
Wine resorts have been some of your favorite destinations for years. You’ve traveled all over the world—from California and Italy to South Africa and New Zealand—to sleep among the vines. You’ve enjoyed long dinners, in which every course is paired with Barolo, Blaufränkisch, or Burgundy. You’ve been wrapped in wine yeast, scrubbed with grape seeds, and soaked in red wine. While you’ve taken enough vineyard tours that you could even answer novices’ questions for the winemakers. Now it’s beer’s turn.
The world’s first beer hotel opened at the end of last summer. BrewDog was founded in 2007 by two young Scottish guys who weren’t impressed with their local beer selection. They started brewing craft beer and opening bars around the world. Three in Scotland and one in London were first. More quickly popped up around the rest of Europe. They even made their way to São Paulo, Brazil. But when they started crowdfunding for a hotel, they set their sights on the United States. Ohio to be exact.
The brewery and the taproom came first. They sit on 42 acres in Canal Winchester, a historic town outside of Columbus. It’s where you can take a tour to learn about the brewing process—mashing, lautering, boiling, fermenting, conditioning, and packaging—before tasting their four headliner beers. Punk IPA is the original. Jet Black Heart is an oatmeal milk stout. Hazy Jane is a New England-style IPA. Elvis Juice is a grapefruit-infused IPA. You can even do a beer-and-cheese pairing, during which the beers are sampled with Black Radish Creamery’s artisan cheeses.
Then the guys added a museum and a hotel. The BrewDog Beer Museum is an interactive journey through the brewing process. It’s best enjoyed with a cold beer in hand. The hotel is a craft beer lover’s dream. The lobby bartender greets you with another beer and a big smile. He knows how happy you are to be here. There’s a bar with games (beer pong, of course) and a marketplace with takeaway food on the first floor. Beermosas are served with the continental breakfast. Picnic tables, fire pits, and a dog park (yes, some rooms are dog-friendly) spread out on the patio that’s strewn with white lights. But the 32 rooms are definitely the best parts of the hotel.
The rooms in the BrewDog Doghouse feature pillow-top mattresses, rainfall showers, and strong Wi-Fi, of course. Apple TVs and Stauf’s Coffee Roasters coffee are included, too. But there are also amenities that you won’t find in a normal hotel room. An in-room mini fridge is pre-stocked with cans of beer. An additional tap is filled with your favorite BrewDog beer. A built-in shower beer fridge and craft beer soaps, made by Glenn Avenue Soap Company, are even in the bathroom. You’re literally never more than a few steps from your next beer during this trip to Ohio.
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