New Suds On The Block

If it seems like there’s been at least one new brewery in all of the recent Stock & Barrel magazines, it’s because there is. And would you look at that? The winter issue is here, and we have three new breweries in the city. It’s time to get drinkin’.

Olentangy River Brewing Company | 303 Green Meadows Dr.

Standing as the first brewery to land in Lewis Center is Olentangy River Brewing Company, the brainchild of Scott and Bethany Schweitzer and Ryan and Sarah Wilkins. While Ryan said he and the owners aren’t brewers, they were definitely beer drinkers and that’s what led them to opening their own brewery. It started with a simple question between the two couples over some beers: why isn’t there a brewery in Lewis Center? And the answer quickly solidified. The idea was to make a brewery that was accessible to everyone—including those who don’t like beer.

“Our opinion is that there’s probably a beer that everyone can like, but if they don’t like beer, maybe they just haven’t tried it yet,” Ryan explained.

Looking at ORBC menu, the variety is there. If you’re into the hops of IPAs, the Arrowhead double-IPA is what you’re looking for. If you prefer a more robust and dark beer, the I Can’t Feel My Pants Russian Imperial Stout is smooth with that coffee-like flavor. ORBC also boasts its original style of beer as well with their Sofia IPA which has been dubbed the Ohiorrican IPA thanks to one of their brewmasters, Enrique Iglesias (not the singer), a brewer who moved to Columbus from Puerto Rico after being one of the first people to open a brewery in Puerto Rico. Ryan explained that the beer was not quite a west coast IPA which is hops forward, and it didn’t quite hit the New England hazy IPA standard, so they coined a new beer term altogether.

After fighting for a dozen different locations, ORBC finally landed on a 9,000-square-foot warehouse with office space that they transformed into a 10-barrel brewhouse with a taproom. The taproom is spacious and features many wooden fixtures reminiscent of something you might see at a Colorado ski lodge. In addition to being family-friendly, the taproom will have a large patio that will also be pup-friendly. While most breweries operate in the afternoon and evenings, ORBC is offering a little more by opening every day at 7 a.m. along with their partnership with the downtown coffeeshop, Roosevelt Coffeehouse, as well as the vegan bakery, Pattycake Bakery. Ryan explained that this is the other part of ORBC, creating a community. He said some people seem reluctant to get into craft beers and such because people might think it’s only for the “cool kids” in downtown Columbus. By bringing popular downtown establishments into Lewis Center, Ryan and his team are making these places more accessible. Now you can start and finish your day at one place.

“We have some people that set up shop and are working in the taproom,” Ryan said. “They’ll come in in the morning, they sit there and work all day, and by the end of their workday, they have a beer.”

Somewhere In Particular Brewing Company | 5055 Dierker Rd.

“Where are you guys trying to go tonight?”

“Oh, Somewhere In Particular.”

“So, where do you want to go??”

That should be a fun game to play with your friends before heading out. Though the name Somewhere In Particular keeps things vague, there’s a story behind it that puts it all into perspective. Patrick Sullivan, owner and brewmaster for SIP, owns another brewery named Nowhere In Particular, but now that Sullivan has set up shop and calls Columbus home, he is quite literally somewhere in particular.

The taproom offers a wide selection of beers ranging from brown ales like the Sting Chamber to sours like the Cherry Berliner Weisse. If Newcastle has ruined you from drinking brown ales, give Sting Chamber a try. Owner Joe Casey explained that SIP wanted a menu that offered a little bit of everything like lagers and pilsners as a way to make sure they have something for everyone. But that isn’t to say they don’t have more unique styles of beer. SIP also has a rice-based IPA, the Kitsuni Okami.

“It’s one of the first beers Pat made with Nowhere in Particular a few years back,” Casey said. “The rice helps lighten the body of the beer, and lets the hops come through. Also, with using some rice, you will have a lighter malt backbone. [It’s] something we like in our IPAs.”

The brewery, taproom, and kitchen were part of an addition to the nearly 100-year old Henderson House. Inside SIP, the dining area is tight, but cozy, with an earthy aesthetic as the wall behind the bar features artistic metal tree branches with tufts of grass serving as leaves along with common house plants to compliment. The large windowed garage door also allows for natural lighting, and opens when the weather isn’t so cold it makes your hair hurt.

You can also E-A-T and S-I-P. The menu is simple, but homey. Things like Beer Nuts, cheese balls, and pretzels take me back to a time that I was actually never around for, but it’s still nostalgic. The menu also offers more modern takes like beer-infused queso with candied jalapenos (excuse me while I wipe the drool from my face) and pita paninis served with kettle chips.

Nocterra Brewing Company | 41 Depot St.

Nocterra Brewing Company was first started by Bryan Duncan and Bruce Vivian who have built their experience through home brewing competitions. Nocterra’s name originates from a common love of the outdoors shared by the two brewers, and another business partner, James Knott. While Duncan was a white water rafter in West Virginia, Vivian took it to the next extreme with skydiving and backpacking.

“The name, Nocterra, is a play on words,” Duncan explained. “It’s from the land at night—being home brewers with kids, we could only brew at nighttime so we wanted to bring in that mantra. And then “terra”—from the land—it was paying homage to those outdoor activities and being outside.”

As for the beer, Duncan said Nocterra is a luxury, since he and the team are both owners and brewers. They have the freedom to dabble into any style of brew they are interested in, whether that be a sour or a stout. And while the IPAs and porters will be out for the drinking, the brewers will also be working on a seperate sour project through a sour beer wood aging program. Between the extensive production process for sour beers and wanting to have variety, Duncan said they opted out of being an exclusively sour beer brewery.

In the taproom, Duncan said there should be 10 beers on tap—including a white pine IPA. He said this goes back to Nocterra’s mantra of the outdoors and nature.

“It’s one of our home brew recipes we’d made. We want to do a whole tree series, like a quarterly series, where we used an ingredient from a tree,” Duncan said. “Everyone thinks it’s pine so they think all these resin flavors, but it actually comes across way more citrus. White pine is a totally different flavor.”

Nocterra’s brewery and taproom features 5,800 square feet of space in addition to a large outdoor area that’s a little over a quarter acre in size, which will be used as a beer garden and outdoor event venue. For its initial opening, the patio will feature seating as well as a firepit, but come spring, Duncan said there are plans to fully complete the outdoor space with a can release party.

Nocterra will also be able to can and distribute its beer from day one, Duncan said.

“We talked about it a lot and it’s like: where do you drink most of your beer at? And with us having families, most of your beer is consumed at home… If I can’t go out and buy it on the shelves, I more than likely wouldn’t have access to it, so for us it was a big thing that people would be able to get the beer, and as we expand we can get into larger stores.”

BROUGHT TO YOU BY