Another entry for my beer travelogue…

COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 2016 —

A conference brought me to Columbus, Ohio for four days – plenty of time to explore the Columbus beer scene, or so I thought. I found my way to five local breweries, but barely scratched the surface of what Columbus has to offer. To say I was impressed is an understatement – Columbus is an awesome beer town and I can’t wait to go back!

On my first night in town, I went looking for a six-pack of local beer for the room. I was staying on High Street, right across from the convention center. Just two blocks away, behind North Market, I found Arena Wine and Spirits, which had a great selection of local brew. As I set my six-pack of Stiff-Arm IPA from Land Grant Brewing Company on the counter, I asked the guy ringing me up which local brewery I should visit first. A $6 Lyft ride later, I walked into Hoof Hearted Brewery and Kitchen.

Say the name of this brewery five times fast. Get it? Yes, this is a brewery with an attitude…and amazing beer and food.

Beers Sampled:

There were nine beers on tap, and they offered four-beer flights of 5 oz. pours. I had two flights:

• Saizzurp (7%), a Farmhouse Pale Ale brewed with guava and passionfruit
• Tailpipin’ (6.5%), an IPA
• Musk of the Minotaur (7.2%), a stronger IPA
• We’ll Do It Live (8.5%), a Belgian Tripel IPA

• Florida Room (5%), a Pilsner
• Tub Life (5%), a Farmhouse Pale Ale
• Norwegian Are We Having Fun Yet (6%), a “Party Pale Ale”
• Belloq (4.2%), a Dark English Mild with coffee

Favorite Beer: Musk of the Minotaur captured the essence (ahem) of this brewery to a T. Just read their description: Follow your nose to the most righteous party of the year. Huge orange and grapefruit aromas alongside a generous helping of that unmistakable dank stank. LOL, this was a tasty IPA.

I was most impressed with: There really isn’t one thing that stands out the most…it was a combination of the little things that all added up to a superb experience, like the patient and friendly service, the baseball card-like beer descriptions that came with the flights, and the beer menu on the wall, which was not your typical chalkboard. Put all that in a modern space with shiny brewing equipment, and you’ve got a super-cool brewery.

And oh by the way: Poutine was on the menu! This was not your traditional poutine but it was amazing, with pork gravy, onion rings, jalapeno, cheese curds, and a fried egg over thick wedge fries. It was as delicious as it sounds!

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