The state’s craft brewers association awards prizes for those who have "checked in" to the most breweries, and aficionados say they enjoy the competition, but also the travel and exploration aspect.

It would be hard to design an activity more suited to Jared Turnwald than the Ohio On Tap challenge.

The undertaking requires participants to download an app, then travel the state to "check in" within two years at every brewery that is a member of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association — currently 230 establishments.

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Turnwald is among the 18 "Ohio On Tap champions" who have completed the contest since it began in 2017, mainly because the pursuit checked all of the North Side resident’s boxes.

"I’m a self-proclaimed beer geek," he said.

Check.

"I have a competitive streak in me, and I love a challenge."

Check.

"I have a little bit of an advantage, too, because I cover the whole state for work, so I can get to every area, and this gives me something to do when I’m staying out of town," added Turnwald, who works in commercial risk management for an insurance company.

In fact, Turnwald, 38, did so well that he completed the challenge in less than six months, from late June to mid-December 2018.

Checkmate.

"Obviously, it’s mostly about the beer," he said. "You just can’t beat beer fresh from the source."

Justin Hemminger, deputy director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, which is headquartered in Columbus, said more than 38,000 people have downloaded the Ohio On Tap app since its launch in May 2017.

According to the association, Ohio in 2018 ranked fourth in the nation in craft beer production, producing nearly 1.4 million barrels. And Ohioans annually consume an average of 4.9 gallons of craft beer per person, ranking 11th nationally.

Ohio had 328 craft breweries at the end of 2019, Hemminger said. Not all are members of the association.

The fact that 18 people have completed the challenge — and many others are pursuing it — is not surprising, he said.

"Craft beer fans are passionate people," Hemminger said. "They like to get around, travel the state and try some of the new breweries that are opening and new beers coming out.

"They really seem to enjoy the whole process of it. It’s a great way to see the whole state."

That was part of the motivation for Rick and Tiffany Kellerman, who moved to Grove City from Virginia about four years ago.

Rick Kellerman said the couple was just getting into the craft-beer scene in Virginia when they moved, and when they heard about the Ohio On Tap challenge, "it sounded like a great way to go out and drink beer and find new places."

The couple tries to visit four to eight breweries a night on their weekend jaunts. Tiffany is the driver, she said, "because I don’t really drink beer," but, like Rick, she said she enjoys exploring the state.

As of late last week, the Kellermans were 27 breweries short of completing their challenge. They have until Sept. 6 to do so.

The app includes a geo-locator, so participants have to be on site to check in at a brewery. But it is technically possible to be just outside the brewery and still get the coveted "passport stamp" without buying a beer.

Turnwald said he sometimes has to settle for that, as he travels for work on weekdays and some breweries are open only on weekends. He estimates that he actually went in and bought beer at 60% to 70% of the breweries during his challenge.

Hemminger said he hopes most people go in and patronize the breweries, because the app is meant to help support businesses.

In Versailles, a village of fewer than 3,000 people in western Ohio’s Darke County, Tyler Buehler said that is exactly what has happened for the business he co-owns. Endless Pint Brewing opened in 2018 and joined the craft beer association the following year.

"You don’t just come to Versailles, because we’re a good 15 miles or so off the interstate, and there’s not anything else there unless you have family here," Buehler said.

"But the first weekend after we joined (the association), we had two people come in and say they saw us on the app," he said. "I would say it’s not uncommon for us to have one to three groups of people (using the app) coming in on weekends."

Buehler called the Ohio On Tap challenge "the adult version of Pokemon Go."

Turnwald said he has enjoyed seeing the variety of breweries and their unique settings. Several of his favorites include Father John’s Microbrewery, located in an old church in Bryan in northwest Ohio; Biker BrewHouse in a motorcycle dealership in Austintown, near Youngstown; and Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, on a farm in Fresno, about 85 miles northeast of Columbus.

Those who complete the challenge get a plaque. Turnwald said he keeps his in his office.

"It’s next to my college degree," Turnwald said. "I’m not sure which I’m more proud of."

kgordon@dispatch.com

@kgdispatch