I will be staying in downtown Cleveland for 2 weeks for training and I am looking for suggestions. I will have 2 weekends free and will be out around 4 pm every day. What should I check out? Which beers should I bring home? Thanks
If you have transportation, I would consider checking out the following: In Cleveland area: Fat Heads, Great Lakes. In NorthEast Ohio: Brew Kettle, Hoppin Frog, Thirsty Dog. Cincinnati is about 4.5 hours away if you are looking for a long trip. Also, I would subscribe to the Hoof Hearted thread. People go crazy for their beers and they are in the New England IPA style that you are probably familiar with. They do releases at their brewery on Saturdays and Sundays randomly, so I would keep an eye on that. Other than that, good luck. If you decide to come to Cincy, I'll meet up with you for a beer.
Definitely check out the Butcher & The Brewer. Food is phenomenal and they make their own beer. There was also a small bar downtown called the City Tap with really good burgers and a big tap list. Had all sorts of Fatheads and Jackie O's on tap. Not far from downtown is Ohio City, which is a trendy area with Great Lakes Brewing and Town Hall. I walked there from downtown, which was a stupid idea since you hood hop a little bit, but that will give you an idea that it's close. Uber for sure.
The was just recently discussed in depth on this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/overnighter-in-cleveland.389280/ My basic advice would to be: 1. ignore the homies with their humblebrag about this place or that place is overrated or has nothing new, etcetc yadayada (usually applied to Great Lakes) 2. watch out for the BA who wants to show off how knowledgeable they are about the New Big Thing and tells you to spend all day driving across the state and back to visit a single brewery they like; Having said that, the Ohio City/Tremont area has a lot of good eateries, beer bars and brewpubs close to downtown and close to each other. For a little more driving, the Greater Cleveland area in general has plenty of the same. Use the directory on this site, because there's just too many to mention. If you have your own transportation: Slightly further to the West will get you to Strongsville which has Fatheads and Brewkettle. Ditto Akron to the South which offers Thirsty Dog & Hoppin Frog. All of those places brew highly respected beers. If you decide to hit to road on the weekend, Columbus would be a good bet. It's about 2+ hours one way, but like Cleveland, has a bountiful selection of eateries, brewpubs, beer bars and bottle shops. Probably the best choice for a reasonable drive with lots of options. Again, use the directory. Have fun and report back to us!
