Big Ten Road Trips, part 4, THE Ohio State University

O-H

eh fuck 'em.

So, you are heading to the horseshoe. From Champaign, it's about 300 miles and 5 hours. On the way, you go through Indianapolis. You'll probably want to take the beltway around Indy, and the south part is the quickest option. Remember, on the south of 465, there's plenty of breweries (we talked about them for the University of Indiana). On the north side, there's also breweries (we talked about them for Purdue). So, there's plenty of places to stop on the way.

I didn't talk about beer stores, but on 31 south (exit 2b) from 465, there's two good beer stores that I like to hit, the first is Crown Liquors. The other is further down the road at East Stop 11 road, and that's Party Pak Liquors. Both have really good beer selections. At Party Pak, you can buy any individual bottle there, or buy the six pack. If you are traveling and not from Indiana, there's lots of beers that you can't get here.

As you are heading east on 70, you'll go past Dayton. In Dayton, there's another good beer store, Belmont Party Supply. Belmont also has a great selection.

But, we're going to try to hit breweries, not liquor stores.

In Columbus there are several breweries.

One of my favorites is Elevator. I've been to Elevator a couple of times, and have never been disappointed. In the picture, my buddy Jim is eating their famous Rock Filet. The steak comes out rare, and you cook it in front of you on a really hot (450 degrees) rock. Cut it up, and cook it to however you like it done. It comes with some dipping sauces, but you don't really need them on a good piece of meat. Elevator currently has 11 beers on tap, and the full sampler looks really cool. The beer is good, and it's a nice place. Elevator is about 3 miles away from the stadium.

Another good place is Barley's Alehouse. There are 2 Barley's locations in Columbus. Ale House No. 1 and Ale House No. 2. Ale House #1 is down the street from Elevator, #2 is a bit further away from the stadium. Kridz and I stopped at Ale House #1 on our east coast trip. Previously, I had been to Ale House #2 a couple of times on trips to Columbus with Jim. They have a good variety of house beers, mostly with a Scottish theme.

There's apparently a Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Columbus as well.

Also in Columbus, is the Columbus Brewing Company. Why haven't I been here? It's about 10 minutes from the stadium.

There's another brewery, L. Hoster Brewing Co. Their website is under construction, and I haven't had any of their beers. Hoster is about 6 miles from the Stadium.

That's about it for breweries on the trip. As long as you are in Ohio, you should stop at From the Vine. It's a nice 20 minute drive from the stadium, but it's worth the trip. Jaimie has a really good beer selection along the side wall. Look for some stuff that you can't find elsewhere. You may pay a premium for it, but it might be the best beer in the world, ask nicely.

So, enjoy your trip to the whore's shoe. I hope you don't get too sick of hearing "Hang on Sloopy".