List of Breweries in the Cleveland Area

So far the following breweries are on our list to review.  These are places that brew on premises.  There are quite a few that are new to the area, so we are really looking forward to visiting them.

Here's the list:

Brewery Name	Street Address	City	Phone
Great Lakes Brewing Company	2516 Market Avenue	Cleveland	216.771.4404
Buckeye Brewing Company	9985 Walford Avenue	Cleveland	216.281.5347
Buckeye Beer Engine (Buckeye Brewing Co.)	15315 Madison Ave	Lakewood	216.226.2337
Cleveland Chop House	824 West Saint Clair	Cleveland	216.623.0909
Indigo Imp	3615 Superior Avenue	Cleveland	216.881.0650
Market Garden Brewery	1947 W. 25th	Cleveland	216.621.4000
The Brew Kettle	8377 Pearl Rd.	Strongsville	440.239.8788
Willoughby Brewing Company	4057 Erie St.	Willoughby	440.975.0202
Rocky River Brewing Company	21290 Center Ridge Rd	Cleveland	440.895.2739
The Cornerstone Brewing Company	58 Front Street	Berea	440.239.9820
The Cornerstone Brewing Company	70 & 74 West Main Street	Madison	440.983.4520
JW Dover and Black Box Brewing Company	24945 Detroit Ave.	Westlake	440.871.0700
Fathead's Brewery and Saloon	24581 Lorain Ave.	North Olmsted	440.801.1001
Chardon Brew Works	205 Main St.	Chardon	440.286.9001
Lagerhead's Smokehouse	2832 Abbeyville Road	Medina	330.725.1947
Little Mountain Brewing Company	9374 Chillicothe Road	Kirtland	440.256.1645
The Bottle House	2050 Lee Rd.	Cleveland Hts.	216.214.2120
Cellar Rats Brewery	7743 Doty Rd.	Madison	440.466.3485

Let me know if you've been to any of these places and what you think about them.

Willoughby Brewing Company

Located in dowtown Willoughby and occupying the former repair depot building of the Cleveland, Painesville & Eastern Railway, the Willoughby Brewing Company has been brewing craft beers since 1998. A very popular local destination for beer and food lovers alike.  Friday nights you can normally expect live bands inside their very spacious bar area.  Typically very busy, so make reservations, and utilize the valet service since parking can be a pain.

Overall the beers were OK.  Some decent beers but mostly dissappointing showings.  Most often there were a few who liked each kind and a few who hated it.  The Peanut Butter Cup is a prime example of this.  Overall we gave it low scores but there were a few people who loved it. It really depends on your style.  Our favorites were the Rusty Rail and Moonshadow.  They put out quite a few seasonals so we will be back to try them.

Name of Beer	Type	Style	ABV%	IBU	Appearance	Aroma	Palate	Taste	Overall	BIC.com Composite Score
Rusty Rail	Ale	American Pale Ale	5.3	30	6.8	7.2	5.5	6.7	6.5	66.7
Moonshadow	Ale	India Pale Ale	7.5	56	6.7	8.2	5.0	6.3	6.0	66.1
Gutter Pup	Ale	Porter	5.5	30	7.5	7.0	5.7	6.5	6.5	66.0
Railway Razz	Ale	Fruit Beer	4.0	12	8.0	7.0	7.5	5.5	5.5	62.0
Toe Head	Ale	American Blonde Ale	3.9	12	7.7	5.5	5.3	5.8	2.5	51.3
Peanut Butter Cup	Ale	Porter - Flavored	5.5	30	6.5	7.5	5.0	4.5	2.5	50.0

Willoughby Brewing Company
4057 Erie St.
Willoughby, OH
440-975-0202

Fat Heads

Fat Heads is located on Lorain Ave. in North Olmsted.  A very popular west side hangout and for good reason, they have a huge selection of beers.   Food menu is large and so are the portions, so come hungry.  The facility is pretty big too, so they can fit a lot of people.

We found their beers to be hit or miss, likely due to them having so many different offerings.  You will probably have to go a half a dozen times throughout the year to get a taste of all the beers they make. So if you find something you like, get a growler because they may not have it then next time you go. 

The Head Hunter IPA is one of the best.  They have other award winners, but when we were there, they did not have any of them for us to try.  We will definately be back.

Name of Beer	Type	Style	ABV%	IBU	Appearance	Aroma	Palate	Taste	Overall	BIC.com Composite Score
Head Hunter	Ale	India Pale Ale	7.4	87	6.5	8.5	7.3	8.8	9.0	84.8
Tree Hugger Honey Rye	Ale	Rye Ale	4.5	19	8.0	6.5	7.0	8.5	8.5	78.3
Duke of Lager Fest Bier	Lager	German Lager	5.0	24	7.7	6.2	5.8	7.2	8.5	70.8
Voodoo Monkey Chocolate Stout	Ale	American Stout	6.5	35	7.0	7.0	6.0	6.5	8.5	70.0
Texas Brown Ale	Ale	American Brown Ale	7.3	60	6.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.0	52.4
Bonehead Red Rye Ale	Ale	Rye Ale	8.0	70	6.9	4.4	4.9	4.6	4.0	45.8
Starlight Lager	Lager	German Helles	5.2	29	6.2	5.5	5.5	4.2	2.0	43.0

Fat Heads Brewery and Saloon
24581 Lorain Ave.
North Olmsted, OH
440-801-1001