Really surprised that there has not been almost any discussion about Cleveland’s best brewery opening their new facility soon here… Place looks absolutely epic! Open beer-hall style with the charm in place from the tap house (bright, colorful). The focus on legit BBQ for food as well is going to be pretty sweet as well. From the “ask the brewer” with Matt Cole at Fat Head’s, some notes I pulled that may be of interest: $10 Million Dollar Facility, 75,000 sq.ft. (about triple the taphouse). Double the brewing capacity, up to 60,000 bbls. A lot more small batch releases and experimental one-off cans/bottles and on tap due to new smaller pilot system. Self guided tour throughout the main operation, see hop dosing room, yeast propagation room, open fermentation, kegging, bottling, etc... Waste water treatment. Small R&D room. New hop technologies, including a hop back for pellets (one of only few in the world). Ability to cool wort before flame out to allow more aromatics/flavor vs. bitterness. Fermentation hopping capability now (didn't have that ability at current location). They do plan a second JuJu release twice a year and will see it more often, especially on tap. A lot more canned/bottled seasonal and experimental. Also seems like Goggle Fogger will for sure be coming in cans from the sounds of it. Working with hop breeding companies to get one-off experimental hop varieties. They bought plots of lands on farms with hop growers for these hops, if I heard correctly. Sour program is expanding in a big way. Lower DO levels on new brew system, so packaging and shelf life will be better. BBQ Smoker installed is wood fired, 100% hardwood driven (no gas) from Mesquite, Texas. The pilot system at new location is 15 bbl and have more/better lagering abilities (my guess is smaller horizontal tanks, perhaps?).
I think we're all just so excited about it, know for certain that we'll have to check it out asap, and also know 100% that it will be worth it. But we're just doing that Ohio thing and trying to keep the hype down, only to find out that backfired and the place will be mobbed regardless.
Yeah, that is mostly what i'm excited for. I get "jealous" of the North Olmsted location and their rotation of new beers compared to the taphouse, but understandably so. I just don't care for the NO location at all, the taphouse is/was more my jam for sure! So while they are the same distance from me for the most part, 90% of the time it's the taphouse.Staff is so much better, too, IMO. I have high hopes for the new facility... Maintains a bit of the charm I really dig. Look forward to the opening!
Today is the grand opening of the new location! Stopped by at lunch for a quick beer. The place is beautiful… It was PACKED, but it only took a minute to walk up to the bar and grab some beer. Really excited we have this caliber of brewery close to home (and right next door to work!). The self-guided tour area makes for a nice quiet hang out if just wanting to enjoy beer and the main hall is super busy, like today. Still plenty of construction going on with their pilot system and outdoor patio. Can’t wait until both of those are complete, for a cool area to hang outside and even more experimental stuff on tap! Top notch in my book.
I stopped today after a trip back from tampa, only four house beers were on tap, head hunter, sunshine, bumble and goggle, I asked why the short list, the waitress explained it was a big weekend with all the games, I get that, but there has to be kegs on deck, was really let down, I'll try to visit again, but it's hard getting out west. I am not sure how a new signature location only has four house taps, just mind blown, and nothing seasonal either. I just got back from being out of town and had a great time at five tampa locations, I just couldn't help think if someone came into cleveland to checkout this location that gets so many recommendations what they would have brought home with feedback. Otherwise, the place smelled great.
What’s a Middleburg and why are you guys posting on the Chicago sub-forum? . . . Just kidding! Fat Head makes some good stuff, and I’m hoping this new facility means they’ll up production and start distro’ing westerly!
Agree 100%. I live a few minutes from the north Olmsted brewpub and can’t talk myself into going to the production brewery when they have a handful of brews on tap with much less food options. NO has juju on tap. Surprised that they didn’t tap the juju at Middleburg instead.
They literally have (4) house beers on tap at the moment, according to their tap list online. Quite sad considering they have some 30 taps. @tepie I guess they had an issue with the supplier or the installation of their 15-bbl pilot system, which would mainly be used for loading up the new facility with beers. So they unfortunately just have to keep pumping out the core beers on the big system which leaves nearly nothing on tap unless NO or Canton spare a few kegs of various things they brew, but given how busy they are as well, I bet they don't have many to spare.
Yeah I am kind of surprised they have not brought in more guest kegs to fill the void for now. I do like the new place a lot I thinki it's really nice
I agree. If you can't supply your own beer, at least have an epic guest tap list! Love the new facility, but have only gone once due to the lack of stuff available. Then I contacted them for kegs via FB, in which they told me to contact a specific email about it. When I did, no reply. Then my company reached out to them for a buy-out or even just a reservation for some 50-75 people in the hall, but no reply either... Quite a bummer, this new facility must have them in a scramble... But they can at least reply to some emails!
Haha I had like 3 different Untappd friends complaining about the same thing last night, none of whom were there together. When I saw the first one, I figured the guy was full of shit. Obviously not. That's a bit of a letdown, especially if, as stated, someone from out of town was checking it out.
Are they trying to be like New Glarus? Waiting for them to make you buy the glass... Seriously though, is there some kind of law preventing them from supplying themselves with all the other beer they're producing elsewhere? It just doesn't feel right, it's been a month and they still only have 4 FH beers on tap with only a few underwhelming guest drafts.
Especially since the had a killer tap list when they opened North canton. Lots of stuff not normally at North Olmsted including a NE ipa.
Let's see if they make it through the weekend with that many taps... I'm sure a few of those beers are donation kegs from the other two locations, so I don't expect they will last long at all... The new location is a bit of a mess on the beer front, that is for sure. Would have almost them have waited from opening that location at all until they were actually ready to open with both brewing systems up and running and a stacked tap list. It's been what, two months now and we are lucky to see 6 beers on a given day. I know it will only get better once all is up and running, it's just a peeve of mine to open a place too early (yeah I know, bills and stuff...). They had more beers at GABF on tap than their HQ brewery... That's a bit sad!
