Photo courtesy of Copious+Notes
Copious at 520 S High St
There’s the Columbus Caffeine Crawl and the Gallery Hop, and now there’s an event for beer lovers to try out all of their favorite local breweries.
On Saturday, April 29 from 6-8 p.m., fans of IPAs, pilsners, ales and more can wet their whistle at the first-ever Brewery District Brew Hop, hosted and organized by Copious. This free hop is focused not just on bringing visitors into the Brewery District to showcase all the area has to offer, it is also aiming to bring together local businesses and create partnerships.
The hop will begin at Copious, then head to El Arepazo, Three Sheets, High Beck Tavern and finally to Classic Victory’s Sports Bar. Each of the bars along the way will offer a free beer sample, and a representative will be onsite to answer questions from hop participants and explain each sample.
Michael Kuch, a manager at Copious+Notes who runs the beer program there, says that areas of Columbus such as the Arena District and Grandview have made themselves destinations. Now, he wants the Brewery District to have a similar appeal.
“We noticed that there aren’t too many community events down here in the Brewery District, but there are a plethora of breweries,” says Kuch. “It made sense; us taking the initiative to support local breweries, to talk to our friends up the street and down the street, to draw some people down here to taste some good beer.”
Though this is the first Brewery District Brew Hop, Kuch says he and others at Copious, including Copious president and main Brew Hop planner Terry Turner, plan to expand to make it even bigger, and add more attractions. If all goes as planned, the hop will be held on the last Saturday of each month. Kuch says other Brewery District locations have already called and want to join in.
“I’ve worked from day one with all of the local breweries here in Columbus, and when they all heard this was going on, they were like, ‘When can we be a part of this?’” says Kuch. “Seeing that community with the distributors – a lot of these are independently owned and operated – and looking to be a part of it and be excited that the Brewery District is doing something fun.”
Though what specific brews will be featured at each location is still a surprise, Kuch is excited to share samples from 2 Tones Brewing Co. and Lineage Brewing. Though the first Brew Hop is yet to come, Kuch already sees what he’d like for the hop’s future.
“Hopefully, (we will be) shutting down a portion of High Street; 30-50 breweries from central Ohio and the outer belt area,” he says. “Eventually incorporate artists, musicians and culminating into the summer brew hop festival.”
The inaugural Brewery District Brew Hop takes High Street on April 29 from 6-8 p.m. To RSVP for the event, visit the Brewery District Brew Hop Facebook page.
The Lineup:
Copious, serving Lineage Brewing and 2 Tones Brewing Co.
El Arepazo, serving Homestead Beer Company and Platform Beer Co.
Three Sheets, serving Seventh Son Brewing Co. and The Actual Brewing Co.
High Beck Tavern, serving Columbus Brewing Company
Classic Victory’s Sports Bar, serving Land-Grant Brewing Company
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
