The state boasts one of the fastest-growing craft brew scenes in the U.S. During the last few years, the number of breweries has quadrupled to more than 200, and Ohio ranks as the fourth largest producer of craft beer in the country. Production of hops is even returning to the Ohio landscape – a crop largely forgotten here since the era of prohibition.
Specialty beer bars and places where you can fill growlers (i.e., beer to go) dot the state. And beer tourism has taken hold, with shuttles – the Cleveland Brew Bus, Columbus Brew Adventures, Dayton Brew Tours and Cincy Brew Bus among them – whisking beer drinkers from brewery to brewery for tours.
So come on out and talk with a local Ohio beer brewer. They are a passionate lot, many of whom have quit their briefcase jobs in search of crisp, flavorful perfection. People who know beer say the water is vitally important, and that has caused a flurry of activity in rural areas of Ohio where minerals in some artesian wells are similar to beer-brewing heavy weights like Belgium. There also is no end to the creativity of brewers who are locating their operations in unique structures including former churches, historic funeral homes and restored factory buildings
