BUCKEYE BEER ENGINE | Lakewood, Ohio
This tried-and-true tavern gets better with age: The 200-plus beer list has grown in diversity (a zwickelbier on cask!), a sign this old haunt isn’t past its prime. A topnotch burger menu keeps things interesting with wacky specials like the Xmas Dinner: a patty piled high with ham and sweet potatoes. 15315 Madison Ave., buckeyebeerengine.com
LA CAVE DU VIN | Cleveland Heights, Ohio
This dark basement beer bar’s a stop on every brewer’s itinerary, so the taps are always spilling limited editions and rarities. Cellarmasters, take note: La Cave’s got an impressive vintage list that runs deep; visit often to make sure you’re there when the management decides to dip into the archives. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., lacaveduvin.com
MCNULTY’S BIER MARKT | Cleveland, Ohio
Belgian and Belgian-inspired brews remain the focus of this sleek, bare-bulbed bar, but the 20 taps also serve to test-drive beers from owner Sam McNulty’s Market Garden Brewery across the street. The crowd’s young and cool, the bottle list is long, and the prices are on point: $24 for a 10-beer sampler? Yes, please. 1948 W. 25th St., bier-markt.com
PLUS... BEER-BAR CHAINS: Aside from huge beer lists at 14 locations throughout Ohio, Winking Lizard Tavern’s (winkinglizard.com) claim to fame is its World Tour of Beers; drink 100 brews from the chosen 250 and earn the coveted World Tour jacket.
I can not wait to taste a few beers in Cleveland. Will the Cleveland brews be good enough for a beer snob from Seattle?
ReplyDeleteSeattle has many small breweries. The Pacific Northwest of the USA grows most of the hops used in beer in the USA. WA also had a history of strange liquor laws, so beer and wine became the only choice for diversity.
I will be making a few trips to Cleveland before GG9 and I will find out.