Check out Columbus' Powerhouse Brewing Company

When a dining establishment changes hands, you never know what the new owners will do to your favorite eating spot. Doug Memering and Jon Myers, as Powerhouse Brewing Company, bought the Columbus Bar at 322 Fourth Street in downtown Columbus, Indiana, and improved on a good thing.

The Columbus Bar has been known by that name since 1939 and has always been a local favorite for tenderloins and a cold beer. As the business changed hands over the years, not much else changed. The food remained good and the people sharing a beer at the horseshoe bar were the same friendly faces that had frequented the place for years. As locals youths turned 21 and became eligible to legally buy a drink, new faces joined the old. Tradition continued.

The building that was a blacksmith shop in 1890 has been serving beverages since 1921 and alcohol since 1938, with a brief time out for auto parts in 1934. Food service began in 1936 and it's been a good place to eat ever since. The new owners, Doug and Jon, did some much needed sprucing up of the place and it's bright and clean, with updated kitchen, restrooms, and family dining with a kid's menu that features foods that kids truly like. The bar area is still retains it's horseshoe bar that's been there since the early forties.

Locally famous for the tenderloin and mile-high fish sandwiches, the menu has changed over the years to accommodate new food fashion but continues to offer good selection and plentiful portions. I'm partial to the thick Reuben on marbled rye and the tasty Chicken Quesadilla. I have a pretty fair appetite but usually take half of either of these home for later enjoyment. I'm told the Southwest BBQ Burger with it's Stout BBQ Sauce is incredible, but not being a burger fan, I'll have to take someone else's word for it.

If you have a powerful thirst, Powerhouse Brewing Company/Columbus Bar has twenty beers on tap. Some of the newer beers on tap are Belhaven Scottish Ale, Hop Juice, Hercules Double IPA, and Bell's Hell Hath No Fury. Other favorites on tap are Stella Artois from Belgium, England's Newcastle, Bell's Best Brown Ale from Michigan, and Indiana's own Oaken Barrel Razz-Wheat. You might even find one of Powerhouse's own brews on tap.

If draft beer is not your thing, there are plenty of bottled beers, imported and domestic. Try Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Nightmare Porter, Schneider Weisse, McEwan's Scotch Ale, or one the many others from the impressive beer menu.

If beer is not to your taste, Powerhouse Brewing Company/Columbus Bar offers a full bar and happy-to-please bartenders to mix your drink of choice or pour your favorite wine. Something for everyone.

Being a bar and local gathering place, there is also weekly entertainment and open-mic night for those brave souls who like to perform before an audience. Actually, any day or night of the week is entertaining with the fun and friendly staff at Powerhouse Brewing Company/Columbus Bar. Be welcomed with a smile and "How ya doin'?" Makes you feel like family.