About

Thank you for visiting The Columbus Beer Scene, my blog about enjoying craft beer in the Columbus, Ohio, area.

Who am I?  I'm Mike Salsbury. I was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1966.  I spent most of my early years there, before my family packed its bags and moved to Brazil (we lived right about here).  We were there from 1978 to 1981, while my dad helped to build an electric power plant.  After we returned to the States, I graduated from high school and went to college at Syracuse University in New York.  In 1987, I transferred to (and graduated from) Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA.

While I lived in Pittsburgh, I discovered craft beer, in part through my boss.  George was a big fan of Penn Pilsner, from the Pennsylvania Brewing Company.  He often served it at parties he threw.  Realizing that this beer was a lot more complex and flavorful than the macro brew I had been drinking, I was curious to try more. I don't know if they're still happening, but in those days there was a large beer festival downtown each summer.  I made it a point to go to those and try as many beers as a could (responsibly).

I never went back to the macro brews after that.  There were just too many craft beers I enjoyed more.  Today, the craft beer market seems to have exploded.  There are literally hundreds of breweries' products on the shelves at Columbus area beer retailers, covering (probably) every beer style that exists. It's a great time to be a fan of craft beer, and there are many fine establishments in Columbus where you can buy and enjoy it.  It's just not always easy to find them or tell the good ones from the bad ones (and we probably won't all agree on what's good or bad).  The same is true of the beers.

That's what led me to create The Columbus Beer Scene.  I wanted to share my love of craft beer with others, and help them find good places to buy and enjoy it right here in Central Ohio.  If you take the time to look around here, you'll find beer reviews, a beer events calendar, a list of local retailers (many reviewed), stories about local restaurants featuring craft beer, and links to the beer menus at many area establishments.  If you find this site useful or interesting, please share it with your friends.  The more traffic I see, the more inspired I will be to create new and better resources here.  If you don't find the site useful, perhaps you could take a moment to tell me why, and what would make it better for you.

A note about my reviews:  If you're a fan of "hop forward" beers like IPAs, you're probably going to disagree with some of my reviews (or perhaps all of them).  I understand and respect that hoppier beers are popular and well-loved, but I don't care for them.  My taste tends toward more balanced beers, where hops is one component of the flavor and nothing overwhelms or dominates.  I prefer malty beers to hoppy ones, and Belgian style beers most of all.