Ten years of beers: Seventh Son Brewing Co. to mark anniversary with 10-day celebration
When Collin Castore, Jen Burton and Travis Spencer met as kids, they had no idea their friendship would lead to them becoming successful business partners as adults.
"Travis and I have been friends since fifth grade," Burton recalled. "We met Collin in eighth grade."
As childhood friends do, the trio went off to pursue separate lives, but eventually a common thread - beer - pulled them back together. Soon, they were talking business.
"I was a home brewer and Collin owned Bodega," Spencer said. "Our idea was to put those two things together."
"I worked at the Surly Girl Saloon, a craft bar up the street," Burton chimed in, "and I said, 'You really need a woman's touch.'"
And thus a triumvirate was born.
Now the three friends are gearing up for their 10th year at the helm of Seventh Son Brewing Co., 1104 N. 4th St., which they'll celebrate with 10 days of special events beginning Friday. The celebration will involve both Seventh Son and its sister breweries, Antiques on High, 714 S. High St., and The Getaway Brewing Co., 108 N. High St., Dublin.
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The brewery business has undergone a huge metamorphosis in the decade since Seventh Son was founded, the owners said. For one thing, the faces of the industry are changing.
"In our brewery, I think we lean definitely to the heavier side in terms of women, LGBTQ, people of color and we’re very proud of that," Burton said. "It’s getting better. We would go to beer conventions in 2011 and it would be a lot of white dudes. It's getting more diverse."
Castore added that the brewery business has boomed in the last decade. "When we started off, there were less than 100 breweries in Ohio, and now there's like 400, and more than 9,000 in the country," he said.
According to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s 2022 statistics, about 50 of the state’s 400 craft breweries are in central Ohio, with 40% of those opening in the last three years despite the pandemic. Another 70 are in the planning stages for opening.
"It's a vastly different business even from five years ago," Castore said.
One of the highlights of Seventh Son's 10-year run has been increasing and retaining a loyal staff, Burton said. "Seeing our staff grow and what all they have accomplished and contributed to our success ... it's very flattering when you see people who want to do it more or do their own thing and open their own business.
"We have a lot of people who have been here a long time. We try to listen to our staff as much as possible."
Friday's festivities will launch with the tapping of a special barrel-aged Murmuration beer, as well as Seventh Son brews being offered during a special seven-course dinner at 7 p.m. at Ray Ray’s Supper Club, 1256 Columbus Road, Granville. Tickets for the dinner are $100-$140 at seventhsonbrewing.com/10-year-anniversary.
Saturday’s Beer Me Fest runs from 1-10 p.m., with live music from DJ Scoppa, Dead Revival Band and Connections in the Seventh Son parking lot.
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On Sunday, there will be a “Buds & Brews” beer tasting and plant potting at noon at Seventh Son in partnership with Franklin Park Conservatory. Tickets are $25 at seventhsonbrewing.com/10-year-anniversary. "We feel really luck to collaborate with Franklin Park," Burton said. "It's such a gem that Columbus has."
Also on Sunday, the Getaway Van will offer behind-the-scenes tours of all three breweries from 2-7 p.m., and a Leisure Club vintage home goods and apparel pop-up will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Antiques on High.
On Monday, Casa Karmelitas and Xolo Mixto will bring their pop-up to Seventh Son's rooftop patio, where guests can sip hand-crafted Micheladas with Seventh Son brews and enjoy handmade, from-scratch Mexican food.
Partygoers can taste special one-time-only beer infusions and shop Rock Candy’s selection of stones and crystals during a 4-8 p.m. happy hour on Tuesday at Getaway Brewing.
Other anniversary events:
April 19: Taste artisanal cheeses paired with Antiques On High sours, 6 to 8 p.m. Curated by Michelle Vieira, certified cheesemonger and deli director for Carfagna's Market and hosted by head brewer Colin Vent, the event is $30. Tickets are available at seventhsonbrewing.com/10-year-anniversary.
April 20: Seventh Son will open at noon on its official anniversary date, offering specialty drinks and “stoner movies.”
April 21: Antiques on High will offer $5 sours until 7 p.m., and Rock Candy's stones and crystals will be on sale from 4-8 p.m.
April 22: Seventh Son will hold a community clean-up in honor of Earth Day from 9-11 a.m.
April 23: Family Fun Day will feature Franklin Park Conservatory, as well as a senior pet adoption event with Columbus Humane. "We have a soft spot for cats, dogs, anything furry," Castore said. "When we were talking to the humane society, they said, 'We have hamsters, guinea pig ...' and we said, 'Bring 'em all!'"
Other events on April 23 include pop-ups from local businesses Breedlove Bakery and Jewelweed from noon to 3 p.m. at Seventh Son.
The jam-packed roster of open-to-the public events is a way to show gratitude to the city, Castore said. "We want to show how much we like Columbus and being a part of the community. It's been a wonderful 10 years and we're super appreciative of being here."
Burton summed up the anniversary celebration succinctly: "It's a big thank-you party."
For more information, visit seventhsonbrewing.com/10-year-anniversary.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Seventh Son Brewing Co celebrates 10th anniversary with special events
