Market Garden Brewery - Cleveland, OH

Our last stop of the night was Market Garden Brewery. Reading that at night it gets backed and we wanted to have dinner we made reservations. We were sat immediately and wow is this place big. It was insane in there, seemed like all of Cleveland flocked inside. Next door is a big grocery market place which was closed at this point, but all I heard was good things about it.

-From what I read online, we went with just the cheese board. It was tasty and I would recommend it if you want to just eat something light.

-The service wasn’t very good, the girl seemed to be pulled in 20 different directions but after 2 breweries and a bar we were relaxed and it was fine.

-As for the beer I got the sample in which you write down which 6 you want. I went with the Citramax IPA (very hoppy, I liked it a lot), Cluster IPA (it was just okay), Kennet Ale (not bad, very flavorful), Viking Pale Ale (decent), St Emetics Stout (okay) and the Beer Garden Block (okay).

-The beer was okay, the place was packed, and service wasn’t great..but again with three breweries in one block I highly recommend checking this place out. While it didn’t blow me away, I am very glad I went.

Check them out! http://marketgardenbrewery.com/

Great Lakes Brewery - Cleveland, OH

 

After checking out Bottlehouse we went to the hotel, and took a shuttle to the bar area. Within one block we had Great Lakes, Nano Brewing AND Market Garden Brewery. First stop...the massive Great Lakes.

-It was about 6ish on a gorgeous day so of course Great Lakes was packed. But the place is so big seating isn't an issue..well unless you want dinner. But we just went to drink. I've tried almost all their beers so I figured I'd get a sampler for fun.  Well the bar was PACKED, but I was taken care of quickly and even though she was getting pulled 10 directions the bartender was awesome. Most breweries don't do samplers when it's THAT busy, but hey 11 beers for like 16$ was a steal. I had to be careful carrying them outside...almost got knocked over twice, and also was asked by two different people what it is I had..they both ran to the bar to get themselves a sampler.

-I could rate the beer, but I will just say I think anything Great Lakes makes is good. A few stand out, but I enjoy all their beers. Rye of the Tiger IPA is okay, Commodore Perry is yummy, Edmund Fitzgerald is very good, Eliot Ness is very good, Burning River is good, Dortmunder Gold is okay..but I'm not into very light beers, Conway's Irish Ale was a hit with the lady, and the others which were just special brews were all good but nothing outstanding (Butcher's Brew, Rally Red Drum Ale, Red Right 88).

-We sat outside drinking for nearly an hour and really enjoyed the scenery. After our drinks we checked out the gift shop which is next to the brewery, and they have just about anything you can imagine. We bought a glass, stickers, coasters, tin sign and a bunch of posters that were on sale for like 3$.

-If you're in Cleveland you HAVE to go to Great Lakes. Awesome atmosphere, nice people and a lot of fun but I do suggest you go earlier than later. Check them out! http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/

Cleveland, OH

The last brewery trip I went on was Cleveland, OH. Mostly went there for the Fat Heads and White Rajah we had never tried. Being less than a 3 drive, I did some research and found a few other breweries along the way..

Fat Heads Brewery - Pittsburgh, PA/Cleveland, OH

 

I visited both Fat Heads locations, Pittsburgh and Cleveland so I will just review both at once.  Their Headhunter IPA has won quite a few IPA contests.  We never really had it, so I decided to head down to Pitt to see what all the hype was about...and I can agree why it wins contests..it's PHENOMENAL.
Pittsburgh:
-The Fat Heads Saloon is located on East Carson which is a great strip of bars in downtown Pitt.  We stayed at the Double Tree which offers a free shuttle so it worked out beautifully.  After our beer buying trip around town we headed back to Fat Heads. It's a big place with a very nice bar.  Early in the day it's pretty dead, but at night its PACKED. 
-At lunch I had tried the Headhunter which was outstanding.  I also tried a Ballast Point Sculpin because I had heard how great it was and we didn't get it in Buffalo.
-Fat Heads has a great beer menu with lots to choose from. Not only do they have about 10 beers of their own, they also have about 20-25 guest taps.
-The food was okay, servings were WAY too much food but I guess that's why it's called FAT Heads.
-Upstairs is merchandise and beer where you can create your own six pack. There's only about 4 coolers full of beer and let me tell you it isn't cheap. A six pack of sculpin was about 40$..ouch.
-On my next trip to Pittsburgh we went back and enjoyed their delicious beer once again. However this time around we got to experience Sunshine Daydream and this was a fantastic beer. A session IPA, at only 5%. I've had session beers and this one kills them all.
-If you're looking to buy their beer they only sell the Headhunter and Blueberry in bottles, the rest you can get growlers filled, however it MUST be a Fat Heads growler (they will take your non-Fat Heads growler however and replace it with theirs for free). But you can purchase their bottled beer at Fat Heads or simply walk up East Carson and buy a case at the beer store down the street.
-Street parking only. Check them out...www.fatheadspittsburgh.com/

Cleveland:
-Fat Heads in Cleveland was probably double maybe even triple the size of the Pitt location. It has a massive bar, a small merchandise stand at the entrance and lots of seating.
-This location offers a 8 beer sampler, whereas the Pitt location does not offer any type of sampler.
-Just like in Pitt they had many of their own beers and also tons of guest taps.  
-As for the beer, once again I had Headhunter, but also got to try the IBUsive which was part of the reason for our trip. The IBUsive was no shocker...AMAZING! Brought home two growlers and 3 cases of Headhunter.
-This location also had much more merchandise for sale than the Pitt location.
-This location had LOTS of parking in a massive lot.
-This location felt much more like a restaurant/brewery than the location in Pitt which felt more just like a brewery/bar with some dinner tables set up. Check them out..www.fatheadscleveland.com

Pictures from Pitt location:

Cleveland Pictures

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