Great Lakes Brewing Company | Turntable Pils

Turntable Pils graphic courtesy of Great Lakes Brewing Company, artwork by Darren Booth.

ABV: 5.3% | IBU: 35

Read More

12 Beers of Christmas | Great Lakes Brewing Company | Christmas Ale

ABV: 7.5% | IBU: 30

My friends who know me well know that I love food and I love to cook. From trying different restaurants or expanding my tastes with different cuisines to just staying in and making something for dinner, I’ve always had a knack for knowing my way in the kitchen. Cooking has been something I’ve loved to do for a long time, to the point where I considered going to culinary school after undergrad. I owe a lot of what I know and what I love about cooking to one person: my mom.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing Company | Steady Rollin’ Session IPA

Image courtesy of Great Lakes Brewing Company. Label artwork by Darren Booth.

I fell in love with a beer last summer. It was during Burning River Fest; Great Lakes Brewing Company had just released a new brew to the attendees of the festival. I enjoyed that beer immensely back then, and I waited patiently for it to make its inevitable return the following year. That following year is now, and make a return that beer did: Steady Rollin’ Session IPA has now been on the market this spring in sampler packs and hopefully can sneak into your cooler for retreats out on the water or at the park this summer.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing Co. | Alberta Clipper Porter

ABV: 7.5% | IBU: 40

Cleveland winters are some of the most enduringly cold, heavily blanketed, and wildly unpredictable in the Midwest. As Lake Erie freezes, city streets are caked … Read More

The Eight Beers of Chanukah

Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Chanukah. If you need some ideas for what beers to drink during the holiday we’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the Eight Beers of Chanukah. Now, whether you drink all eight on the first night or have one each night of Chanukah, make sure you try them all.

Read More

Event Recap | Great Lakes Burning River Fest 2015

Co-authored by Kevin Risner

John’s Recap of Friday, August 28

As I made my way past the sand volleyball pits on Whiskey Island, forged up and down the hills of Wendy Park through clouds of gnats and approaching the Old Coast Guard Station, I could feel a different air to 2015’s version of Burning River Fest. The station’s main tower rises above the line of trees, bearing the projected logo of the festival. A clear evening and setting sun over the lake set the perfect environment for an intimate affair, as droves of locals made their way to partake in local food, enjoy the live music of Brian Johnson, Gretchen Pleuss, The Portersharks (among other acts) and to taste the debut of Great Lake’s newest brew, Steady Rollin’.

Read More

Ultimate 6er | The 6 Stages of Cleveland Browns Fandom

As summer comes to a close and we make our way into fall, one thing becomes more imminent than anything: FOOTBALL. And what better way to celebrate the advent of a new season than with some brews? As a native Clevelander and lifelong Browns fan, I know the football season brings with it a roller coaster of experiences spanning across a wide spectrum. So, in anticipation of another grueling season, I present to you the 6 Stages of Cleveland Browns Fandom, as described by beer.
Read More

Event Preview | Burning River Fest

This piece was co-written by John Amantea and Kevin Risner.

August 28^th & 29^th: 6pm – 11pm

When you think about craft beer in Cleveland, one of the first breweries that pops into your head is Great Lakes Brewing Company. And for good reason. For over 25 years, GLBC has been brewing some awesome beer that has won many awards and has struck the fancy of people across the eastern US and beyond its distribution wingspan, which has been on the rise recently.

GLBC is not just known for its stellar selection of beers, the variety of which has expanded from its famed Christmas Ale to approachable IPAs like Chillwave, and unique surprises, such as one of its most recent session ales: Sharpshooter. They also have an excellent mission, centering on sustainability and eco-consciousness.

Ever since 2001, GLBC has put together a more unique beer festival that isn’t just about the beer, but a reflection upon the brewery’s legacy and its hope to protect its product, which is around 90% water. The Burning River Fest is named for an (in)famous event that occurred multiple times in the history of the city. Beginning in 1868, the Cuyahoga River has caught fire numerous times, the most noted of which occurring in 1969, as a result of heavy pollution and a dearth of industry regulation. From that point on, amidst a flurry of ridicule and scorn, Cleveland has shifted a greater focus to sustainability and cleaning up its waterways. The positive effort has led to this more mindful festival, focusing on these local issues.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing | Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA

ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 40

Sometimes change can be scary and uncomfortable. We tend to embrace constancy in most situations. When something unfamiliar greets us, there may also be skepticism. I noticed this when Great Lakes Brewing Company revealed their brand refresh. There was some outcry, some fear, mainly from social media users who did not want the labels and the image of GLBC to change. With tried and true marketing and a strong presence in many parts of the United States, why become different? Despite those worries by some, I feel changing things up can also spark interest and excitement. Personally, I was more intrigued when I first learned about the brand refresh. Let me tell you why I like what GLBC has done: the changes that have taken place embrace the 25+ years that this brewery has been a strong presence in the N.E. Ohio craft beer community. The history behind the brewery, its location and its facilities, runs even earlier; and the artwork by Darren Booth pays homage to the brewery and to the city as well. Each label is a story, a collage of images that explores the rich history of Cleveland and also of the company’s presence. Along with the new brand, we now have a new seasonal beer from Great Lakes: the Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA. It is a tasty IPA that was tapped during the last week of May at GLBC’s brewpub and has just been released to distribution markets on June 1.

Read More

Fresh From the Bine (Hop Vine) – Ultimate 6er

When it comes to drinking beer, it is a general consensus that fresh beer is the way to go. I do not feel that this is always true, but for a lot of beer styles, one could argue that it is. Stouts, porters and barrel aged beers in my opinion are the acceptation to this. Think about wine—most red wine ages great, whereas white wine does not age as well. With time, beer and wine both undergo changes. The flavors develop and the aromas alter—sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Over the past few years, I have learned to love the hop and all that it has to offer. In my opinion, hoppy beers are better fresh. So, I decided to find some of the freshest hop forward beers and indulge into hop heaven.

Read More

12 Beers of Christmas | Day 12 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale

IBU: 30 | ABV: 7.5%

There’s nothing like the first Christmas Ale of the season! Great Lakes Brewing Company started pouring before Halloween. I’ll admit I was a bit spoiled this year, as they were also serving it in a number of places during Christmas in July. With flavors of cinnamon, ginger and honey, it legitimately tastes like Christmas in a bottle. Read More

Great Lakes Brewing Company – Silver & Gold IPL

ABV: 7.5%

IBU: 50

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago. I was in town for the wedding of a very special friend of mine, and while … Read More