Texas to Ohio

[ozonefirefighter]

I am taking a road trip from dallas tx to Akron Oh to see some family in september. We are going up through Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, then Columbus. On the way back we are going through Indianapolis, and St. Louis, then back down to Memphis. Any suggestions for beer stops along the way? Breweries, brew pubs, anything interesting. Anyone know of any good pubs in the Akron area? on the way up we will probably stop near Nashville. On the way home we will probably stay in St. Louis. I am willing to get off the beaten path a little for some good beer so lets hear it.

 

[ehedge20]

There is a Hoffbrau House in Newport near Louisville that you should definitely check out. There were lots of college girls in short skirts last time I was there on a Friday night! http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/

 

[joebme]

There are 2 breweries in Akron that I would recommend visiting, Hoppin' Frog (a mile south of Akron) and Thirsty Dog (near downtown Akron).

Pretty much every beer that Hoppin' Frog offers is outstanding, though on the more expensive side. All of their beers come in 22oz bomber bottles. Prices vary from $6 - $14. If I recall correctly, they are usually open M-Sat from around noon until 5pm. I give them a call before I drive there to make sure they are open.
http://www.ratebeer.com/brewer/8035/sort/2/
http://www.hoppinfrog.com/

The other brewery worth visiting is Thirsty Dog. You can sample any of the beers they have on hand. Their imperial stout and porter are very good. You can do mixed 4/6 packs there if you want to get a more broad selection. Price will vary between $10 - $13 depending on the beers you want. Thirsty Dog is open to visitors during the back half of the week (Wed - Sat). I don't recall the hours they are open those days.
http://www.ratebeer.com/brewer/2514/sort/2/
http://thirstydog.com/

I'm not sure if you'd be willing to travel to Cleveland to check out Great Lakes Brewing. (about a 40 - 45 minute drive from Akron). If you can't make it there you can buy their sampler 12 pack ($16-$17) from almost any store that sells beer in NE ohio.

 

[ozonefirefighter]

awesome thanks guys! keep em coming!

 

[jmacker]

Lockview pub downtown Akron has a great selection plus about a dozen grilled cheeses on the menu.

 

[adfirmus]

There is a Hoffbrau House in Newport near Louisville that you should definitely check out. There were lots of college girls in short skirts last time I was there on a Friday night! http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/

ehdedge20 beat me to it. I was also going to suggest Hofbrau haus since according to google maps you drive through Cincinnati/Northern KY. Definitely go to Hofbrau haus. I go there with the girlfriend and friends from Cincy. BTW it's packed after Red's games in the evening. The food is excellent fun atmosphere and beer comes in liters. I think its just under $7 too for a liter of their beer. They usually have a couple of vareties. The Hefe is very good if you like german wheat beers. Good for families too if your traveling with children, but go in the afternoon or early evening before the bar crowd shows up. Also, don't sit in the non-smoking section. It's boring. You can't see the guy playing accordion and its far from the bar.

I would also recommend stopping by Party Source. It's just a couple of blocks from Hofbrau Haus. It's a huge liqour store that also has, you guessed it, party supplies. They have a huge selection of beer. There is a gigantic fridge with shelves of singles to try. Bring a sweatshirt if you plan to take more than 5 minutes to pick out singles. Part source: [ame]http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=party+source+newport&fb=1&gl=us&hq=party+source+newport&hnear=party+source+newport&cid=0,0,1712212722899296530&ei=HmisTdGRN4nw0gGR_N2hDA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=2&ved=0CBwQnwIwAQ[/ame]

Since you don't mind going off the beaten path I also suggest going to Jungle Jims in Fairfield OH if you've never been there. Basically, if something is edible: They have it. Hell, they have a section for Australian food. They also have a small homebrew section by their beer and wine section. Not too sure the quality/freshness of their homebrew supplies though since its such a large store, and homebrewing being fairly esoteric. Anyways you have to go to Jungle Jims if you have a couple of hours free. Heres a google link with the map and store website. [ame]http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Jungle+jims&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8[/ame]

Enjoy your trip

 

[verbal144]

In nashville, check out bosco's or blackstone for brewpubs, yazoo for brewery, and flying saucer for a bar with a HUGE beer selection

 

[IrregularPulse]

Definiteyl hit up hofrau haus. Then in Columbus OH there is Columbus Brewing Company, Barley's, and Elevator Brewing company. I'm not impressed with CBC's beers, Elevator has good beer but way to swanky environment unless you're looking for a really nice ($) dinner, and Barley's is just great with a cask beer and something on firkin at all times..

 

[beesy]

Definiteyl hit up hofrau haus. Then in Columbus OH there is Columbus Brewing Company, Barley's, and Elevator Brewing company. I'm not impressed with CBC's beers, Elevator has good beer but way to swanky environment unless you're looking for a really nice ($) dinner, and Barley's is just great with a cask beer and something on firkin at all times..

I'm going to recommend you do hit CBC up and skip Elevator unless your looking at stopping for dinner. CBC ipa is pretty damn good and their pale ale isnt bad IMHO. I've had at least 10 elevator beers and all with the exception of horny goat are so-so at best. The restaurant is awesome however. Just my opinion.

Hoppin frog makes some kick butt beers and Fat Heads in I believe North Olmstead has a few nice beers too. Great lakes is a staple and they have some taps you can't get in bottles if you can make it to the brewpub.

 

[apreswho]

Lockview in downtown akron is definately worthy of a stop! Hundreds of beers, a good spirit selection, and a knowlegable staff. i really cant recommend it enough, i have speant way too much money there

 

[integrator]

Indianapolis.
Hit Sun King if it's in the evening. They only sell growlers but they make some top quality beer. You might get lucky and get some 3 Kings which they did with 3 Floyds. http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/Tasting_Room.html

If you want to try some Indiana beers, Tomlinson Tap Room in the City Market only carries Indiana beers. It's pricey but has a tremendous selection. http://www.indycm.com/index.php/tomlinsontaproom

Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple has the best Tripel around (not to mention some great fries and mussels). www.bruggebrasserie.com

Oaken Barrel, just south of Indy off of I-65 has good beer. http://oakenbarrel.com/

 

[ozonefirefighter]

thanks again everyone! I cant wait now! love checkin out new places and beer! keep em coming. You can bet ill have em mapped out and hit as many as possible!

 

[GuldTuborg]

If you like English beers, Barley's (downtown location) in Columbus is a must. Their Pale Ale, ESB, Scotch Ale, and Barleywine are all top notch. The barleywine is literally to die for. I'm gonna come out and say it - I prefer their house Pale Ale to Fuller's. It's better. If you think I'm crazy, you better come to Columbus and try it first. If you still don't agree, then I'll let you punch me for my blasphemy.