Why so much beer here? Columbus ranks as top 5 beer city

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – This is a story about beer and a town that loves it. 

Columbus was recently rated as the No. 3 beer city in America, according to a poll from USA Today.  It begs the question, why Columbus?

Is it the German heritage in the city? Is it the vast influence of a massive college campus in the city? 

"We don't have beaches, we don't have mountains," said Collin Castore, owner of Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus.  "But craft beer has kind of filled that niche that people can really identify with it and enjoy it. And it's become a part of what Columbus is."

In the 2010's, Columbus saw something of a craft beer boom. Well-known breweries like Seventh Son, Land Grant, Wolf's Ridge, and North High Brewing all opened more than a decade ago. They're all still brewing, and it's still a sweat-intensive business. 

"We're kind of pushing each other to really be not just good for Ohio breweries, but good for anywhere in the country breweries." Castore said. 

Beer is a big business in Ohio. According to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, Ohio is home to 430 breweries, supporting nearly 14-thousand employees. The OCBA says craft beer in Ohio is a $1.3B business.  Brewers say keeping it local is their appeal.

"The people making the beer are just through the window and telling that story really helps kind of bridge that gap for people," said Adam Benner, co-owner of Land Grant Brewing.  "They will pay a premium because they know it's it is locally crafted. It is something that they care about." 

"Beer just brings people together." said Seventh Son brewer Chris Carter.

Carter is now planning to open his own brewery, Honest Friend Brewing, later this year.

"The business side is everything. You have so many breweries that are making fantastic products. What are you going to do to stand out?" he said. 

Local breweries are facing a saturated market and some grim financial realities. According to a study by the Brewers Association, last year just over 400 breweries opened across the country, but just under 400 closed. 

"We're a very mature industry now over the course of the past 20 or so years," said Mary McDonald of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. "People who are going to open a brewery now need to be very deliberate and have a really good business plan."

Benner says Columbus saw that play out in his home market.

"We saw a decent amount of local breweries here in Columbus shut their doors or transfer ownership. And a lot of people are like, is this the bubble of craft beer?" he said. 

That financial crunch is absorbed by the consumer. "Costs have gone up, so prices have gone up," said Bob Szuter, co-founder of Wolf's Ridge Brewing.  "That's just change to what it feels like to go out and eat and drink."

Despite the competition among them, most brewers say the industry remains collaborative and friendly. 

"We still have a very kind of fraternal and collaborative nature. But at the end of the day, we're all still kind of fighting for that shelf space in the big box grocery stores," said Gavin Meyers, co-founder of North High Brewing.

"If you're making really high-quality beer and you open in a space that's, I would say, kind of underserved in terms of clientele, then you could really make yourself a nice little business."