USA, OH: Honest Friend Brewing expected to open in Columbus in October

The owners of Honest Friend Brewing have spent the last five years crafting their business, and the time for the brewery to open its doors is almost here, Columbus Underground reported on August 22.

Honest Friend Brewing is expected to open in October at 2112 S. High St., Columbus. The brewery, owned by friends Chris Carter, Will Gutmann and Kayla Lewis, specializes in session ales — beers with a lower ABV level.

Opening their own brewery has been a topic of discussion for Carter and Gutmann for years. Carter, formerly Seventh Son’s head brewer, brought his brewing knowledge to the table, while Gutmann, a lawyer, looked at the legal and business side of things.

The pair started to bring their idea to life in 2020 and reached out to Lewis for brand design ideas. Soon after, they realized they needed Lewis as more than just a contract worker, so they brought her on as a founding member.

“She’s been invaluable to both of us as we’ve gone through the process,” Gutmann said. “It was kind of Chris and I that put the initial idea together, but Kayla helped breathe life into it, and so I think it formed a really good team between the three of us.”

Formerly a Topper Supply Co., the building is roughly 6,000 square feet. It’s almost equally divided between Taproom and production space. The brewery has an event space attached to the taproom and a patio outside.

Columbus has its fair share of breweries, and the group knew that in order to be successful, they’d have to create a space that’s worth coming to.

“You can’t just be good at what you do; you also need to have a taproom that people really enjoy going to,” Carter said. “We want it to be a really comfortable space for the South end of Columbus. We want people to come and stay awhile and feel a connection to this spot.”

They’re in the process of painting the walls pastel colors to align with the brand’s style. A feature of the brand is the characters Lewis creates to pair with each beer.

“They kind of add this unique aspect and association to every different kind of beer, and then those characters will follow us throughout every new season of brewing and have their own stories that tie back to the beer,” Lewis said.

One of the characters is based off of Carter’s pet hedgehog he had in college. Another is a skeleton boy, inspired by Columbus aviator Cromwell Dixon. Dixon died in a plane crash in 1911 at the age of 19, just a few days after becoming the first pilot to fly across the Continental Divide.

The character is a nod to the group’s original concept: Cromwell Brewing. Carter said more characters will be released as the brewery gets closer to opening.

Once the brewery is up and running, they’ll start selling cans of beer in the taproom and various stores in the area.