When you first think of beer festivals—or even festivals in general—you might conjure images of spring or summer days spent outside walking around a green area with plenty of vendors and activities to take part in.
For the Columbus Brew Festival, at least one part is true. While you’ll be getting access to over 150 different kinds of beers, you’ll be doing so at COSI, the city’s Center of Science Industries which is home to science demonstrations, exhibits, and over 50 breweries on March 9th from 8-11pm. While it’s not the first location that comes to mind for a beer festival, it works out pretty well and is able to immediately set itself apart from other beer-focused events around the city because of it.
Beer and Science: Who Knew?
COSI is no stranger to hosting rowdy crowds and frequently puts on their COSI After Dark events where alcohol is served and children are left behind at home. The same principles apply here, and the Columbus Brew Festival does not allow anyone under 21 in, and yes, that means toddlers and infants too. While COSI is usually the typical spot to bring kids to learn about science, adults get free reign on the night of the 9th.
Beer lovers from all across central Ohio can get together, sip on some great brews, and explore all that the science center has to offer for three hours. Explore the planetarium with some out-of-this-world beer, check out the dinosaur exhibition and see some Jurassic terrors, and of course don’t miss COSI’s classic mainstays like getting to ride a unicycle 17 feet above the ground… but maybe do that before you start drinking.
You’ll find various types of beer from both local and out-of-city breweries. Some favorite local offerings include beers from Hoof Hearted, Nocterra, Land Grant, and Endeavor. You’ll also be able to sip beer from bigger Ohio names like Rhinegeist and Fat Head’s Brewery. With over 50 different breweries offering their beer, you’re sure to find both an old favorite and something new you haven’t tried yet.
For those looking to squeeze as much fun as possible out of the event, the festival is selling early admission tickets that get you entrance to COSI at 7pm rather than 8pm, and you have access to specialty beers that will only be served during that one hour window between 7-8pm. If you’re tagging along with some friends but don’t plan on drinking—because there’s still tons of fun to be had without the beer—the brew festival is selling designated driver tickets for almost half the cost of a regular ticket with the expectation of course being that the designated drivers won’t be participating in drinking. All proceeds from the ticket and drink sales will also go to the A Kid Again charity, meaning that you get to have fun drinking, learn about science and the world around you, and do good. That sounds like a pretty awesome time to us.