The RAM Restaurant and Brewery, known for sporting great food and frosty handcrafted beers, opened its first Ohio location in the Columbus Short North at 906 N. High Street on October 31. A second Ohio RAM location is currently under construction in nearby Dublin and will open in mid-2017. he RAM, owned by The RAM Restaurant Group, is an employee-owned company, founded in 1971 in Lakewood, Washington. Led by brothers Jeff and Dave Iverson, The RAM Restaurant Group now has 33 locations in the Northwest, Colorado, and Great Lakes areas.
Jeff Iverson, president of The RAM says, “For years our friends in Columbus have been asking us to come to mid-Ohio. Anyone in the hospitality business knows what an excellent restaurant town this is. The Short North district is a vibrant and dynamic area and to now be a part of that and the burgeoning craft beer scene is an exciting opportunity.”
Leading up to the grand opening, The RAM partnered with the Broadway Street Food Pantry to host invitation-only pre-opening lunches and dinners. Guests were encouraged to bring nonperishable food items or make a monetary donation to help the local non-profit organization. “Our team’s hospitality is legendary in the communities we serve, we were excited to fine tune our preparation and presentation during the pre-opening events,” says store leader Andrew Coy.
When it comes to menu selections, sourcing is of the utmost importance to The RAM. Our culinary experts prepare never-frozen, USDA certified, grass-fed beef, cage-free chicken selections and whenever possible locally-sourced ingredients to enhance the made-from-scratch dining experience. Coy adds, “Our Chefs also create delicious beer-infused menu selections that incorporate our award-winning beers such as the Buttface Amber Ale Chicken Sandwich, Big Porter Blue Burger, Hefeweizen Beer Battered Fish & Chips and Big Red’s IPA Baby Back Ribs. The menu also includes specific Short North offerings such as the High Street Tacos and the Buckeye Dunker.”
The Columbus RAM sits impressively at the corner of High and 1st Streets. The 9,000-square-foot building features upper and lower bars plus a 1,300-square-foot covered second-level outdoor patio with fire pit. Jeff Iverson says, “A rooftop patio on High Street in the Short North is unique. Friends will be able to enjoy laughs, good conversation, a great meal and a frosty, tasty beer while taking in the beautiful view around a nice fire.”
The Columbus RAM brewing team includes Rick Durham formerly of Luna Kombucha/Wild Ohio, along with Kris Fry, formerly of Actual Brewing. The duo will bring great energy and innovative brewing styles to the brewery. Dave Iverson, COO of The RAM says, “Our Blonde Ale recipe, which is always on tap, recently won a gold medal at a very prestigious competition in Denver. We are proud to brew our award-winning, flagship beers and a variety of seasonal features here on High Street. Guests can always discover a great new beer to enjoy.” For over 20 years passionate and talented RAM Brewers have been creating “drinkable” beers and their efforts have garnered over 100 medals from numerous high-end beer competitions.
The Columbus RAM features 21 TV’s including a 110-inch big screen in the bar making it the perfect place for guests to watch their favorite team or sporting event. The inviting Taproom opens to the street with three overhead doors that bring the outside inside. From this vantage point guests can enjoy the freshest beer on tap while watching the brewing process. Dave Iverson adds, “We have a nice setup that features a 10 BBL JVNW system. There are six fermenters and nine serving tanks. The serving tanks are jacketed dimple finish and add a nice touch.” At the bar is an 18-tap tower and beer-to-go growler jug filling station. Upstairs in the dining room are another 18 taps featuring both RAM beers and local selections. Jeff Iverson added, “Beer is fun and great beer is really fun! RAM beer is award-winning and enjoyable to drink. We have all your favorites, and we always have a multitude of our brewer’s freshest creations brewed right in front of our guest’s eyes!”
Up next for The RAM is the planned December opening of their new location in Medford, Oregon.
