Crafted Drafts

I first learned of Crafted Drafts several weeks ago in an article published in one of the local “free newspapers”.  As a craft beer fanatic with a blog that features regular beer reviews, it can be hard to balance the desire to review as many beers as possible against the reality of a limited budget for beer purchases.  That makes a shop’s selection of single-bottle options a very enticing proposition.
Crafted Drafts features 600 different beers, approximately two-thirds of which are available as single bottles.  That’s a much larger single-bottle selection (at least percentage-wise) than you’ll find at most Columbus retailers – especially for standard-size bottles (large “bomber” selections are commonplace).

Crafted Drafts also offers a large collection of ciders and gluten-free beers, including products from New Planet, Omission, McKenzie’s, Woodchuck, Aspall, Sonoma Cider, Crispin, Thistly Cross, Wyder’s, B. Nektar, and others.  There are even some root beers and ginger beers in stock.
The single-bottle selection includes many beers you might have seen at other local retailers but were hesitant to try because of the price tag on a four-pack or six-pack.  No one wants to spend $25 on a four-pack of a beer like Thirsty Dog’s Wulver Wee Heavy Ale without knowing whether they’ll really like it.  (Hint:  That one’s actually a great beer…)  Crafted Drafts is a great place to find and try individual bottles of beers you might have been afraid to try elsewhere.  Not only that, but the staff knows its beer and can help you get the most from the dollars you spend.  For instance, I was advised not to chill one of my selections too much or it would taste unpleasantly bitter, and received recommendations of other beers I might like based on some I’d purchased.

Something that will also catch your attention about Crafted Drafts is how well curated the selection is.  Many of the beers on its shelves are “best of breed” or “best of brewery”.  I saw many personal favorites on the shelves, and virtually none of the similar beers I thought were marginal or poor.  This wasn’t just a coincidence. I actually overheard the owner discussing the available brews with his distributor.  He was excited to get certain beers back in stock, and turned down some popular brews that he didn’t think his customers would like.  (That’s good business to a certain extent, but turning down a popular beer that sells well just because you don’t care for it shows integrity.)
If you’re looking for a wide selection of beers to try without getting stuck with multi-packs you find later that you dislike, you’ll want to check out Crafted Drafts.  Not only will you find a great selection of individual bottles, you’ll also get good advice on other beers you may want to try.
Crafted Drafts5245 N. Hamilton Road
Columbus, OH 43230
(614) 656-7302

Open Monday through Saturday 12pm to 8pm

(More pictures and information below)

To help you gauge the selection of this store relative to others you may visit, below is a (partial, point-in-time) list of the breweries whose products were in stock during my visit in January 2014.  (This should not be taken as a complete or up to date list but merely a representative sample.)
5 Rabbit
Abita
Alesmith
Anderson Valley
Avery
Ballast Point
Bear Republic
Bell’s
Bitburger
Black Diamond
Breckenridge
Brew Dog
The Brew Kettle
Brooklyn Brewing
Chimay
Clown Shoes
Coopers
Coronado
Crabbie’s
Dogfish Head
Epic BrewingFat Heads
Finch’s
Flying Dog
Flying Monkeys
Fort Collins Brweing
Founders
Great Lakes
Green Flash
Guinness
Harviestoon
He’Brew
Heavy Seas
Hinterland
Hitachino Nest
Hoegaarden
Hoppin’ Frog
Huyghe
Innis & Gunn
Ithaca
Jolly Pumpkin
Kapuziner
Kwak
La TrappeLager HeadsLagunitas
Leffe
Left Hand
Leinenkugel’s
Lindemans
Mackeson
Magic Hat
Maredsous
Meantime
Modelo
Murphy’s
New Holland
Nogne
North Coast
O’Fallon
Ommegang
Oranjeboom
Orval
Oskar Blues
Paulaner
Pilsner Urquell
Portsmouth (Ohio) Brewing
Red Hook
Reissdorf
Revolution
Rivertown
Rodenbach
Rogue
Samuel Adams
Samuel Smith
Schneider & Sohn
Shiner
Sierra Nevada
Sixpoint
Smuttynose
Southern Tier
St. Ambroise
St. Bernardus
St. Peter’s
St. Stefanus
Stiegl
Stone
Stoudt’s
The Bruery
Thirsty Dog
Trappistes Rochefort
Troeg’s
Two Brothers
Uinta
Unibroue
Van Steenberge
Victory
Weihenstephaner
Westmalle
Weyerbacher
White Bird
Wychwood
Yuengling