Great Lakes Brewing Company
| Address: | 2516 Market Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA |
| Phone: | +1 216-771-4404 |
| Site: | greatlakesbrewing.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–1AM 11:30AM–1AM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
ME
Melanie Tam
The brewery tour is $5. Their website recommends you purchase tickets in advance, in case they sell out for the time slot you want. But we were able to purchase tickets an hour before the tour started, for a Friday night. Tours last about an hour. They give you four tickets, and each is good for a sample of beer of your choice at the brewery. The tour itself was okay. The brewery is really noisy, so I couldnt really hear most of it. I did learn that Eliot Ness was a frequent visitor of the tavern. Another interesting thing? You can book a room in the brewery for weddings and other events. I deffo recommend trying out their restaurant after the tour. Prices are good and portions are huge. They have different drafts on top that arent available on the tour. They also have recommendations on the menu for what dish to pair what beer with. To start, we had the local & fresh plate. This had an assortment meats and cheeses. My favorite was the bacon, which was a little sweet, paired with the Montforte blue cheese. The sweetness and saltiness paired really well together. For my entree, I ordered the pretzel chicken, which were chicken breasts with a pretzel coating, with a side of mashed potatoes and carrots. The chicken was perfectly cooked. Not only did it taste good but it looked so good that the next table over saw it and ordered it for themselves! My boyfriend had the Stilton cheddar ale soup and the bratwurst & pierogi (Dortmund Gold bratwurst, potato & cheese pierogi, braised cabbage). I wasnt too keen on the pierogis because I think it was filled with goat cheese, which Im not a fan of. The bratwurst was good, but nothing amazing. But the cheddar ale soup that the waiter recommended he pair the entree with tasted like liquid crack. It was cheddary, smooth, creamy but not nauseatingly creamy. It also went well with my pretzel chicken. Or maybe Im just biased because it was just so good - I would probably say that it goes well with anything. Theres a gift shop in between the brewery and the restaurants. You can pick up souvenirs and more importantly, six packs to bring home!
KA
Kate Bigam
Im not a HUGE fan of craft beer, honestly, because I hate hops & havent yet been able to figure out what I DO like, so I was a little doubtful that the GLBC tour was going to be up my alley. I like Dortmunder, but was I going to want to drink anything else?! The tour is $5 a person, starting from the GLBC symposium around the corner from the restaurant. For as gritty & hometown a feel as the restaurant aims for, I expected the same of the symposium & the rest of the tour, which I was surprised to find was not the case. The symposium is bright white, beautifully decorated, clean decor, a very art-gallery atmosphere. While you wait for your tour to begin, you can sip tiny beer samples (included in your ticket cost) & explore the history of the brand. Our tour guides name was Alex, & I wanted to be his best friend. He was so knowledgeable & enthusiastic! He took our group of about 10 through the GLBC brewery, from the "museum" area upstairs to the brewing room to the bottling warehouse, explaining lots of interesting details along the way. I was fascinated to learn of GLBCs commitment to the environment; they strive to be waste-free, working with other organizations, companies, & brands in the area to use their brewing waste in sustainable ways that better & benefit the community. And I didnt drink Dortmunder the whole time! I branched out to the Elliot Ness, which I really enjoyed, & then we headed to the restaurant, where we split an (AMAZING) charcuterie board & I branched out to try the High Stryker Single, a pub-only beer offering that I also loved. Overall, the GLBC experience was a great one for me, & Id recommend it to anybody looking to be better acquainted with the beer or with the best of Cleveland. This is a brand we can be proud to call our own!
RO
Robert Sirchia
First I must say parking around here is awful but its in the historic Ohio City district of Cleveland. Normally that knocks off a star for me but this place makes up for the inconvenience. When you see inside this building it is historic and they do what they can to keep it that way. Staff are great and are extremely knowledgeable about the beer they serve and will be honest about a dish they serve. Shocking not every is amazing to them on the menu and I appreciate their honesty. Menu is a decent size and they run daily specials. What you will notice is local sourced ingredients which exposes you to other things Cleveland. Bertmans mustard comes to mind. The beer has the local staples that they have year around but they also rotate seasonal brews that rotate in and out every few months. And to top this off they will also have one off brews that they are experimenting with. Tours. If you want to see how and where its all made tours are right across the street from the bar and restaurant. Call and make an appointment they fill up fast. Great Lakes Brewery is a Cleveland staple they help give the city some of its essence. And they do make sure no two visits here are the same. If you are close or if you are in town for business stop in this place wont disappoint.
S
S Richey
I am never unaware of how very lucky I am to have GLBC right in my back yard. Ive never had bad service or food here - and most recently during Oktoberfest, both were outstanding. The stilton cheddar soup is divine on its own or order some spent grain bread to butter and dip. Im not a huge beer aficionado but what Ive had here is good - the Dortmunder is classic - strong but not overpowering with a good beer flavor, and the Oktoberfest is beautiful from the color to the taste. Its given me one more reason to love autumn. If you havent tried the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Ice Cream... omg, do it. Even when Im not dining at GLBC, its still a part of the city and neighborhood I love - to walk or cycle down Market Ave on the weekend as the lights twinkle and the crowd grows is a memory in the making -- and to walk or cycle past the open bays at the brewery and catch a heady whiff of hops, malt and barley is a little slice of heaven. As I said, never unaware of how lucky I am to be living in Cleveland and so close as to call Great Lakes Brewing Company a neighbor!
MI
Mike Konopa
Its such a honor to have Great Lakes as our citys Brewery and in our backyard! I visit a lot & the food is always top notch along with the service & drinks. Im loving the new Great Lakes Brewing Company and how they are unpredictable now days with what Beers come to Market. So many years Great Lakes Brewing Company had a pretty set yearly lineup of Beers you can buy at your local stores & now in 2014-2015 they throw in these new Seasonal Beers that are sold at retailers and its amazing to be a consumer and always getting a new little treat each few Months instead of the same old, which still isnt bad (I think we just get spoiled) any ways its great to be a craft Beer consumer and Beer geek now days, we enjoy the new Beers & I cant wait for the Oatmeal Stout to hit stores in the coming Weeks!
