Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Columbus OH

30 March 2025

Wolf’s Ridge has a taproom connected to their brewery and I wasn’t able to get there on previous trips here, so I stopped in today just for a flight so I could decide on some cans to take with me to accompany takeout pizza. This place is not one you would find if you (or your GPS!) didn’t know where it is — there’s no sign!

Inside is a decent space with plenty of tables and of course the bar, which is where I sat.

They do flights of five, so here are my picks, left to right:

Donnerwülf – Kölsch, 4.8% – This puzzled me. It had the flavor that I love in a Kölsch but it was also very dry and that left me a bit at odds with it. I enjoyed it, but if it were just a tiny bit sweeter, I would have loved it and probably taken a 4-pack of it with me.

Märzen – Festbier, 5.4% – It has really nice body to it and it’s a good all-around beer, but it struck me as very neutral, very middle-of-the-road, with nothing in particular to either call attention to itself or to detract from it. I didn’t dislike it, but I’ve certainly had versions of this style that I’ve enjoyed a lot more.

Hot Brass – Schwarzbier, 4.3% – Now this was my hands-down favorite of the flight! I can’t find anything about it that I don’t like; it just wasn’t the right beer to accompany a pizza today.

Hazy – IPA, 6.5% – It has a strong pineapple/fruity flavor but it turns rather bitter on the finish; it would be best with food. Still, the more I had, the more it grew on me …

Afterburner – Black IPA, 6.1% – The most confusing of the bunch for me — this had characteristics of the Schwarzbier and of the Hazy, but somehow the whole was less than the sum of the parts. It was mild with a bitter finish and that just didn’t work for me today — I wanted it to be something special, not just a pale reflection of of what it might have been.

After finishing the flight, I took a look at the cans they had available and the only thing that looked interesting to me was their 5.0% Hefeweizen called Hefe. The bartender gave me a taste to be sure I really wanted it, and it as the best of the best! It’s full of bananas and fruit and just plain refreshing like a good Hefeweizen should be.

On the whole, Wolf’s Ridge was wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great, either. I don’t regret visiting but probably won’t return.