World of Beer — ‘an open air beer garden’ offering more than 500 craft selections in bottles, is set to be changed to The District PourHouse, which will open Aug. 16.
Credit: Courtesy of Mark Pottschmidt

The changes at Gateway — University District continue to pile up.

World of Beer, a popular campus bar known for its wide array of beer and Thursday night trivia, will be rebranded to become The District PourHouse, according to a release sent to The Lantern by Gateway — University District’s public relations team. The release said it will open Aug. 16 in the same space that World of Beer has occupied.

World of Beer and The District PourHouse co-owner Mark Pottschmidt told The Lantern that World of Beer will close Sunday and will not re-open until Aug. 16.

The release said the goal is to become a “comfortable and affordable destination for students, baby boomers and all ages in between” while still offering a wide array of craft beers and food for patrons.

“As Columbus grows and develops, so evolves the nightlife scene,” Darren Greene, co-owner of The District PourHouse, said in a statement. “We are so excited to offer this neighborhood pub that will not only be more approachable for the college student in terms of budget and offerings, but will also be a place that draws millennials, alumni and baby boomers, bringing even more energy to the Gateway — University District.”

Highlighting the affordability of its menu, The District PourHouse will feature “nationally known retro brands” like Busch Light, Natural Light, Rolling Rock, Pabst Blue Ribbon and many more, the release said. It also will offer more than 50 draft beers available on tap, as well as several classic and new cocktails, the release added.

The menu will offer patrons “trendy biscuit bowls, known for their hangover curing properties,” as well as a “made to order hot dog stand” where guests can customize their own hot dogs, the release said. It added there will also be burgers and other sandwiches.

For those seeking entertainment beyond just a drink, the new bar and restaurant will have available a “big screen retro gaming lounge” with arcade games like Ms. Pac Man, Atari, Frogger, Pinball, Foosball and more, the release said. In that gaming lounge, there will be large televisions mounted on the wall where customers can watch their friends play Mario Kart and other video games, the release said.

Fans of the trivia nights from World of Beer will still be able to enjoy that as well, with the release adding that trivia and vinyl music nights will be “part of ongoing programming.” The “Open Vinyl” nights will allow customers to sign up to play their own records for 15-minute increments, the release said. There is no mention when those will take place.

“While we loved having WOB at the Gateway, we are thrilled at ownership’s decision to re-brand to a new concept that’s more organic to the University District,” said Christiana Moffa, property manager at Gateway — University District said in a statement. “Due to our ever-increasing focus on finding and incorporating great local and/or Ohio-based tenants here at the Gateway, this re-brand aligns perfectly with our merchandising strategy. The University District and the Gateway strive to have the perfect mix of value-added Ohio-based and select national tenants, as guided by to the demands of the customer base and the needs of the greater neighborhood.”

Updated at 11:41 on Aug. 7 to include comment from Mark Pottschmidt about World of Beer’s closing.

Updated at 8:28 p.m. on Aug. 7 to include statement from Christiana Moffa.