May 22, 2012
Visited mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. Bar is located just north of the parking lot for the North Market, which makes for a good combination of wandering around the market, then settling in for a beer. The interior is classic bar, lots of dark wood and chrome fixtures. Place feels a bit worn, but in a comfortable way. The service was great, very engaging, offerred up samples, etc. I only had time for one beer, and no food. In addition to their own beers, they had a number of guests as well. Overall, solid beer and a good ambiance.

March 19, 2012
Barley’s #1 is on the northern end of downtown Columbus. The interior is fairly standard, and didn’t stand out too much; felt like it needed an update and like it wasn’t all that clean. I ordered a 9-beer sampler. The glasses are small but there are 9, I guess. It was about $7. The beers are all pretty good. The food is decent, standard pub fare, with a few unusual items I didn’t have enough room to try. My salad was okay. The waitress was friendly but went long stretches without coming over, despite the fact everyone else there that night was at the bar. Decent brewpub, but nothing really stands out.

March 1, 2012
Came from outside of the city during my last buisness trip to Columbus. Walked in and was greated by a U shaped bar and seating along the side. Sat at the bar and was propmly asked what I wanted. The had about 8 beers on tap, with some being their own beer, and a few being other brewers around Columbus. I did not notice if they carried anything on bottle, but I was only gonig to order anything they brewed. I had their Imperial IPA and it was very tasty. Also ate an order of nachos which were very good. Overall had a very nice expirence. Def worth a visit when in Columbus.

October 23, 2011
Pleasantly surprised with the quality of beer at Barley’s. The Rye IPA and Barley Wine were very tasty. Had a pretzel and pub cheese appetizer that was pretty good too. The service was pretty slow even though they weren’t too crowded. They brew everything from a pilsner to an imperial stout so there should be something for everyone. They featured 4 guest taps but nothing special. A great place to drink some fresh beers and probably one of the best Columbus breweries.

April 25, 2011
The final stop on a pub crawl that went to one obnoxious piano bar then one dead bar this was a chance to experience the true Columbus atmosphere. The interior is dark with a few televisions in the background for noise. The menu is typical pub fare and reasonably priced.

The tap list covers most of the styles that you would expect. From a general pale ale to a stout and some seasonals something should be available for everyone. The oatmeal stout I had was excellent for a regional brewery. The price tag wasn’t bad either.

If you are in the area this is one of the better options. It certainly beats Elevator or Gordon Biersch where I was earlier in the day. If you have to stay downtown this is the place to go for local beer.

March 6, 2011
Visited in March 2010. Comfortable, lived in feel. Not scruffy but not too "corporate" either. Beers were solid although I wasn’t blown away with any of them - maybe just unlucky with what happened to be available at the time. When we visited early in the evening the place was so packed solid it was too uncomfortable to hang about - probably something to do with an event at the nearby arena (or maybe the convention centre, I’m not sure). When we went back later on the place was virtually empty. So, rather difficult to form a general view of the atmosphere. Didn’t eat. Somehow, just wasn’t as special as I was expecting on this occasion. Would go back if I was in town again to form a second opinion and, of course, because there would certainly be some new beers for me.

January 16, 2011
I love this place. I really embrace the local beer scene and this one is a major part of the Columbus craft scene. My last visit, which is what this review is based one, was during the Arnold Classic which is held right across the street. I didnt mean to visit here during the classic but I forgot about it. Because of this the place was packed. This is not the norm. Usually you can walk right in and get a seat. They brew their own beer on premise and they do a good job at it. They typically have a Scotch ale, English pale ale and pilsner at this location. The rest change up. Ive seen an Imperial Stout before for example. Frambwha!? (which is obviously a raspberry lambic style ale) was on tap. They have a small but nice selection of guest beers. Founder’s Red’s Rye was on tap. Their food is good but its mostly pub grub, burgers, paninis, bangers and mash, fried oysters and the like. Tuesdays are when you should get growler fills. They are discounted every Tuesday.

January 5, 2011
Went here on the recommendation of a friend, went just for a few beers, didn’t eat. The bar was kind of dimly lit with several TV’s. The bartender was pretty attentive and the beer selection was house beer, which was pretty good. I will definitely stop by next time I am in Columbus as it is behind the North Market.

December 4, 2010
The Christmas brew is one of my favorites. The sauerkraut balls are a must-have!

November 9, 2010 [ Updated December 11, 2010 ]
Walking into Barley’s and you’re immediately greeted with this laid back atmosphere of your classic brewpub. There’s an immense and stunning wood bar with a mirror. Stashed in a corner behind glass is the brewing equipment - a modest mash tun and hot liquor tank. As far as the beer selection goes, it’s great, and somewhat unique. Barley’s has avoided what I would call the "typical" brewpub beers and instead has opted to brew what they like to drink. Things like a barleywine, abbey ale, and not one but two IPAs were on tap. While there I was able to sample their Pale Ale fresh from a Firkin ("Firkin Friday") and also their Russian Imperial Stout (my personal favorite style of stout) on cask. All their house brews were very good. It was also cool to see some "guest taps" from the likes of Stone, Dogfish Head, and Great Lakes (their Nosferatu was quite delicious) available as well. Samples here are super cheap (75 cents), so you can try pretty much everything. Food was decent, with some unusual menu items available, along with the standards of burgers and fries. Overall I came away quite impressed and if I’m ever back in Columbus I will be sure to stop by again.