Category: Restaurants

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

Craft in the Flats

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

It is getting difficult to keep up. A new one is popping up left and right. Again, Cleveland welcomes another new brewery in the city. Collision Bend Brewing Co. opened up last week on Cleveland’s East Bank of the Flats. The Flats has received a well talked about makeover in the last few years and this brewery adds to the revitalized area. The place was once known as the Watermark and sits right on the water. The views from this place are some of the best and the huge patio is sure to become a clear Cleveland favorite.

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To go along with the views, this place brewed some pretty good beers. Personally, I enjoyed the IPA and my girlfriend said the Lake Erie Sunset beer tasted like you would imagine a sunset to taste. The place will continue to expand its product line, I assume, as there were a few openings on its list.  The quality beer combined with the nautical theme is a great fit to this location  and go very well with the view. I expect this brewery to fill up quickly this summer as people flock to the flats to check out Cleveland’s newest brewery. Well, newest for now. The Cleveland beer scene grows with another new brewery this week but Collision Bend will continue to draw people in this summer.

Commerce Craft Brews

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

While I visited Griffin Claw Brewing in Michigan one night last weekend, I also visited two others on Saturday night. Saturday my friend Phil and I went to a couple of the Commerce, Michigan area breweries: Kickstand Brewing Company and CJ’s Brewing Company. These were two more new ones to cross off my list.

Kickstand had some great beers. This small brewery situated in a strip mall has a industrial mixed with rustic feel to it with the re-purposed wood pallets hanging from the ceiling. The Mort’s Buck Brown Beer was a delicious beer. Very drinkable for a brown ale. I really enjoyed the smoothness of it. The staff was great and friendly and all three bartenders helped us out. It is a well run establishment that I see having a bright future.

CJ’s brewery had a great patio. It’s always nice to sit outside after a long winter. The Summer Brew beer was pretty tasty wheat beer similar to an Oberon. That summer beer is definitely a popular type among breweries lately. The tater tots there were very unique. I love a good tot (see previous posts) and these were rectangular shape instead of the traditional cylinder type tots. A nice complement to the beer and another great tot for my list.

These two are great additions in the recent years to the Commerce area and a part of the ever growing craft beer scene in Michigan and Nationally.

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Kickstand Brewing Company

Jesus would have drank craft beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

I know it is Good Friday, I shouldn’t be drinking beer and eating meat but Jesus would have drank craft beer. That I am sure of. Can you think of anything more Jesus like then drinking something that is kind of anti-establishment? I mean the man liked wine and didn’t appreciate those in positions of power. Jesus would have drank craft beer.

Tonight, I tried out a brewery in Birmingham, MI 15 minutes from where I grew up. Griffin Claw Brewing Company has made a big name for itself the last few years and it lived up to its reputation.

The GC brewery was packed for dinner this Friday night. And luckily my buddy and I were able to snag a table. I tried out a couple brews including the Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA, which is their award winning beer and definitely deserved its award. For dinner I had the above pictured Mac and Cheese. It was very good and the chicken on top was perfect, not over cooked or under cooked. A true contender for top 5 Mac and Cheese. Overall, this was a great spot and whenever I am back visiting my family in Michigan I will have to stop back in. Griffin Claw Brewing Company is a true gem of the mitten state craft beer scene.

Beantown, Sam Adams, Merica

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

When traveling to a new city, it is hard to know what to expect. You create an image in your head of what the city looks like, what the food tastes like, how the place feels. However, when you get there that image can be completely wrong. This is not one of those times.

This weekend I visited Boston, Massachusetts, home to the Sox, Harvard and Tom Brady. While I may dislike (hate) Tom Brady, Harvard would probably (definitely) reject me, and the Sox have caused me some (lots) of heartache over the years, I have to say Boston is an amazing city. It is clean, vibrant and, besides the awful traffic, a city with lots to offer.

Of course in a new city I need to check out the breweries. We visited two, Harpoon Brewery and Boston Brewery also known as Samuel Adams. Both gave great tours. Harpoons tour included a 30 minute tasting with as many as you wanted. For  five bucks that cannot be beat. Plus, in their beer hall you have to try their pretzels. That is a game changer and my girlfriend, Olivia, agrees with me. Best pretzel we have had. Samuel Adams’ tour was extremely informative with a mini beer tasting class and three different beers all  for free with a small donation to a few charities being encouraged. Well worth it for the beer and tour. Then after we headed to Doyle’s nearby where they give you a free glass of Sam Adams’ specific glass designed for the perfect drink to take with a beer purchase.

In addition, to the breweries Boston is filled with great food, (the Mac and Cheese at Stephanie’s on Newbury is one of the best I’ve tried),  historic landmarks and beautiful parks (Good Will Hunting). Additionally, the old taverns such  as Bell in Hand and Warren Tavern take you back to the 1700s when men like Paul Revere frequented these places. Talk about drinking a beer for freedom. A city like this right on the water is a beautiful place, I just wish it had been a little warmer.

I think one of the most interesting things about the city is Uber Pool. Now I know other places have this, but it is not here in Cleveland yet and the concept is very interesting. Uber in itself is an app about trusting a stranger to give you a ride. In an age where we are more and more connected electronically but less and less connected personally, Uber Pool allows you to not only get a ride from a stranger but share a ride with one. Some of these rides are silent, but others such as the girl going in town for a grad school interview or the local with suggestions on things to do can create a connection sometimes lost among strangers. When we part we go on our way to never see each other again but for a few minutes you can  trust a stranger. Boston was great for that. It is a city that lived up to those expectations I had created in my head. When I first arrived, I tweeted that the city was in my top five I have visited after just a few hours and a follower of mine responded back that it would soon be in my top three. They were right.

Suburban Brew Sprawl

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants1 Comment

While in recent years across the country, we have seen a retreat from a suburban sprawl. Millennials have moved into the cities and gentrification has happened as soon as the hipsters find a new run down neighborhood to move into. While this has happened we have also seen breweries pop up left and right.

There are  two places new breweries pop up. Go where the foot traffic is and try to stand out among the crowd.  Or pick a new location and pave your own path. Both ways can work and it really comes down to the beer you make, service your provide, and atmosphere you create.

Avon Brewing Company launched a few months ago out in the suburb of Avon, Ohio. This is away from the downtown brewery scene that adds a brewery faster than a teenage girl adds Instgram pics.

While I love a good beer, I also am a giant child and love mac and cheese. Avon Brewing has one of the best mac and cheese dishes around. Great choice with the shells and the perfect amount of cheese. Top 5 mac and cheeses I have had and trust me I have eaten a lot of mac and cheese.

Another great thing about this brewery is that they just don’t serve their beers. It takes a brewer that not only believes in their product but believes in beer as a whole to serve guest beers at their place. Sometimes people want some other variety than the 5 or 6 beers many smaller brewers have and I think having guest beers is a great addition. This brewer realizes their beer can still stand out among others. Some brewers are afraid of the risk that their beer may not get selected every time but if people know they have choices I think they are more likely to return and hang out longer. I commend Avon for that decision. Overall, Avon Brewing is a great experience a little way away from the typical brewery spaces throughout the Cleveland area. Perfect for when you need a break from the downtown environment but still want a good beer.

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Whiskey and Beer in Cle

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Distillery, Restaurants, whiskeyLeave a comment

The Cleveland Brewery Scene is growing rapidly. Cleveland Scene just wrote a large article about it. It’s a well done article you can read here. While there may or may not be a bubble, it is great for the beer lovers of Cleveland that so many places keep popping up. A few weeks ago I visited Portside Distillery and Brewery for the first time. This place has been open since 2015 but I had yet to stop in.

What makes this place unique in Cleveland is that they not only brew beer but they are a distillery. Not many places out there do both. That is a nice addition to the traditional brewery. They have a good variety of beers and the pretzels were pretty good as well. This location near the water is pretty spacious and when I went on a Sunday afternoon provided a good laid back spot to have a Sunday Funday. Once thing I do regret not trying was the whiskey but it does give me a reason to go back and try it again.

Nano Brewing Detroit

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, TripsLeave a comment

Detroit has received a bad rap for quite some time now. I must admit I was someone who talked down on it. However, like much of the rust belt, it is seeing a revival (thanks hipsters). On a quick trip back to where I grew up, I spent a day downtown and checked out a few different spots that are a part of Detroit’s recent resurgence. One such spot is located in the Corktown neighborhood, Batch Brewing Company.

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Batch is a small brewery that focuses on nano brewing. Brewing smaller batches that pack a lot of quality but also allow for experimentation since the scale is smaller. Batch Brewing is a cool industrial type place with some pretty good beers. While I didn’t have anything to eat, it does seem to have a pretty solid menu with good offerings. Detroit is not the bleak dismal place it once was. The city is rebounding and places like Batch Brewing company are a part of that. If you’re in the city, I recommend checking this brewery out. Or maybe take a drive up north and spend a few days there. Detroit may surprise you.