Hoster Brewing Company is taking a step back in time, more than a century, in fact.
The Columbus brewery will unveil a pre-Prohibition beer barrel from around 1910 at a special event on December 10, where they’ll also debut a brand-new beer inspired by the brewery’s early days.
The barrel, a wooden cask with iron hoops, comes from collector Steve Brantingham of Marion, who held onto it for over 25 years. It’s roughly the size of a firkin (about 10 gallons), and based on its age, there’s a good chance it once held the original Hoster’s Famous, the flagship beer brewed between 1906 and 1914.
While that recipe didn’t survive history, the brewery has reimagined the beer as a Munich-style Helles lager , the kind of easy-drinking, golden beer that would’ve felt right at home in Columbus a century ago.
To mark the moment, Jay Hoster, the great-great-grandson of founder Louis Hoster and the family’s unofficial historian, will share a short talk about the brewery’s winding story.
The event is free and open to the public at Hoster’s taproom on James Road. Doors open at 4 p.m., and the new beer will be tapped at 6 p.m.
Visitors can grab pours from the full lineup of Hoster beers, including the popular Gold Top Dortmunder-style lager, and Tortilla Street Food will be parked outside serving dinner.
Originally founded in 1836, Hoster Brewing was once a major name in the Brewery District before shutting down during Prohibition. After a brief revival in the 1990s, the brand returned again in 2024 under new ownership. Today, the brewery’s focus is on classic styles, self-distribution to local bars, and a bottled lineup coming in 2026.
For anyone who loves Columbus history, beer history, or just an excuse to drink a freshly tapped lager next to a 115-year-old artifact, this is one you’ll want to put on the calendar. For more info, head over to hosterbeer.com.
