Author: Chris Elliott

Beer and Academics

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, College, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Beer and college go hand in hand. Usually it’s cheap beer and large quantities. I have to admit I didn’t have much of a care for anything that wasn’t sold in a 30 pack in college.

At Case Western Reserve University, there is actually a brewery on campus. While I didn’t know this when I was picking grad schools, I’m glad the one I decided on is Case Western. The Jolly Scholar has been a campus bar there for awhile but they added brewing to their arsenal and sell craft drafts for 3.99. An unbelievable price point and I tried multiple there and was not disappointed, especially considering that price.

This little pub is literally smack in the middle of the campus inside one of the buildings. I know I’ll be making plenty of stops here over the next three years. Definitely a place worth stopping at in University Circle for a good beer no matter if you’re a student or just hoping being amongst a bunch of college kids will make you feel 21 again. Three years of grad school should give me plenty of time to work through their beer list.

The Beast Within

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Cleveland keeps producing more and more breweries. While Portside did close a few weeks ago, the breweries that produce quality beer I believe will stick around. Saturday night we went out to another.

Noble Beast Brewery is a relatively new brewery having opened up in the late spring of this year. The brewery has that industrial feel as it sits on Cleveland’s Lakeside Avenue not far from the heart of downtown. The location does not get a ton of night foot traffic but is close enough to other areas that it should do fairly well.

They have a good selection of their own beers on tap as well as several guest beers. I’m always a fan of a brewery willing to put guest beers on tap. My favorite beer of theirs that I tried was the Widowmaker. That beer could kill you if you have a few of them or unleash your inner beast. I truly appreciate the name Widowmaker there. I also tried Kolsch and IPA which were both tasty beers as well but the Widowmaker was my favorite by far.

The food was perfect for the place. Simple but with flavor. We had the pretzel and the zesty fries. The kick on those fries was perfect. I was a little worried they may be spicy, or too hot, but they were just right. Well done on those Noble Beast. Overall, everything was really solid. It’s a well run brewery with a very friendly staff that remembered my name quickly. That personal touch is what will enable them to succeed.

Projecting the Indians ALDS Roster

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

The regular season is close to wrapping up and while the Indians are still playing to secure home field advantage, it is not too early to start thinking about the playoff roster for the first round.

Majority of the spots I feel are pretty secure. A few guys are injured right now and (knock on wood) hopefully no one else gets hurt at this point. So right now, I am assuming Brantley, Zimmer, and Guyer will be out. I am also assuming Lonnie Chisenhall makes it back.

Saying that, let’s start with the pitching staff. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer are locked in as the 1, 2 and 3 spots in the rotation. The fourth spot is one of my question marks. In the pen, Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Mike Clevinger, and Joe Smith are all for sure going to make it. Still leaves 2-3 pen spots open depending on how many arms Tito wants to carry.

Now, the easiest position is catcher. Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez are locks. That position is set. Edwin, and his parrot, at DH is locked as well.

The infield is easier than the outfield so let’s go there. Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are all set. Giovanny Urshela will make it at third and I’m going to go with Yandy Diaz making this roster as well.

So heading into the outfield now, we have 16 spots reserved with at least 3 more going to pitchers. Austin Jackson, Jay Bruce, and Lonnie Chisenhall will all make it. I also believe Jason Kipnis gets a spot. Now, how many outfielders do the Indians keep out there is a big question.

With five spots left, this is where it gets tricky. The starting rotation spot is a battle between Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin. It’s a real toss up here but I think Tito goes with Salazar. Tomlin deserves to be on this roster but I don’t see it in the cards for him unless Salazar has a meltdown in his next start. 21 spots down.

Now to the pen. Keeping Salazar means you need another pen arm with his limited innings. I think Tito picks 8 and that means to me that Dan Otero, Nick Goody and Tyler Olson all make this roster. Ryan Merritt and Zach McAllister are the two arms that get left off for this round. 24 secured leaving us with 1 more position player.

This is really coming down to three players I believe. Erik Gonzalez, Abraham Almonte, and Greg Allen. Gonzalez is a great utility guy and a speedster on the base paths but I think Urshela, Jose and even Kipnis being able to come back to the infield eliminates his need. Which means it’s Almonte or Allen. Allen is the better defender here and for that reason I think the kid makes the roster. There you go. 25 man roster complete.

Here is the quick run down again.

Starting Pitchers:

Corey Kluber

Carlos Carrasco

Trevor Bauer

Danny Salazar

Pen:

Mike Clevinger

Bryan Shaw

Cody Allen

Joe Smith

Andre Miller

Dan Otero

Nick Goody

Tyler Olson

DH:

Edwin Encarnacion

Catchers:

Yan Gomes

Roberto Perez

Infield:

Carlos Santana

Yandy Diaz

Giovanny Urshela

Francisco Lindor

Jose Ramirez

Outfield:

Jay Bruce

Austin Jackson

Jason Kipnis

Lonnie Chisenhall

Greg Allen

Go Tribe!

Getting Saucy

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Cleveland just keeps them coming. Saucy brew works is just a couple streets over from the main west 25th strip of Ohio city. This large space, including an outdoor patio, is a nice addition to the Hingetown neighborhood. This brewery opened up a little over two months. While the ordering setup was a little confusing, the staff quickly noticed my awkward standing around while I tried to figure it all out and they came over to direct me to the right place. Good customer service is always appreciated.

The beers were pretty good. While the TPS IPA was ok, but nothing extraordinary, the Save Room for Pie vanilla pumpkin porter was a sweet porter that drinks really easily. The Punchline fruit beer was delicious as well and I think I could easily pound 10 of those back like they were a glass of Welch’s fruit punch.

The pizza was very good as well. The large comes out on this huge serving tray. A large pizza indeed. We had the margherita and was very pleased with it. Overall, it is a great new spot with a pretty extensive tap list for a new brewery with quite a few seasonal brews that I will have to try out next time.

Back to Beer and I’m all Jacked Up

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Trips, vacations1 Comment

When I visit multiple breweries in a short span, I usually combine them into one post. However, Jacked Up Brewery in Escondido, California deserves its own post for their excellent service and crisp clean beer.

The place has been open since January and is run by a husband and wife duo. Michael and his wife Caroline were enthusiastic and appreciative of my business. Caroline took the time to explain their story from home brewing for their neighbors to entering brewing contests where they started to pick up awards regularly. With the knowledge that their beer was officially good, they soon started the plans to open their own brewery and a couple years later were able to officially open their doors and let the taps flow.

The beer was excellent here. Their NE Hazy IPA was a delicious beer and a great take on the increasingly popular style.

They are planning to launch a membership club and the details of it sound like something beer lovers in the area should definitely join. Expansion plans are in the works as well. This is a place that I see will grow and standout in the San Diego area beer market and it starts with the service provided by these owners.

Day 2 & 3 Asheville

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Day 2 and 3 were each filled with more beer and some hiking on day 2. Asheville contains many breweries and we went to several. Wicked Weed Brewing and Blue Mountain on Day 2. Day 3 included Catawba, Burial Brewing and Green Man.

Wicked Weed had fantastic beer and the house chips and beer cheese were very good. Artery clogging cheese is one of my favorites. Their Riverkeeper IPA was a well done and consistent. A great beer.

Blue Mountain had some of the best pizza around and was right down the road from our AirBnB in Weaverville. The small little brew pub also had some good live music that we managed to catch the end of, plus the waitress was this nice sweet grandma type if your grandma smoked weed daily.

Day 2 we also did a bunch of hiking. It was a bit foggy but we still caught some great views at various overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

On Day 3, we explored Downtown Asheville and did a mini brewery trail with Catawba, Burial and Greenman. The triple IPA at Burial Brewing packs a big punch and Greenman provides a no frills dog friendly tasting room with clean crisp beers. Additionally, the small batch brews at Catawba were delicious and unique. The Red Rhum IPA was a good one.

Asheville has great food, some of the best beer and hiking with majestic views. It is a fairly manageable city and doesn't overpower you or leave feeling like you didn't see much. A great weekend spot. The art was beautiful and this is coming from someone who has little interest in art usually. Take a trip to the mountains and see what you find. You'll enjoy it.

Asheville Day 1

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

So we made it. Asheville day 1. Some may say I am neurotic for spreadsheeting my vacations, but it allows for maximum intake.

On the first day here, we managed to check out two breweries, Asheville Brewing Company and Hi-Wire Brewing. Both cool spots. Asheville had a very good DIPA (double IPA) and their tater tots with Queso were like a Mexican fried heaven in your mouth. Hi-Wire has a small industrial tap room and plenty of good beers. Both are essential parts of the beer scene down here.

Additionally, we checked out Sky bar and it's amazing views of Asheville and Battery Park Book Exchange along with the River Arts District. Battery Park Book Exchange is a really cool spot where you can drink wine, beer and buy used books. You also trade in your used books for bar credits. Shoutout to my old teachers who got me to keep my books each year. I'm finally going to be able to buy booze with them. Day 2 I'm looking forward to you.

Small Town, Big Flavor

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

A good buddy of mine moved south of the Akron/Canton area of Ohio a couple months ago. I've been meaning to get down there to visit him and Friday I finally got that chance. I also got to try out Lockport Brewery in Bolivar, Ohio. A great excuse to try out a different brewery.

This brewery opened towards the end of 2016 and is an open concept brewery with everything out in the open. This place may be small but the beer was very flavorful. I had a beer sample with an amber Ale and various IPAs. The Tomahawk Double IPA was my favorite of the bunch. This high alcohol beer provided a nice flavor and was done very well.

For dinner, I had their cubano sandwich and it was toasted well and the pork was a nice smokey flavor. This was a great small brewery overall with a great knowledgeable staff combined with a relaxing atmosphere located in this small town of Bolivar, Ohio. Definitely worth the trip south from Cleveland.

Weightless Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Lakes, beer, dogs. What better way to spend Memorial Day weekend? Over the holiday weekend, I went to Northern Michigan and on my way up there I stopped in Milan, Michigan at Original Gravity Brewing Co. I had quick beer there while enjoying a delicious turkey chipotle sandwich. I tried their witbier while I was there and was greeted by the very friendly staff. The small little brewery has a great staff and was the perfect lunch time stop on my way up north. The bartender and I talked about kayaking and was attentive throughout my time. The witbier was called Wheeler Witbier and was very refreshing on the warm summer day. If I wasn’t on a long drive I definitely would have tried more. An excellent stop in the Michigan beer scene that is overall one of the best states for beer. IMG_1962

Earthly Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, BreweryLeave a comment

Cleveland’s ever-growing beer scene added another one at the end of April. Terrestrial Brewing Company opened up in the Battery Park area of Cleveland and this past weekend I made my first trip there. Surrounded by some of the best townhouses this city has to offer, Terrestrial is in a great location as the primary spot now for those residents looking to grab a quality beer.

The open concept of the place allows you to see all the fermenters up close. Combined with the patio this place opened up just in time for Cleveland to come out of hibernation. Plus they allow dogs and that is always a good thing!

Their beer was pretty good too as I enjoyed a couple of them and particularly liked the Pocket Flower. This is a Double IPA that packed just the right amount of flavor.  It is a well done beer. They also included many guest taps as well which I always appreciate from a brewery because it shows confidence in their own product to not get over matched by other beers and also is great for the industry as a whole. Terrestrial Brewing is another great new Brewery to the area and provides residents another area to visit and hangout in. Check it out, Terrestrial may mean “of or relating to earth”, but your visit will be out of this world.