7 Breweries to Check Out in Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio might be best known for the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, A Christmas Story House, or LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, however the local craft breweries are certainly grabbing the attention of beer lovers. I recently spent a chilly weekend in C-Town and enjoyed quite a few delicious brews.

Market Garden Brewery

Market Garden Brewery is located next door to the century old West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The original brewpub opened in 2011, and an impressive new production facility opened in the spring of 2016.

The core line of beers at Market Garden include Citramax IPA, Prosperity Wheat, Progress Pilsner, Chinook Strike IPA, Nano OG Lager, and Frosty Wit. The seasonal holiday ale, Festivus, was a popular choice during our visit.

The new 35,000 square foot production facility is just steps from the brewpub at 1849 West 24th Street in the back of the Market Garden Brewpub parking lot. Simply look for the BEER! sign.

Visit and get a behind-the-scenes guided tour of the new production facility. Brewery tours are $6 per person and include 4 beer tastings.  Tours offered on weekends at the top of the hour from 11 AM to 5 PM. Walk-ins welcome based on availability or call (216) 373-0700 to make a reservation.

Market Garden Brewery is open 365 days a year from 11 AM to 2:30 AM. Brunch is served from 10 AM to 3 PM on Sunday. The merchandise store at the new facility is open from 11 AM to 6 PM everyday but Tuesday.

Nano Brew Cleveland

Nano Brew Cleveland, the sister location to Market Garden Brewery, opened in 2012. Located 486 feet down 25th Street from Market Garden’s brewpub, Nano Brew is also located in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.

Nano Brew offers 24 beers on draft, including beers brewed from the 1 barrel brewhouse, as well as beers from other local craft breweries. The Nano brews available during our visit included Nano Dunkelweizen, Nano El Dorado IPA, Nano Gustavo Black IPA, and Nano Jamaican Chris’ Stout.

Pair one of Nano’s brews with one of their award-winning burgers. Cleveland Magazine named the Acid Trip the ‘Most Unique’ burger in Cleveland. The Spicy burger, which is topped with cheddar, pickled onions, slaw, balsamic reduction, and spicy mayo, also made Thrillist’s list of 33 “Best Burgers in America!”

Nano Brew is open 365 days a year, Monday to Thursday from 4:30 PM to 2:30 AM and Friday  to Sunday 11 AM to 2:30 AM. Food is served until 2 AM every day with brunch every Saturday and Sunday.

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Great Lakes Brewing Company was incorporated by founders Pat and Dan Conway in 1986. Along with Master Brewer Thaine Johnson and Engineer Charlie Price, both former employees of Schmidt’s, the team set to work designing GLBC’s 7-barrel brewing system, which is still used to brew Pub Exclusive beers.

The brewpub, beer garden, brewery, and gift shop are all located in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Be sure to grab a pint in the brewpub’s basement beer cellar, which holds the brewpub’s fermenters and new small-batch barrel-aging operation.

Delicious regulars like Dortmunder Gold Lager, Turntable Pils, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter were available, along with the delicious small batch Rye-O-Rye Can’t We Win, a gentle reminder of the Cleveland Brown’s not-so-stellar season.

Brewery tours are offered Fridays and Saturdays from 12 PM to 8 PM, and meet in the Beer Symposium at 1951 West 26th Street, Suite 100. Tours are $5 and include four 5 ounce beer samples. Tour groups are limited to a maximum of 15 guests. Walk-up registrations are taken in our Beer Symposium, but online registration is preferred.

The brewpub is open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM, Friday from 11:30 AM to 11:30 PM, and Saturday from 11 AM – 11:30 PM. The gift shop is open Monday to Thursday from 10 AM to 10 PM and Friday and Saturday 10 AM – 11 PM.

Platform Beer Co.

Platform Beer Company’s flagship location opened in 2014 in the SOLO (South Lorain) District of Ohio City Cleveland, Ohio. The 100+ seat tasting room and patio offers twenty-something house beers. The 10-barrel brewhouse creates constantly changing selection of styles.

Platform opened a second tasting room with a 3.5-barrel brewhouse in Columbus, Ohio in 2016. This location churns out experimental and barrel aged beers. Also in 2016, Platform opened a 60-barrel brewhouse at 3506 Vega Avenue in Cleveland. This location focuses on the year round canned and kegged beers.

The almost overwhelming beer list includes something for everyone including a Marionberry and Blackberry gose called Disco Godfather, a New England IPA called Juice Infatuation, and the absolutely superb Mexican hot chocolate stout called Cocoa Suave.

The brewery is open Sunday from 10 AM to 10 PM, Monday to Thursday from 3 PM to midnight, Friday from 3 PM to 2 AM, and Saturday from 10 AM to 2 AM.

Butcher and the Brewer

Butcher and the Brewer, part of the Cleveland Brewing Company and Tremont Taphouse team, is a brewpub located in a century old, 13,000-square-foot space on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland. The pub encourages interaction and a sense of community through public house seating, progressive dining, and shared plates.

The 10-barrel brewhouse pumps out a variety of styles including a German Kölsch called The Repeater, a Munich Dunkel called Not Your Uncle’s Dunkle, a white stout called Albino Stout, and a Neo-Christmas Ale called Spice Spice Baby.

Butcher and the Brewer is open Monday to Thursday from 4 PM to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 4 PM to 2 AM, and Sunday from 4 PM to 9 PM.

Masthead Brewing Company

Masthead Brewing Company is located in the historic Bryant Building in downtown Cleveland. The building was originally built in 1921 as an automotive dealership and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The taproom features 300 seats, a 100-foot long bar, and an additional 50 seat dog friendly patio with a view of downtown Cleveland. Masthead includes a full bar and kitchen focusing on American and Belgian style beers, Neapolitan wood-fired pizza (including vegan options), and a barrel aged beer program, which utilizes exclusively allocated whiskey barrels from top-rated distilleries.

A variety of beers are available including Single Origin Coffee Stout, Unbounded Principals Belgian Quad, Fleeb Juice NE IPA, and Jalapeño IPA. I especially enjoyed the Smoked Helles Lager, a German lager brewed with Beachwood smoked malt.

Masthead Brewing is open Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday to Thursday from 11 AM to 10 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 1 AM.

Noble Beast Brewing Company

Noble Beast Brewing Company opened in May 2017 in downtown Cleveland. The brewery is located across from the Federal Bureau of Investigation office and WKYC. The brewery offers the perfect spot to catch a game while enjoying tasty beers and a variety of food options.

Shaun Yasaki, formerly of Platform Beer Co., brews a variety of styles on the 10-barrel brewhouse. During our visit I enjoyed the Sour Strawberry Grisette, Catchweight Kölsch, Kapitän Alt Bier, and Imperial Cookies And Milk Stout. Several guest beers were also available on tap.

Noble Beast is open Tuesday to Thursday from 11 AM to 11 PM, Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 1 AM, and Sunday from 11 AM to 11 PM.

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