Wow…it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these.
The state of Ohio is home to hundreds of amazing breweries, and while the big cities like Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and even Akron/Canton and Dayton have their obvious share of great breweries, there are some underrated pockets of the state that can hold their own.
One such underrated pocket is Licking County. Located just east of Franklin County – which houses state capital Columbus – Licking County features great small towns like Newark, Granville, Heath, Utica, Hebron, Pataskala, and Buckeye Lake.
The county is home to eight breweries, including seven with taprooms. I’ve been able to visit them all over the past few months. Check out my quick review of each below, in the order that I visited them.
Three Tigers Brewing Company
Located in Granville, which also features Denison University, Three Tigers is a small brewpub with their own beer and Vietnamese inspired food. I didn’t know much about Three Tigers prior to my visit, but this place is a diamond in the rough. Their beers run the gamut from lagers and pilsners to IPAs and even some Belgian styles thrown in. I tried a flight with their Kingston cream ale, Flying Tigersault pilsner, Small Axe pale ale, Panama Red imperial red ale, Skeleton Key stout, Bella’s Beans Coffee Stout, and Styrian Wolf DIPA. All of their beers were delicious and true to style, but the Bella’s Beans and Panama Red. The coffee stout is a smooth sipper with a fresh coffee taste, and the imperial red ale is a style you don’t see every day.
The food at Three Tigers is also wonderful. I had a banh mi, which went surprisingly well with my beers. Three Tigers plans to expand across the street from their current location into an abandoned firehouse, so we should see some big things from them in the future.
Buck’s Brewing
Located in Newark, Buck’s is a small brewery that features mostly traditional American styles. Their taproom gives me the feeling of entering someone’s basement bar, which is a cool thing. There’s a small bar and the building has low ceilings, with a few tables as well. Their styles are pretty straightforward without fancy names – the beers are simply named Milk Stout, New England IPA, or Christmas Ale. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed their White wheat ale, a light and easy drinking beer with a very wheat-forward flavor. It’s not typically a style that I jump for, but Buck’s offering was well done. I also tried their very solid IPA, New England IPA, and Imperial Stout.
DankHouse Brewing Company
Located in Newark, DankHouse features lots of funky beers, including Berliner Weisses and lots of dank IPAs. DankHouse has a decidedly “green” theme, with the warehouse style taproom decked out in green. They fully embrace the dank side of life, with super hoppy IPAs and some crazy adjuncted stouts. I initially only planned to grab a crowler or two, but I had samplers of their Super Fantastic and Pineapple Blunt Cake. An IPA, Super Fantastic lives up with its name as a damn good IPA, clocking in at 7% ABV and 60 IBUs. The Pineapple Blunt Cake is a kettle sour, with pineapple, cake, and cherry flavors added. It’s one of the best beers that I’ve had in a long time.
Trek Brewing Company
Located in Newark, Trek is housed in a large former restaurant space. They recently added a kitchen partner. The taproom has a bit of a 90s rustic vibe, but they also have an outdoor patio. I was impressed with their Canteen cream ale, a thirst-quenching light offering. The Forked Run brown ale was also solid.
Homestead Beer Co.
Located in Heath, Homestead is dedicated to getting back to the roots of brewing delicious yet simple beers. Homestead actually distributes to Cincinnati, so I was familiar with some of their beers prior to my visit. The first time I went, they were only open for outdoor seating, so I grabbed a crowler of their Royal Tannenbaum Christmas ale and enjoyed it at home. But I decided to go back to check out the taproom, and it did not disappoint. It’s a typical brewery taproom with a small bar area and some seating, but they’ve added seating space next to their brewhouse for proper social distancing.
I grabbed a table and enjoyed my flight. I had the Five Points red ale, Ulysses Mocha porter, Tempest Double New England IPA, and Snake Oil Infused with Strawberry IPA. The Ulysses and Tempest absolutely blew me away. With locally roasted coffee and cocoa nibs, the Ulysses is a great sipper and is still just 5.7% ABV. Tempest is an awesome big hazy and fruit forward offering.
Buckeye Lake Brewery
Located on the scenic Buckeye Lake, this brewery is very small and caters to locals as well as weekend vacationers. The brewery offers a lot of simple styles, and I had a flight with their Blonde ale, Full Pool IPA, Nut Brown ale, and Shovelhead 2x IPA. The Shovelhead really stood out, as an 8.3% offering named after the catfish that can get up to 50 pounds in Buckeye Lake.
Granville Brewing Company
Located on a large farm in Granville, Granville Brewing focuses on Belgian and farmhouse styles. The taproom is tiny, with a bar and just a few tables, but they have plenty of outdoor space as well. There are some pretty great views, and you get the feeling of being far away from the world despite being just a few hundred yards from a pretty busy road.
I had a flight of four beers, featuring Biere de Garde, Outville Extra Pale Ale, Wagnerfest Marzen, and Brett Saison. The Outville and Brett Saison were the two standouts for me. Made with hops from the local Morris Family Hop Farm, this beer drinks very smooth and isn’t as bitter as your typical pale ale or IPA. The Brett Saison was as funky as you’d expect, with just enough yeasty characteristics and packing a punch at 8.4% ABV.
Licking County is also launching a Beverage Trail, which features the county’s breweries, wineries, and coffee shops.
Check out more Brewery Adventures here.