Planning a trip/Beer run to Ohio - Advice needed!

Indy is not in Ohio............

 

Cleveland's your best bet in Ohio.

I would hit:

Fat Head's in North Olmstead(bottles of Head hunter and Bumble Berry; buy at the pub to insure freshness)
The Brew Kettle in Strongsville(White Rajah draft and bottles at the pub)
Beer Engine in Lakewood(Buckeye Brewing)
Willoughby Brewing(Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter... awesome)
Great Lakes Brewing in Ohio City
Tremont Tap House(one of the best beer bars in the country and good food/service)
Lizardville in Rocky River for bottles
Heinen's stores for bottles

There are other good places, but the ones I mentioned are the best as far as I'm concerned.

 

Also...
Market Garden right across the street from Great Lakes;
Happy Dog a mile or so NW of Great Lakes.

"The Brew Kettle in Strongsville(White Rajah draft and bottles at the pub)"

Actually, I was there recently and asked why no White Rajah in bottles? One of the owners said they get what's left after the distributors get their allotment. She suggested checking retail outlets.

 

If you want FFF skip Ohio and keep driving...

 

Market Garden is average or below IMO.

Rajah was at the pub this weekend but don't know if it's still there. haven't seen it in Cleveland stores in a while.

 

You should be able to find an OK assortment of FFF bombers around Ohio (Dreadnaught, Panzer, Munster, etc..) but there wont be any 6pks like Zombie or Gumball. You'll need to head over into Indiana for those.

 

And unless you want to drive to the FFF brewery, forget about zombie dust...

 

We get kegs once in a while. But yea, no bottles.

 

If you go to Columbus then pick up some IPA from Columbus Brewing. It is outstanding, and is easily found in the greater-Columbus area but no where else in Ohio.

 

Columbus IPA is fairly easy to get in most of NE Ohio. If you are in the Columbus area I'd definitely seek out Columbus Bodhi. Growler only, but it is awesome stuff.

 

Columbus IPA and Bodhi are both distributed in the Cleveland market. Skip Columbus...you'll find everything you need around Cleveland.

 

If you happen to be on I80 through Youngstown, make a quick 10 minute detour to Boardman and hit Vintage Estate. Probably as good of a bottle selection as you'll find in Ohio. You should be able to find some FFF bombers there. They usually have a good taplist, but most are pricey, especially for some random Ohio suburb. They'll also open any bottle for you to consume on-premises, but they'll slap you with a farily hefty corkage fee.

TLDR - stop and VE if you happen to go thru Youngstown. Otherwise, don't go out of your way.

 

If you go through to Indy/Columbus, stop off in Zanesville at Weasel Boy. Dark Weasel Mint Chocolate Stout is back on tap this weekend, and it's tasty. The Zuur Brun Fret is back on tap as well, which is a blend of BB Scottish Ale and BA Mild Brown with Lacto and Brett. It's pretty good, and I think the batch on tap right now is better than the first batch, since this one has more oak and dark malt presence in it with less vinegar/tart/sourness.

 

Coming from New York stop south of Erie, Pa and hit up VooDoo Brewpub; Good Stuff. Then I would run into the Cleveland area. Here IMO are the best places from a guy who is out of state like yourself. Vintage Estate Wine & Beer; I found some Goose Island Big John there once & they might have some 3Floyds. Lizardville Beer Store has a great selection of Ohio locals and many other things; This place is a hit or miss but there is many bottles to choose from. I never walked away from there not spending some dough. Buckeye Beer Engine; This place is different. You order by the beer menu. I have had their tasty brews there and some 3Floyds. Jackie O's Brewpub; These guys are making some amazing brews. I would go there for a couple growlers, most likely they will not have bottles but it's worth going for sure. Rozi's Wine and Liquor House; A great shop with good quality bottle selection. I really liked this place. Chuck's Fine Wine & Cheese; This place is worth a check in. It's not going to blow your mind walking into here but they are known for having rarer stuff from time to time. Fathead's Brewery and Saloon; If you have not had some of their Headhunter IPA it is top-notch. I really enjoyed their Battle Axe Porter, ALOT.

That right there would be an amazing trip and now I am sitting here craving on going back to the Cleveland area.

 

Unless there's a Cleveland location I don't know about, Jackie O's is down in Athens, OH about a 3 1/2 hour drive South. And no, they won't have any more bottles until December.

 

Jackie O's is not distributed to Cleveland....but it should be!!

 

Just threw Jackie O's in there since I heard talks of running near Columbus. I shouldn't have thrown it in the Cleveland locations.

Also if Columbus is in your sights Weasel Boy is an hr east of Columbus if memory serves me correctly. I've also been to Belmont Party Supply in Dayton (Western part of Ohio) which was a stop well worth it. Cincinnati had a couple places I liked. Dutch's Bar was descent and they get in some rarer bottles from time to time. If Cincinnati is in your sights than Kentucky is not too far. Across the river is Party Source in Bellevue which was a good stop for me. They have 3Floyds and some Goose Island stuff.

 

If you are coming across Route 90 towards Cleveland get off at route 306 in Mentor, Ohio. turn right, second light you come to will be Save-On Tobacco & Beverage on far right corner. Not much on the outside but a goldmine inside. World of Wines & Liquor not too far away. Both have a great selection of singles, World of Wines has a growler fill station.