Cleveland and surrounding area

Kish84 · Post by **Kish84** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:57 am

Sorry if this is on here somewhere, did a search but didn't find much.

Anyone been around here?? I'll be going mid-February with JB84 and another friend for a bit of a "ghetto cities" beercation. I've checked out RB, BA, and Beer Mapping and found a few places.

Day 1 would consist of some of these:
Great Lakes, La Cave du Vin, Happy Dog, Tremont Tap House, Winking Lizard

Day 2:
Melt, Deagan's, Beer Engine.

After Cleveland we're off to Detroit or Ann Arbor. If we decide on making it a 4 day trip, then we may start in Buffalo, or do both Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience in Cleveland and can add or take away places to visit. Also, if anyone knows if or where it's safe to walk around in Cleveland.

Should be a good beer trip, also looks like a good trip to get mugged or something

Peter Collins · Post by **Peter Collins** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:40 am

I've spent a bunch of time in Cleveland Heights over the years and can't really add anything to your list except to emphasize a couple of places.

Melt and Happy Dog are good fun! I think Melt is good any time of the day. I was in for lunch and had to work in the afternoon so only had one pint but I could see spending a chunk of time there.

I was in Happy Dog late afternoon which is not likely its prime time but I hear good things about it for later in the day. The tap list is great and had a couple when I was there. It would definitely be a place to check out with some music on the go.

There's another place on Lee Rd. called Dewey's Pizza. It's not a huge tap list but it was very close to where I was staying and you could get a really decent pizza and a great pint. They have a half dozen or more really good taps and for where it is and the size of the place it was a good find.

I'll be in Cleveland at the end of March so if you find anything interesting do let me know.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:15 am

When I went to Cleveland a couple of years ago I stopped in a town called Mentor, OH. There is a great bottle shop there called Save-On Tobacco & Beverage. I am not sure if you guys are going through Detroit or Buffalo but if you are going through Buffalo you will pass right through Mentor.

Another possibility is to go a little off course to Akron OH and visit Hoppin Frog. You could also stop in Youngstown, OH - there is a great bottle shop there called Vintage Estate (I know they have Three Floyds here now).

Ohio gets a few interesting things you won't find in Michigan or Western New York - Three Floyds and AleSmith come to mind...

hopdevil · Post by **hopdevil** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:55 pm

I was in Cleveland in the summer.

Fathead's in North Olmsted, ( Lorain Rd ) near Hopkins Int'l Airport is a must-visit.
Headhunter IPA is their top beer and is outstanding, with many more.

Downtown, Superior & Prospect, near Progressive Field, are the Winking Lizard and right next door, City Tap Cleveland ( which I think is better than Winking Lizard )

When I went to Fathead's, I made the trip to Southland Beverage, a little further south ( Smith Rd ). Great selection, with singles.

Nothing to worry about near those Downtown bars, or in N Olmsted

Peter Collins · Post by **Peter Collins** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:01 am

A friend of mine in Cleveland Heights just notified me of this place in the neighbourhood:

http://www.thewinespotonline.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheHeightsWineSpot

It's not obvious to me whether it's a pub/wine bar or whether it's a retail outlet. A few comments on the fb page indicate the craft beer selection is decent. I'll definitely be checking it out while I'm there.

rudolf · Post by **rudolf** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:30 am

Stop in to Rozi's when you're out by the Beer Engine - its only 5 minutes away. Its been one of the best bottle shops in the Cleveland area for years.

-rudy

Kish84 · Post by **Kish84** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:22 pm

Thanks for all the help, unfortunately we're no longer going to Cleveland.

On the bright side, the destination has changed to Grand Rapids, Chicago, and most likely Ann Arbor on the way back.

I was looking forward to Cleveland, but I guess I'll have to go another time.

andrewrg · Post by **andrewrg** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:47 pm

You should try to stop by Three Floyds on the way to Chicago, it shouldn't be too far out of your way.

Kish84 · Post by **Kish84** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:14 pm

andrewrg wrote:You should try to stop by Three Floyds on the way to Chicago, it shouldn't be too far out of your way.

We might. We did last year when we went. It was very busy and there were a lot of hipsters though lol.

NRman · Post by **NRman** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:59 pm

Kish84 wrote:... the destination has changed to Grand Rapids, Chicago, and most likely Ann Arbor on the way back.

Not that I need to tell you:
HOPCAT!!!!!
Any place with Hopslam, Huma Lupa Licious and Sublimely Self Righteous on tap AT THE SAME TIME is worth the drive!
http://hopcat.com/main/BeerList.aspx
ASHLEYS!!!!!
always good...
http://www.ashleys.com/whatsontap.xhtml

I will be living vicariously through you Kish.
Looking forward to reading your epic list when you return.
Enjoy!

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Wed May 02, 2012 12:40 pm

Hoping to do a long weekend beercation this month and currently eyeing Cleveland as a potential destination. Wanted to ask Towelers a few things:

1) What are the top must-visit beer destinations in the city? We'll be in town Friday night, Sat & Sun in the day, and Monday until lunch.

2) Is it better to stay downtown (hotels seem sparse) or in the suburbs (like Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights or Beachwood). I ask because some of the places that interest me - Cave du Vin, Melt, Winking Lizard, B Spot - are in the eastern burbs. And I've found a few decent hotels out that way.

3) What would you recommend for daytime tourist attractions? Right now the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Museum of Art, and an Indians/Marlins game look tempting, but I'm open to suggestions.

4) Is it safe to walk anywhere downtown and in Cleveland Heights at night? Or is it better to cab places? Anything that two white Canadian tourists should keep in mind?

5) Curious about bars to avoid, such as dumpy/divey joints and spots that mostly to cater locals (i.e. "outsiders" aren't welcome).

As always, your help is very much appreciated. Cheers!

Sil · Post by **Sil** » Wed May 02, 2012 3:14 pm

cratez wrote:Hoping to do a long weekend beercation this month and currently eyeing Cleveland as a potential destination. Wanted to ask Towelers a few things:

1) What are the top must-visit beer destinations in the city? We'll be in town Friday night, Sat & Sun in the day, and Monday until lunch.

We were there over the Easter holiday, but only for one night. Went to Great Lakes - which I *highly* recommend. One of my favorite brew pubs ever. There's another brew pub right there that was highly recommended, Market Garden I think

2) Is it better to stay downtown (hotels seem sparse) or in the suburbs (like Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights or Beachwood). I ask because some of the places that interest me - Cave du Vin, Melt, Winking Lizard, B Spot - are in the eastern burbs. And I've found a few decent hotels out that way.

I've stayed previously downtown (by the Hall of Fame) and that immediate area is fine at night, but not much in the way of beer that I remember.

This time we stayed out by the airport and took the light rail in, because I am cheap. The light rail back after holding down Great Lakes for most of the night was....colorful. It didn't worry me too much, but I don't unsettle easily.

The area around Great Lakes itself (Ohio City) is fairly gentrified and walking should be OK. Can't speak to the Eastern part of the city.

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:14 pm

Sil wrote: Went to Great Lakes - which I *highly* recommend. One of my favorite brew pubs ever...The light rail back after holding down Great Lakes for most of the night was...colorful. It didn't worry me too much, but I don't unsettle easily.

Based on BA & RB recos I've gone for the Airport Marriot on West 150th. It's a few minutes from N. Olsted (Fat Heads), Lakewood (Melt, Beer Engine, Deagan's), and downtown Cleveland. We might take the train during the day and cab at night. Great Lakes is definitely on the hit list.

Sil wrote: The area around Great Lakes itself (Ohio City) is fairly gentrified and walking should be OK.

Good to hear. McNulty's and West Side Market are right by there so we'll probably check them out as well.

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:32 pm

Well, Ian Hunter was right - Cleveland rocks! The lady and I had an amazing time and the locals were much friendlier than we expected. Like I mentioned in the other thread, Ohio gets a lot of taps that you can't find in the border states, so at the very least it's worth visiting for the rare draughts. But we were just as impressed with the great atmospheres at the pubs. A definite highlight was watching the AMP 150 bartender do magic tricks while Rare Earth's Get Ready blared in the background. Really fun spot.

Ended up going to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday and the Indians/Marlins game Sunday afternoon. We wanted to hit the Museum of Art as well but it was off the beaten path (about 25 min. from our hotel) so we drank more booze instead. Went to Melt Bar & Grilled on Friday, Buckeye Beer Engine, Great Lakes Brewing, and Market Garden Brewery Saturday night, Lolita Restaurant and Tremont Tap House on Sunday, and Rozi's Wine House for lunch and a bottle shop yesterday. I'd recommend all seven bars to any Toweller visiting the city; just go and you won't regret it.

In terms of the taps and bottles available, I went through the following:
Buckeye Cleveland IPA (draught)
Victory Throwback Lager (draught)
21st Amendment Back in Black IPA (can)
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon American Hop3 Ale (bottle)
Stoudts Pils (draught)
North Coast Red Seal Ale (draught)
Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale (draught)
Great Lakes The Wright Pils (draught)
Market Garden Spring Porter (draught)
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale (draught)
Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz (bottle)
Anderson Valley Imperial IPA (bottle)
Bear Republic NorCal California Style Bitter (draught)
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum (draught)
Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge (draught)
Southern Tier 2X Stout (draught)
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (bottle)
Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA (draught)

Several draughts from Sixpoint, Troegs, 3Floyds, Two Brothers, and some harder-to-find DFH and Belgian brews were also pouring, but I had already sampled a few of them. Standouts were the Jacobins Rouge, Hoptimum, Spring Porter, Stoudts, and Cleveland IPA.

On the way back we stopped by Rozi's Wine House in Lakewood. They do excellent homestyle sandwiches and chips for cheap ($5-7) with a small but respectable tap list and very good bottle selection. I quaffed a Finest Kind with lunch and grabbed a Victory/DFH/Stone Saison du Buff, a Samuel Adams Dark Depths Baltic Porter, and a sixer each of Ballast Point Big Eye IPA and Founders Double Trouble. No questions crossing the border.

Overall I'd say Cleveland is well worth the trek if you have a free weekend. There's plenty to do and see downtown, in Tremont, and the west end, the people are very welcoming, and their beer scene is thriving. Plus the brief drive through Pennsylvania along the lake is quite beautiful. Cheers!

Ceecee · Post by **Ceecee** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:11 am

We had a really great time in Cleveland. We went to the Indians/Orioles game and at the ballpark there is a concession stand called Spirits of Ohio that serves craft. I got a GL Burning River (for $7.25 - ouch!). The next day, we hit the R 'n' R Hall of Fame, then to Melt for supper and a place in Rocky River (next neighborhood west of Lakewood) called Lizardville to buy bottles. Picked up some Alesmith, Hoppin' Frog, Thirsty Dog, Left Hand among others. We were in a bit of a rush but I could've spent a long time there perusing the shelves.

http://www.lizardville.net/