Tag: ohio beer

Interesting Name:Crooked Pecker

On By Chris ElliottIn BreweryLeave a comment

Chagrin Falls is one of the nicest towns in North East Ohio. I don’t go often, but it’s always enjoyable when I do. Over there, is Crooked Pecker Brewing Company. This was my first visit. It’s a interesting name obviously, but they had a couple solid brews that I tried out.

Tucked into a industrial shop a few minutes from downtown Chargin Falls, the brewery made a pretty solid Hazy IPA and lager as well. I preferred the Hazy IPA though. The place is on the smaller side and was pretty full that day. The bartender was personable, even tried to get my fiancé who hates beer to try it. I would definitely stop in again.

Lakewood’s First Brewery

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Living in Lakewood, OH I would have expected a brewery here by now. It’s filled with flannel wearing, bearded dudes in their late 20s/30s. This place was made for a brewery. Well finally, Lakewood has one.

Last week, I went for dinner at Immigrant Son Brewing, Lakewood’s first Brewery. The place was packed. Clearly, a lot of people were excited to try this out. With it just opening up, I was curious to see how the beer turned out. This place has been a couple years in the making in an old grocery store and some hiccups delayed the opening (covid) but they hit it out of the park. Fantastic beers and great food. The Common Ale and the PerZverance were delicious beers. The PerZverance is a partnership with Cavs legend Zydrunas Illgauskas. It’s an IPA that is really well done. Perfect for all the IPA dudes I described above (I’m one of them). If you go though, you have to get the fried dough. I could eat that every day. I’m so excited to keep going back there and to have a brewery in my town. A great addition to our great beer scene in Cleveland.

From the Ashes: Phoenix Brewing

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

The number of breweries out there is pretty amazing. Lot of small towns across the country have them. Many of them are really good. A couple weeks ago, I drove to Mansfield for dinner with a buddy and we took in a few beers at Phoenix Brewing there. Mansfield is probably most known for the old prison that has become a tourist site. The brewery, Phoenix Brewing, is located right in downtown Mansfield. A really nice looking downtown. Straight out a small town downtown movie set. Now, the beer at Phoenix Brewing was pretty good (I enjoyed the sour: Project HG). The most interesting thing though was that they don’t accept tips. They said they raised the prices of the beer to pay staff more but the beer seemed pretty cheap to me. Must have been giving it away before. Interesting concept. Anyways, I would definitely go back to Mansfield to see the downtown more, check out some other places and grab some more beers.

Cornerstone Brewing

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Cornerstone Brewing Company has been a long standing establishment in Berea, Ohio, located just 20 minutes from my house. Yet, Saturday was my first trip. Not sure what took me so long.

I have been wanting to try this place out for some time and I finally made the effort to. We stopped in for dinner and some beer. Not only was the food very good (try the pretzel), but the beer was delicious. I was really pleased with both the Erie Blu (fruit beer) and the Seven (IPA). Both had great flavor, but I’d say I prefer the Seven. A really strong rendition of an IPA. I really enjoyed their take of a West Coast style blended with an East Coast style IPA. Additionally, Berea had a nice little downtown that I would go back to. An underrated city and brewery.

Beer in Amish Country

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

I went down to Amish country on Saturday where I gorged myself on four plates filled with fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, noodles and enchiladas at Mrs. Yoder’s kitchen. Surprisingly the Amish like Mexican food. Did not see that one coming.

After that, we stopped at Millersburg Brewing Company. Located in downtown Millerburg, which for those that don’t know is the county seat of Holmes County Ohio. Knowledge is power.

The brewery is in an old brick building and maintains a lot of the building’s character from the exposed brick to the old bar top. The food menu appears delicious but after my Amish buffet destruction I don’t think I could fit any more food in my belly. However, we always have room for beer.

I went with a beer flight to give myself a good variety since I knew I was not going to be able to down multiple full beers at this point. All 4 tastings were very good, but I have to say the Edgy Elf was my favorite. A sweet winter warmer beer that they even put cinnamon on the beer flight glass. That was a nice touch.

The other beers I tried included Belouded (NEIPA), Jolene Jolie (Red Ale), and Haskins 1819 (Blackberry Tart) and were all really solid beers that I would have again. It’s a bit of a drive for me from Cleveland, but I would definitely go here again and would like to sooner rather than later.

Wuh-Ster Day Trip

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

Personally, I think this pronunciation of Wooster, Ohio is idiotic. It should be Woo!-Ster like a drunk girl shouting at a bar. However, the locals prefer the WUH so I’ll roll with it.

This past Saturday we took a day trip down to Wooster and walked around the town, had a burger and indulged in some beverages. Traveling during the Covid, is weird. A day trip is easy enough and Ohio has a lot to offer.

First off we visited Muddy’s where I had the cheesiest of cheese burgers. If you have a lactose sensitivity, stay away.

After Muddy’s, the main reason for this trip was to visit the JAFB taproom. Just Another Fucking Brewery, is a pretty spacious taproom and I was able to try several brews. My favorite of the ones I had was the Hefeweizen, though the Summer Forever (New England IPA) was very good as well. The Hefeweizen is a good solid rendition of this beer style with just enough banana taste. I really enjoyed this one. I was told after that I need to try the Apricot one, so next time I’ll give that one a taste.

After the brewery, we had two more stops to make. First off was Minglewood Distilling Company. I am by no means an expert on bourbon but I’m starting to get into it more. They had a variety of alcohols and I did a tasting. I wish the tours were open but again the virus got in the way. I picked up a bottle of the bourbon to take home. Then one last stop at Hartzlers Dairy Farm for some ice cream. Perfect dessert to end the day.

Brewery 33

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

This will be a quick post. I really don’t have a lot to say because I wasn’t there long and only had one beer. Took a few days to head down to Hocking Hills down in Southern Ohio. I love a good hike and with all the craziness out there in the world, it was good to get away from it all.

It wasn’t my first trip to Hocking Hills but it was my first visit to Brewery 33. Named after the main road through Logan, Ohio. I stopped in for a growler and went with the Gateway Gose. It was a solid beer and nothing spectacular. Wasn’t bad, just seemed to have almost no carbonation.

The brewery itself was small inside from what I saw, but that could have been I just didn’t walk around enough. They did look to have a nice little outdoor spot. Bartender was great, very friendly and helpful. I would like to get back there at some point when I can actually sit down and enjoy the place.

Saturday Brew Quest

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, BreweryLeave a comment

Well winter is here and now I dread that 15 minutes each morning while my dog decides where to take a shit. While that is miserable, one way to pass the winter blues is to drink.

Saturday my girlfriend, myself and a few of her friends hopped around Ohio City knocking some of the various breweries off the Cleveland Brewery passport. Now, I have been to most of them before but our second stop of the day I had not been to prior to this day of alcohol bliss. Bad Tom Smith is actually a Cincinnati brewery and the Ohio City location is just a taproom, but it still counts here.

The location is right at the northern end of that strip that is populated by more breweries now than hipsters. Bad Tom Smith has a few solid beers that I tried. The Jackson Hustler was my favorite there that day. A delicious, easy drinking Belgian Wit. The taproom is a nice little spot, quieter than most of Ohio City which can be a nice change of pace. Plus, with cold dreary weather in full force here why not have a few more beers. Got to get that hibernation weight up.

First Four, Dayton, and a Gas Leak

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

There are certain sporting events that every guy should go to. Things that don’t require being a fan of either team to enjoy. The NCAA First Four in Dayton is one.

My buddy and I drove down for Day two of the First Four and took in the city of Dayton. We managed to stuff our faces in food ranging from poutine to pizza. We visited five breweries. Lock 27, Dayton Beer Company, Warped Wing, Carillon and Toxic City are all doing really good things with beer. Dayton Beer Company had a great stout. I really enjoyed Lock 27 as the best of the bunch though. Really nice location next to the Dayton minor league baseball team. I imagine that makes for a great summer night.

Then, there is the First Four. We saw two games with the second one being a great one. Syracuse vs Arizona State came down to the end. The crowd was dyed orange as this was clearly a Cuse home game. Really not a bad seat in that arena. I can see why they play those games there in this small midwestern city. Just pure hoops fans in Dayton as we saw people wearing shirts ranging from Ohio State to South Dakota State. First Four does not disappoint.

Now, I have to say I’ve never had and issue with AirBnB and credit to the company and our hosts for refunding our money. See we couldn’t stay in the house because not only was the furnace broken, which they told us as we arrived but we walked into the place and it clearly smelled of a gas leak. If you lit up a cig, I’d imagine that placing blowing up like a fireworks display. So after a day of drinking and right as the hangover hit due to no alcohol in the First Four, we drove home at midnight. Three hours back to Cleveland made for a late night but it was a hell of a day. Dayton didn’t disappoint.

Filled to the BRIM

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

East side vs west side. Each part of Cleveland has a very distinct feel and culture. Sometimes, it is hard to believe they are the same metropolitan area. While I am a West sider, I do venture on over to the East side often where my girlfriend lives.

Saturday night, we went out with friends to BRIM Kitchen & Brewery in Willoughby. While I had quickly stopped in once before for a drink while killing a few minutes, this was my first time really sitting down to enjoy the place.

BRIM is located just passed the main portion of Downtown Willoughby. The inside is very modern and has that clean, slick feel to it. The brewery process is visible behind the bar as well.

I tried a couple of the beers BRIM had on tap that night as we grabbed dinner. They had a real interesting Christmas Fruit beer called Mr. Kringle and a pretty decent light blonde ale called the Brim Less. Both were solid, though nothing blew me away from a beer standpoint.

For dinner, I had the Sunday Gravy and a side of mac and cheese. The Sunday Gravy red sauce was definitely the best part of my meal. I cleaned the plate for your reference.

Overall, the place is solid. It was busy throughout and has a good ambiance. Nothing blew me away but no complaints either. Solid experience sums it up perfectly.