The craft-brew gods have smiled down once again on us! Now through the end of the year residents of Arena Crossing, Flats on Vine and Flats II can enjoy locally brewed beer just steps away from their homes in downtown Columbus.

Recently Gordon Biersch corporate has allowed for individual beer brewers to get more creative with the beers they create at each location. Meet Gordon Biersch Columbus’s attending brewer – Keith.

Keith, what first made you fall in love with brewing beer?
The ability to create something that other people can enjoy has probably always been at the heart of my love of brewing. This job also brings something new at you almost everyday, so it stays interesting. My wife also really digs the fact that I am a brewer…happy wife, happy life.

What is your favorite beer?
That is always a hard question because I really love a lot of different styles of beer. When a brewer really gets a beer right, it makes me happy. But, if I had to pick only one style of beer to keep me happy for rest of my life, it would have to be American IPA.

Are their any wacky beers that you’ve tried to make?
Hefeweizen.

What beer are you most excited about right now?
I just released the Northwest Red which is a beer I have been tweaking for a few years and I am really enjoying that right now, it is big on American hops and big on malt. The KellerPils is also new and tasty, sort of a tradtional Pilsner/IPA hybrid, which I haven’t seen anyone doing. But most recently, I had Mike Ford in from Grandpop’s Hops (Marysville, Ohio) with 20 lbs of his freshly picked Cascade hops. It was not only a lot of fun to brew this beer with him, but the aromas from this brew have really got me excited about how it will turn out. Keep on the look out for the Ohio Fresh Hop IPA being released at the Ohio Craft Beer Festival at the North Market Sept. 11th and 12th.

If someone isn’t into beer but wants to start, what kind of beer should they start with?
I would have to go close to home with this one and say our Marzen or any other good Oktoberfest-style beer. It is the epitome of a balanced beer. It has a nice malty sweetness upfront that is appealing and just enough bitterness to balance and finishes slightly dry making you crave another drink. It also goes great with almost any food dish. I find that most people who enjoy drinking beer in general, like the Marzen.

What is your favorite menu item (at GB) and beer pair?
The Coffee Stout paired with the Triple Chocolate Brownie is pretty hard to beat.