Craft beer, beautiful Ohio country views and the open road – whether you’re a longtime hops connoisseur or a first-time beer imbiber, the Route 33 Brew Trail really does have it all.
In May 2018, Visit Fairfield County, the local visitors and convention bureau, launched the Route 33 Brew Trail in an effort to not only showcase the region’s delicious brews, but to highlight the gorgeous views Fairfield County offers as well.
There are now six participating breweries along Route 33 for those interested in visiting: Combustion Brewery & Taproom in Pickerington, BrewDog DogTap in Canal Winchester, Outerbelt Brewing in Carroll, Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster, Double Edge Brewery in Lancaster and Brewery 33 in Logan.
Brew trail participants can pick up a trail guide at Visit Fairfield County or any of the six participating breweries. Brew masters who collect stamps at all six breweries can bring their passport to Visit Fairfield County’s office or Double Edge Brewing Company to redeem a free Anchor Hocking Route 33 Brew Trail pint glass.
“Our goal was to do something new and exciting to raise awareness for Fairfield County,” Jonett Haberfield of Visit Fairfield County says. “When I was trying to figure out what the cool things were to do in Fairfield County, the breweries were a natural because lots were springing up around (2018).”
Since launching the brew trail, Visit Fairfield County estimates that almost 2,000 people from all over the United States have completed the experience. Before the pandemic, the breweries offered guided bus rides to those who wanted to complete the brew trail in one day. Haberfield says they hope to continue that option when it is safe to do so again.
Until then, the range of venues provides visitors with plenty of outdoor space to safely enjoy – just don’t forget a designated driver.
Each brewery offers a unique experience to visitors. Keith Jackson, co-owner and head brewer at Combustion Brewery & Taproom, says he is happy to be involved with the trail.
“I think the great thing about the trail is it gives a framework for moving around and exploring the community,” Jackson says. “All these places are here, but not everyone realizes that they’re actually pretty close together. You could string together a couple of really nice weekends and hit them all.”
Jackson says that his relationship with the other brewers is inclusive and supportive because the community is so small and tight knit. He and the owner and head brewer at Outerbelt Brewing, Dan Griffin, even worked together at a Columbus brewery before starting their own businesses.
“We’ve worked together with other brewers,” Jackson says. “We don’t consider them competitors. We know that the better one of us does, the better we all do. So, that’s kind of a big part of the spirit of the trail.”
The trail also offers first-time craft beer drinkers the chance to ease into the world of brewing – another great aspect that the brewers emphasize about the trail. Both Griffin at Outerbelt and Jackson at Combustion say that they hope to create an accessible environment for anyone who doesn’t know their favorite type of beer, or what to order off the menu.
“From the beginning, we’ve always tried to be more of an accessible and new-to-craft-beer-friendly brand,” Griffin says. “Our two bestsellers are a testament to that.”
Griffin says he recommends Outerbelt’s Glasstown Lager and Gravel Donuts, both flavorful yet approachable beers for new drinkers. That gives visitors a good foundation to try others until they discover which type suits them the best. More than anything, those involved with the brew trail say they are happy to see new faces visiting their breweries.
“We just love that people are seeing things that maybe they would’ve never stumbled upon,” Haberfield says. “And it’s all because they’re doing this brew trail that brought them here.”
Nora McKeown is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
