Temperance Row Brewing Co, Westerville OH

9 May 2024

Westerville was known at one time as “The Dry Capital of the World” due to its liquor law bans and for being the headquarters of the Anti-Saloon League. The leaders of the ASL purchased and built homes just a couple of blocks away from where this brewery is, and that cluster of homes became known as Temperance Row. Over 100 years later, Temperance Row Brewing is the first legal brewery in Westerville.

The front part of the building is occupied by Uptown Deli and you go through the Deli to get to the brewery. The pub’s menu is, naturally, sandwiches and appetizers from the deli.

The interior is dark but congenial with photos that I’m sure must be of some of the original ASL members. They do look friendly …

There were seven beers on draft and I opted for a flight, which is a set selection of five of the drafts, described from left to right:

Summer Wheat – 4.3% – It was a good wheat beer and would have been great with a lemon or orange slice (which it seems they offer with a pint).

Scofflaw Scottish Ale – 6.5% – “In 1924, the Boston Herald ran a contest looking for a new word to describe the people in America that were ignoring Prohibition and drinking anyway. ‘Scofflaw’ was the winning entrant.” In the case of this beer, being a Scofflaw is a fine thing as this is an excellent Scottish Ale!

Contradiction ESB – Extra Special Bitter, 6.5% – “Contradiction: You are sitting in a brewery in the ‘Dry Capital of the World.’ Enough said.” Once I had a sip of this one, I forgot all about that fine Scofflaw because this was even better. ‘Nuff said!

Corbin’s Revenge Rye IPA – 6.25% – “On July 12, 1875, Henry Corbin’s saloon was bombed with barrels of gunpowder by locals that were opposed to the sale of alcohol in town. Henry rebuilt, but that establishment suffered the same explosive demise. Almost 150 years have passed since that fateful night, but Henry’s legend lives on. We named this IPA in Henry’s honor. Revenge is a beer best served cold. Cheers to Henry!” I’m not a fan of rye beers, but the rye in this one was mild enough that I could certainly learn to love it.

Magpie Nut Brown Ale – 5.5% – “Our Magpie Nut Brown Ale is a nod to one of our favorite old school imports, Newcastle Brown Ale. Newcastle is home to the storied soccer team Newcastle United whose mascot is a black, white, and teal colored bird called Magpie. The Magpie’s colors are reflected in Newcastle’s uniform by their iconic black and white stripes. You don’t have to know soccer to appreciate the subtle flavors and drinkability of this delicious nut brown ale.” Again, I’m not a big fan of brown ales, but occasionally I find one that really hits the spot. This isn’t quite in that category but it’s very close — there’s a subtle hint of flavor that sets this one apart from the run-of-the-mill brown ale that everyone seems to brew these days. I’d definitely have this again on a cold day!

It’s also interesting that both the Scofflaw and the Contradiction are available as either CO2 or Nitro pushed if you buy a pint! That’s very unusual to offer both choices.

I just had to order the Reuben and Potato Salad from the deli and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest! The sandwich turned out to be best eaten with knife and fork as it was, as you can see, quite messy … but the corned beef was so tender and tasty and all the ingredients were perfectly balanced. Potato Salad can be quite hit-or-miss, but this one was just perfect in my book.

After all of that, I followed up with a pint of their 5% Prohibition Pilsner, an absolutely delightful and flavorful beer that would go down so easily … pint after pint … on a hot day in the summer. Mmmm. I was only sorry that they don’t offer cans or crowlers, just growlers. That’s a shame as I would have taken some of the Contradiction ESB with me otherwise, and perhaps even some of the Pilsner.