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2005 Frozen Four - Getting Around Columbus
This list doesn't even begin to list everyplace that you can go while in Columbus,
the other official Columbus links will do a better job of that than I could. This is
just a list of some decent places I found a couple of years prior to the Frozen Four
when in Columbus for a Michigan vs Ohio State hockey game. It has been two years,
but hopefully these places will still be there. They are more downtown as there really
isn't much to do in Columbus right next to campus (at least the venue where the Frozen
Four will be held).
Barley's is a brew pub on High Street, that you will find just before
getting to the high rise buildings of downtown proper (it is South of the OSU campus). The
address is as follows:
Barley's
467 N High St
Columbus OH 43215
614.228.2537
Barley's was established in 1992 and when I was there they were serving pepsi products,
had a wine and liquor selection, had a couple of non-brew pup taps (including your
standard bud light, but also a Guiness, and a Bass tap). They also had a couple of
TV's so you can keep up on the current sports scene.
Food:
They have a menu that is fairly standard for a brew pup, meaning it includes burgers,
pastas, entrees (steak, chicken, etc...), and standard sandwiches. The food was pretty
tasty, served quickly, and hot.
Beer:
Well, it's all about the beer, isn't it, when one is at a brew pub. The
beers on tap were good, not the best I've ever had, but far from the worst. I tend to
like a little more hops than they used for some styles, but I can live with that. They
also didn't have their full complement of brews on tap (and some of my more personal
favorites weren't on tap at the time). I was there in early Spring and the brews on
tap were a Scotch Ale, Pale, Brandy Wine (both gassed and cask conditioned), a Pilsner,
and an Oatmeal Stout. I'm partial to the IPA's myself so the fare was a bit light for me, but
as I said it was good stuff. As mentioned above they did have three taps for beers
not made on premises; bud light, Guiness, and Bass.
Staff:
The staff was very friendly and helpful (even to a visiting Wolverine)
which always makes a visit enjoyable. The host stand is in the center of the restaurant,
not by the door which can be a bit confusing until you get used to it. You can find some
parking on the street in front of the pub. The meters have a two hour limit on them. A
better bet is a parking ramp right around the corner from the pub on Vine.
Oldfield's On High is more of a bar or club. I had it on my list, but I didn't actually
make it there. I'll provide the address in case others might get a chance to get there
Oldfield's On High
2590 N High Street
Columbus OH 43202
614.784.0477
They are supposed to brew their own beer and they offer live music. The crowd is
described as 20 to 30 somethings, beyond frat state live music lovers. Dress is
casual mixed with hot and/or trendy (whatever the hell that means). It seems to be your basic pick-up bar (nothing
wrong with that).
Gordon Biersch is a chain brewery and is our next stop. I don't have an address for this one, but it's
located in close proximity to Nationwide Arena (where the NHL team plays) right
downtown. If you find the Arena you should be able to find this place (along with a
couple of other bars in that area I didn't get to). This place was as much restaurant
as it was brewery. They did have several TV's in the bar area and a modest outdoor
patio (not small, but not huge). The bar area was large enough to hold a couple of
pool tables toward the back. The did have wine and liquor and served coke products.
It's also an easy walk from here to Barley's.
Beer:
Gordon Biersch breweries brew more of a lager style beer as opposed to the more
common American Ale style that many of the craft breweries around the country focus on.
With this brewery being a chain this isn't to much of a surprise. Lagers tend to be
milder in taste, while Ales tend to have much more robust flavor notes. What that means to
me is that while the beers are good for the style,
they aren't as bursting with flavor as many ales are. Add into that the fact that
this is a national chain who brews for mass consumption and you'll get a good idea
of what awaits you. They had four basic taps with the following lagers:
Marzen - Dry, medium hoppped amber
Dunkle - Dark, medium bodied, malty and unfiltered
Golden Export - light lager
Seasonal - this tap changes every six weeks or so. While I was there it was a Vienna.
Staff:
The staff were friendly enough when they couldn't find anything else
to do. They enjoyed talking among themselves a lot, which isn't necessarily bad, but
when it leaves customers waiting for service it tends to rub me the wrong way. It
wasn't terrible, but it got to be annoying.
The Elevator is the last brewery type bar that I got to and in some ways it was
my favorite. I don't have an address, but it was in downtown Columbus, still on
High Street just a bit more into the canyons of the downtown high rise buildings.
It's a narrow, long building, with an incredible bar all back lit in blue. As you
might guess it was a fairly dark bar, maybe that's why I liked it so much, I like
dark bars. There were a couple of TV's in the back as well as billiards. The
cielings were painted, there were marble columns around the bar, and some stained
glass. Just very interesting decor. They did have wine and liquor, and also served
Coke products. They did not have guest taps.
Food:
While they had food, since I'd already eaten at Barley's I didn't
actually order anything. I saw a couple of people served and the food looked good.
Beer:
They had a variety of beer on tap, all made on site. The beers on tap
when I was there were a seasonal (don't remember what kind), Dopplebock, Porter, ESB,
IPA, Nitro Stout, Marzen, Nut Brown, Wiezen, and a few others. As you can see they
had a pretty decent line up of beers on tap. While the beer was good, it seemed to be
produced with mass consumption in mind, meaning that nothing had any real bold taste,
everything seemed a little on the bland side to me, although it was certainly drinkable.
There are a couple of hotels in downtown that I saw while walking around. I didn't
stay at them, but I made note of them. They are the Hyatt, and Crown Plaza hotel. There
was also a Hampton Inn & Suites around there too. Finally, there is a Red Roof Inn in
walking distance of the NHL Arena.
The following are all hotels in fairly close proximity to Ohio State.
AmeriSuites Hotel
7490 Vantage DR
Columbus OH 43235
614.846-4355
Super 8 At University/Downtown
3232 Olentangy River Road
Columbus OH 43202
614.261.7141
Cross Country Inn-OSU South
1445 Olentangy River Road
Columbus OH 43212
614.291.2983
Cross Country Inn
3246 Olentangy River Road
Columbus OH 43202
614.267.4646
Days Inn-University
3160 Olentangy River Road
Columbus OH 43202
614.261.0523
Double Tree Guest Suites
50 South Front Street
Columbus OH 43215M
614.228.4600
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