Ten years ago today, North High Brewing opened to the public on the corner of North High Street and Sixth Avenue. Today is the last chance you’ll have to enjoy a beer in their handsome taproom. It's an opportunity to look back at the past decade in Columbus brewing.
All Things Beer Episode 38 – The Great Pilsner Taste Off
Ever wonder what attributes define a perfect Pilsner beer? Do you prefer the complex malt character of a Czech Pilsner, or the hoppy bite and crisp finish of a German Pils? Maybe more recent iterations like the New Zealand Pilsner an Italian Pilsner are more to your liking. In this episode we explore the nuances... Continue Reading →
All Things Beer Episode 33 – MOO! Milk, Oatmeal and Oyster Stouts
Living as we do in the time of pastry stouts and milkshake IPAs the notion of adding food to beer seems like a 21st Century construct, but adding food to your beer goes back (at least) to 19th century Britain. In a bid to make stouts even more nourishing brewers added ingredients ranging from milk... Continue Reading →
All Things Beer Episode 31 – A White Christmas with Jason McKibben
Just in time for the holidays we offer up a conversation with Jason McKibben of North High Brewing. Central Ohio listeners know Jason as the brewmaster and co-owner of North High Brewing, a position he’s held since 2014, but his career in the brewing industry also includes stops at Anchor Brewing, the San Francisco brewery... Continue Reading →
All Things Beer Episode 26 – Craft Malting
Matt Cunningham from Rustic Brew Farms in Marysville, Ohio joins us to talk about the malting process. A fourth generation farmer, Matt got into the malting business in 2014 as a way to diversify the crops grown on the family farm. Over the past seven years he has grown production from malting by hand, to... Continue Reading →
Six Central Ohio Crushers to Beat the Summer Heat
Despite the recent respite from the heat, it has been a long hot summer in more ways than one. When the mercury rises, there’s nothing like a nice cold beer to slake your thirst. Beers that fill this role, sometimes called lawn-mower beers, tend to be light bodied, neither too bitter nor too sweet, with... Continue Reading →
An Inside Look at the Business of Beer with North High’s Jason McKibben
After years of unbridled growth, the American craft beer industry appears to be entering a new phase. Over 800 craft breweries opened their doors in 2016, but the rate at which they are opening is gradually starting to slow. A small but increasing number of breweries are closing up shop, Blank Slate Brewing in Cincinnati... Continue Reading →
Ohio-brewed Double IPA Blind Taste Test
Time for another blind taste test, this one focused on double/imperial IPAs. American craft beer lovers are crazy about hops, and the double IPA style is an ode to the glory of the humulus lupulus plant like no other. Although DIPAs are released throughout the year, they seem to peak in mid to late winter... Continue Reading →
The Reinvention of North High Brewing
Soccer leagues throughout most of the world practice the concept of promotion and relegation. At the end of each season the teams that finish at the top of a given division are promoted to the next higher division, while those that finish at the bottom are relegated to make room for the newcomers. Anticipating more revenue,... Continue Reading →
The Beers of Oktoberfest – Märzen/Festbier Blind Taste Test
Given the hot weather we’ve been experiencing it may not feel like fall is upon us, but once football season kicks off it can’t be long until the leaves start changing color. If the deluge of pumpkin beers invading the shelves has you cursing fall beers as an egregious affront to the Rineheitsgebot don’t despair,... Continue Reading →
Beer Review – Grapefruit Walleye by North High
When the dog days of summer are in full swing there’s nothing like a cold beer to beat the heat. Not just any beer though, August calls for beers that are thirst quenching, refreshing, and sessionable. This is no time for a malty doppelbock or a barrel aged behemoth. (For those who take exception to... Continue Reading →
Birthday Brewery Crawl Postmortem
This past week I turned 50 years old. Not content to spend the rest of my days frequenting restaurants where they give AARP discounts, I decided to do something I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while—undertake a crawl of all six downtown Columbus breweries. The plan was to first work our way... Continue Reading →
Twelve Christmas gifts for the Central Ohio beer lover
Despite the short sleeve weather we've been having lately, Christmas is coming just as surely as a hangover after a night of imbibing imperial stouts. With less than two weeks to go it’s high time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I know there are probably some type A personalities out there who have almost... Continue Reading →
Central Ohio Beer Roundup 2/26/15
Lately the steady stream of news and events that I've come to expect from Central Ohio breweries has swelled to a torrent. It seems like every time I check social media I come across a new piece of significant news about a local brewery. So while I normally I leave coverage of the goings on in Ohio... Continue Reading →
Beer-themed gifts for the 12 days of Christmas
With only two weeks to go until the big day it’s about time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I know there are probably some type A personalities out there who have already started Christmas shopping, but even the most organized probably have some stocking stuffers left to pick up. So if you have a... Continue Reading →
Brewery Tour vs. Brewery Crawl
Let’s say you want to visit a several breweries on a single day. Maybe you are visiting town for the weekend or are looking for something fun to do for a birthday, bachelorette party or other special occasion. There are two options you can choose, an organized brewery tour run by a company who specializes... Continue Reading →
My Columbus Brew Adventure
A few months back I received an e-mail out of the blue from a gentleman named Jim Ellison who runs a company called Columbus Brew Adventures, inviting me to go on one of his Columbus Brewery tours. What could I say, one of his tours was on my list of the top gifts for the... Continue Reading →
12 Days of Christmas Gifts for the Beer Lover in Your Life
Dear Slats, Christmas is right around the corner and I don't have good gift ideas for my spouse. He loves beer though so I thought you might be able to point me in the right direction. Sincerely, Lois from Licking county ************************ Dear Lois, Great question. I've been thinking about this myself lately, if only... Continue Reading →
Columbus Brewery Guide
While no one is going to mistake Columbus for Portland, San Diego or Brussels, the list of breweries in Ohio’s capital city is a rapidly expanding list. Columbus is home to at fifteen different breweries (plus a Gordon Biersch and a Budweiser plant). This guide contains all that you need to know to start your Columbus beer journey.... Continue Reading →