olentangy River Brewing (Lewis Center), Outerbelt Brewing (Carroll), Parsons North Brewing (Columbus) and Somewhere In Particular (Columbus). Antiques on High is also new but participants can visit either AOH or Seventh Son Brewing to collect that stamp since the breweries share ownership. Click the links to read more about the new breweries via Drink Up Columbus.

If you want to get an early start on collecting stamps you can attend the exclusive pre-launch party taking place at Combustion Brewing this Saturday, May 11 from 10am to 10pm. This will be the only opportunity to pick up a book to get a head start on collecting stamps before the May 17 kickoff. For the event, Combustion will be tapping a collaboration with Columbus Brewing Company, a dry-hopped Belgian Blonde Ale. Live music will be provided by Reid Coleman from 10am-1pm and Slate Ridge from 7-10pm, and the Smitty’s Real Pit BBQ food truck will be on-site all day.

Columbus Ale Trailers are encouraged to share their experiences using the hashtag #cbusaletrail, and can connect with the Columbus Ale Trail on Twitter and Instagram @CbusAleTrail.

Volume 5 Stamps:
Antiques on High OR Seventh Son Brewing
Barley’s Brewing
Brew Brothers
BrewDog DogTap Columbus OR DogHouse Hotel
BrewDog Franklinton OR BrewDog Short North
Buckeye Lake Brewing
Buck’s Brewing
Combustion Brewing
Dalton Union Brewery & Winery
DankHouse Brewing
Double Edge Brewing
Elevator Brewing & Draught Haus OR Elevator Brewing
Endeavor Brewing
Galena Brewing
Gordon Biersch Brewery
Grove City Brewing
Hofbrauhaus Columbus
Homestead Beer Company
Hoof Hearted Brewery & Kitchen OR Hoof Hearted Brewing
Ill Mannered Brewing
Knotty Pine Brewing
Land-Grant Brewing
Lineage Brewing
Loose Rail Brewing
Nocterra Brewing
North High Brewing
Nostalgia Brewing
Old Dog Alehouse
Olentangy River Brewing
Outerbelt Brewing
Parsons North Brewing
Platform Beer Company
Pretentious Barrel House
Random Precision Brewing
Restoration Brew Worx
Rockmill Tavern OR Rockmill Brewery
Sideswipe Brewing
Somewhere In Particular Brewing
Smokehouse Brewing
Staas Brewing
Temperance Row Brewing
Three Tigers Brewing
Trek Brewing
2 Tones Brewing
Wolf’s Ridge Brewing
Zaftig Brewing

full disclosure: I am a co-founder of the Columbus Ale Trail, and Drink Up Columbus is a sponsor of Columbus Craft Beer Week