One of Columbus’ founding breweries is celebrating its fifth birthday today, April 20. Seventh Son, an Italian Village staple known for its welcoming taproom and free-roaming and furry assistant manager, will celebrate five years today with the opening of their brand new rooftop patio.
Owners Jen Burton, Travis Spencer and Collin Castore first opened Seventh Son as a bar in December, 2012. They served other local brews, but none of their own yet. Jackie O’s, Rockmill, Zauber, Hoof Hearted — all were kept on tap. April 20, 2013 is when SS’s first flagship brews were introduced to Columbus: the American Strong Ale, the Stone Fort Oat Brown Ale, The Scientist IPA and the Humulous Nimbus Strong Pale Ale.
When craft beer lovers first sipped on Humulous Nimbus, there were only seven or eight other breweries in the city. Now, with roughly 40 in town, Burton reflects on how Seventh Son has managed to maintain a loyal — and growing — following.
“I think you have to have something special to offer. The 40-tap formula went bananas. It can’t just be that, it has to be a good environment with good service,” she says, adding that the taproom acts as the first impression of Seventh Son, and that plays well for them. “We think it represents us really well — we try to bring accounts here to see the bar. I love our taproom. It’s comfortable and inviting. And we love that in a traditional beer hall style, you can tell 20 of your friends to meet you and we can squeeze you in.”
Burton and co. are eager to offer even more of Seventh Son to love. Their new patio, a 2,500 square foot space, is all indoor with windows and a glass ceiling that can retract on good weather days. With an additional full bar, the new patio is meant to be both a taproom expansion and an event space.
Patrons can access the rooftop patio via a door at the back of the taproom. From there, they can take an elevator or the stairs. More than a dozen long tables populate the space, making it optimal for large groups of friends.
It’s also just one part of a grander 15,000 square foot addition they’ve been working on, 10,000 square feet of which is devoted to their new brewhouse.
Seventh Son’s growth parallels the greater development that’s happening along the Fourth Street corridor. The area is seeing a great influx of residents, restaurants, retail facilities and offices. As it becomes a more popular destination, Burton said she recognizes the role that she and her team and Seventh Son itself plays in keeping it a neighborhood that’s welcome to the original residents and those at risk of displacement.
“You have to respect who was here before, and we want to do that as best we can and respect people who are here,” Burton said. “Twice a year, we host a neighborhood gathering, but that might become more of regular thing we do as the neighborhood keeps changing. They’re all such different people. One guy who’s lived here for 30 years is right here [next door]. Everyone is just people, and beer is a great equalizer.”
Seventh Son is located at 1101 North Fourth Street.
For more information, visit seventhsonbrewing.com.
