COLUMBUS, OHIO

Within walking distance of Barley Brewing, historic former speakeasy, ELEVATOR BREWERY, located in the Columbia Building (built 1897), featured antique ballroom ceiling and religious pane glass windows, July ’04. Its rustic interior perfectly duped old pre-Prohibition atmosphere and the beers flowed from large right side bar with eloquent marble columns.

Quaffed fruit-hopped caramel-coated Vienna-malted Prohibition Amber Lager; ashy soft-watered raisin-chocolate-y Procrastinator Doppelbock; fruity-hopped Necessity IPA; spicy tea-hopped Bleeding Buckeye Red Ale; chocolate-y stout-like Dirty Dick’s Nut Brown Ale; and wood-smoked cherry-dropped chocolate-coffee lightened Coal Porter during initial visit.

On quick two-hour stop on the way to Wheeling-Pittsburgh in August ’06, tried dry medium-bodied 13^th Floor Pale Ale, with its wort-like waft imbuing sour wheat frontage, toasted oats spine, minor spruce hint, and acidic citric accrual. Followed that up with cotton candied Belgium Wit, a spicy lemon pith-y mandarin orange-licked banana-snipped softie.

www.elevatorbrewing.com

COLUMBUS, OHIO

Near the campus of Ohio State University, North High Street’s downtown BARLEY’S SMOKEHOUSE & BREWING bettered local competitor Columbus Brewing but not Elevator Brewery, June ’04. Also got to attend Spoon show at garage club up the street that evening for perfect beer-and-music nightcap.

Over two-hour late afternoon period, I quaffed summery yellow-fruited barley-hopped Pilsner; lively dry-hopped whiskey-malted red apple dabbler Mac Lenny’s Scottish Ale; frisky fruited prickly-hopped Pale Ale; cherry-toned whiskey malted J. Scott Francis ESB; and light pale-bodied American-styled grassy-hopped Wheat.

Best bets: creamy caramel-malted Grand Marnier-liqueured orange-bruised fervency Glenlenny’s Scotch Ale (and its tremendous cask conditioned version) and alcohol-induced, overripe red-black cherry-sweetened, coffee-caffeine-daubed Anastasia’s Russian Stout.

www.barleysbrewing.com

COLUMBUS, OHIO

In June ’04 mid-America excursion, found Ohio Capitol’s Brewers District on South High Street, which houses Victory’s, High Beck Tavern, Barrister Hall, Metro Bar & Grill, and Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar.

Nearby, Short Street’s choice COLUMBUS BREWING offered prickly-hopped wheat-dried low-carb Short Street Sabre; mildly citric-soured summer softie Kolsch; sourdough pumpernickel Golden Ale; tropical mango-melon-fruited wheat-honeyed Apricot Ale; pliant citric-metallic Pale Ale; wispy lemon-wedged Wheat; coffee-toned hop-roasted stout-like Nut Brown; and black chocolate-sweet coffee-burnt 1859 Porter.

www.columbusbrewingco.com