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We’ve been fans of BrewDog Brewing since the first season of Brew Dogs TV show. Some may think their antics are over the top, but it’s part of the charm. Their attitude and culture come through in everything they do. We like it. Thanks to our good friends at Tennessee Brew Works we got to witness it and hang out at the brewery all day when James and Martin were in town to record the Nashville episode. Check out Season 3 Episode 9; we’re there in the crowd.
When they launched Equity for Punks to finance their US conquest, I chipped in for 5 shares. I never saw it as an investment. That’s what my 401k is. But I wanted to be part of the movement. I jumped at the Indiegogo campaign for a couple nights at the newly announced DogHouse Beer Hotel in Columbus and couldn’t wait till they opened.
When reservations were opened we grabbed a weekend right before Christmas. The fall was busy for us with several Rhizome Productions events, including producing the one-and-only Shelton Brothers The Festival in Denver. Then the epic Winter Warmer weekend was a blast, but we were tired and needed a good rest before the holidays. We got it at the DogHouse.
The weekend before Christmas weekend we flew to Columbus Friday night after work. Even though we got in late that night, the check-in crew was friendly and poured us a beer. The hotel guest service desk is also a Craft Beer bar. So far, we knew what to expect. We had stopped by just a few weeks before on Thanksgiving weekend to find the place and see what it was like. My folks live in eastern Ohio, so we had an hour to kill before our flight home and had a beer in the taproom. We wanted to get the lay of the land before trying to find it late at night.
The surprises started when we got off the elevators. The Craft Beer themed art was cool, but the hotel is literally in the same room as the BrewDog Columbus foudre and barrel room. I’ve never camped out with
The room was comfortable, the wifi was fast and the Apple TV connected to the tv let us sign in and finish season 2 of Mrs. Maisel and season 1 of Big Mouth. We got a great nights sleep then started our lazy, long, beer-filled day at BrewDog. It was dreary and rainy, and we never went outside. We declared our own no-snow snow day. The free breakfast in the hotel lobby was stellar, with fresh fruit and bread, yogurt, and a savory frittata. There were beermosas and locally roasted coffee to drink. We were stuffed and decided to crash in the room.
Before we headed back to the room, I asked about a tour and they told us they’d take care of us. Within the hour I got an email from the awesome Caroline, one of the BrewDog tour team. I was impressed that someone who wasn’t even at the office yet took time on her Saturday morning to arrange our afternoon tasting and tour. It was obvious she loves her job. It seemed like everyone at the brewery, gift shop, taproom and hotel loved what they do. They took care of us like we were part of the family.
We brought workout gear because we couldn’t be slugs all weekend and the DogHouse’s workout room is incredible. Columbus is also home to Rogue Fitness and was well stocked with weights and gear. June’s a trainer and has her own setup of Rogue gear in the garage/gym at the house. We worked up quite a sweat. It was a perfect time for a shower beer.
Luckily, the DogHouse has the aforementioned beer fridge in the bathroom. Shower beer! And all the soaps and shampoo were made with Brew Dog beer. I wish they sold that in the gift shop.
We had a small snack in the DogTap taproom before the tasting and tour. Before the public brewery tour, Caroline gave us and another couple staying at the hotel a Beer School tasting upstairs in the conference room. She knew her stuff.
I love Brew Dog’s commitment to training their team, and they’re big supporters of the Cicerone organization. Not only are a bunch of them Certified Beer Servers and Certified
The public brewery tour was great. I’ve done a lot of brewery tours and Caroline was great; a rock star tour guide. She handled all the questions with skill, including the ones from this overly technical beer nerd. She also gave us the pro-tip to give our names to the taproom hostess and let her know we were staying at the hotel. They gave us a 6 pm slot, and we went back to the room to chill.
We headed downstairs to DogTap promptly at 6 and were immediately seated at a fantastic table, despite the huge crowd waiting to get a spot. Seriously, they treat the hotel guests like royalty. The food is exceptional, and it was a chance to try the rest of the beers on tap that we hadn’t had yet. As with any great brewery taproom, they had a bunch of beers you can’t buy at your local beer source. It was a memorable, long, lazy day. With beer. And food. We needed it.
Sunday morning we had another remarkable breakfast (this time with baked french toast instead of the frittata) then hung out till checkout. From Friday night to 11 am Sunday, we didn’t leave the BrewDog campus. We recommend doing the same. Go. Stay. Relax. You’ll have no want for beer or food. There’s no need to go anywhere else.
The BrewDog Columbus, DogTap and the DogHouse crew are the best. Thank you for your hospitality.
We had 4 hours to kill after checkout, so we stopped by a few other local breweries. If you’re in Columbus, there’s a lot more to the beer scene than BrewDog. We checked out Wolf’s Ridge, Seventh Son, and Land-Grant. We wanted to grab a bite before the airport, and guess what? Across the street from Land Grant is BrewDog Franklinton. I guess we hadn’t had enough.
It was a wonderful time, and I can’t wait to do it again. I think a weekend-before-Christmas stay at the DogHouse may become a new tradition for us. Cheers!
The Non-disclaimer Disclaimer: We’ve always tried to be transparent when we get free stuff or special treatment in exchange for a post. This one is from the heart. The only thing we received from BrewDog was the same fantastic service and treatment they give all their guests. We paid for the room, the beer and food. BrewDog and the DogHouse gave us nothing for free and did not know we were beer bloggers. They had no idea that we’re kind of a big deal, but they treated us like we were.
