Heart State Brewing craft venture taking off from Gahanna home base
Patrick Sullivan had an inkling there was a market for his style of beer.
Yet, when he opened Heart State Brewing Co. in late 2020 and did his first real rollout in January, even he was taken aback when the orders started pouring in.
“It is actually quite surprising,” Sullivan said. “They can’t get enough of it, I guess. And they’re always looking for something new.”
With COVID-19 and infections waning and the state opening up, it’s little surprise people want to safely venture out to indulge in craft beer again, he said.
Heart State takes over 15,000 square feet of space in the Crossroads Commerce Center in Gahanna. A taproom is in the offing, said Sullivan, who also produces small batches of wine and makes Fun Water, an alcoholic seltzer.
Sullivan, a partner in Somewhere In Particular, or SIP, a brewpub on the Northwest Side, offers a lineup of six core beers, all labeled to play off the word “heart” – “Throb,’ a West Coast IPA; “Break,” a hazy IPA; “Ache,” an orange “Creamsicle” sour; “Sweet,” a milk stout; “Land,” a hefeweizen; and “Strings,” an amber.
Now in the Columbus and Dayton markets, Heart State is moving into Cincinnati and Cleveland.
The kegs and cans are distributed by Premium Beverage Supply. Select Giant Eagle and Kroger grocery stores carry Heart State brews, as well as many premium craft-beer shops and a few local restaurants, Sullivan said.
Perhaps more interesting than his current venture is how Sullivan got started in the business. In 2014, he opened Nowhere in Particular with partners Max Unverferth and Russ Cope. They would brew at different breweries, using the house equipment during the off hours, to craft their beer and get it on the market.
“I definitely have an itinerant personality,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard to shackle me down. But when there’s a demand, supply the need.”
Now that he’s planted his flag and picked up another brewer, Bradley Ginger, Sullivan said he plans to stay put for the foreseeable future.
“I’m here to stay, growing this brand,” he said. “Ohio has this demand for all things local, really, so it will be nice to give them something they’re taking a liking to.”
The business has grown, putting out about 100 barrels a week with more equipment on order that could triple the output by 2022, Sullivan said.
“It’s nice to have equipment you know inside and out,” he said. “You can manipulate it anyway you want.”
Starting off on the right foot
Columbus Food Adventures walking tours will resume May 15, with individual tours planned for Grandview Avenue, Old Worthington, German Village, Franklinton and the Brewery District.
“It’s been over a year but we feel it’s finally the right time,” said Bethia Woolf, who runs the business with her husband, Andy Dehus.
Reservations, available at columbusfoodadventures.com, are required because restaurants are still capping the maximum number of diners per table at 10. Masks will be required indoors, Woolf said.
Cost per tour ranges from $58 to $62 a person. Columbus Food Adventures also is leading a self-driving taco tour truck. The company’s van-driven tours will be available in mid-summer at the earliest, Woolf said.
Pigging out
Punk Pigs, the purveyors of grilled cheese, is introducing an overhauled menu, expanded hours and a new weekend summer pop-up at 2515 Summit St.
Debuting today (May 4), the new menu will include several new barbecue offerings, such as the “Vinny Apple” – a smoked meatloaf sandwich with bourbon apple butter.
The Punk Pigs’ alcohol menu will also include a curated list of beer, wine and mead. The restaurant continues its commitment to use zero single-use plastics.
Hours also have been expanded. Punk Pigs will open from noon to midnight Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, closed Mondays.
On a related note, a new pop-up concept called Dynamite’s Dang Quesadilla will open at noon to 5 p.m. starting May 14 and open every weekend throughout the summer at the Punk Pigs’ site.
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