Greetings, Great Beer Now fans and followers! This is the first entry in a multi- part series of blog posts relating to the Great Beer Now Rock and Roll Out the Barrel Beer Tour 2018, which took place in Cleveland, Ohio. I traversed the Cleveland, Ohio area making my way to some of the best known and most award- winning breweries in the United States, along with several hidden gems and up- and- comers. Open a can or bottle of your favorite beer and follow along on my journey through one of Ohio’s largest cities. Cheers!
America’s craft beer scene continues to grow and mature. Some of the newer, younger breweries bring many fresh ideas to the table and the more established breweries are often forced to step up their game in order to compete. These larger, more familiar breweries have experience on their side and it certainly doesn’t hurt their ability to compete when they also have multiple awards under their belt. One brewery with a longer history than most and a massive number of competitive medals is Fat Head’s Brewery, located at 17450 Engle Road, Middleburg Heights, Ohio.
Go to Your Head
Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights is a newer facility, opened on August 20, 2018. It consists of a 65 barrel brewhouse, 15 barrel pilot system for experimental beers, bottling and canning machines, and a large restaurant and gathering area. The massive space occupies most of the building in which it is housed and covers 75,000 square feet.
Fat Head’s originally opened in Pittsburgh as a bar called Fat Head’s Saloon, way back in 1992. The Pittsburgh location still exists as a taproom and restaurant. Other Fat Head’s locations can be found in North Olmstead, Ohio and in Canton, Ohio. The location in Middleburg Heights, close to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, is the brewery’s headquarters.
Bring on the Medals
Fat Head’s Brewery is well- known among craft beer fans and the reason is because of its numerous award- winning beers. Here is a listing of the beers I tried, listed alphabetically by name, followed by the style and my Untappd rating on a five point scale:
- #1 Saison, Farmhouse Ale, 4
- Bumbleberry Honey Blueberry Ale, Fruit Beer, 4
- Goggle Fogger, Hefeweizen, 4
- Head Hunter IPA, American IPA, 4.25
- Holly Jolly Christmas Ale, Winter Warmer, 4
- Hop JuJu, Double IPA, 5
- Rice Rice Hazy, Double Rice IPA, 4.25
Overall Average Rating: 4.21
There is much to love at Fat Head’s Brewery. I let the members of the staff select beers to sample and loved every one of them, but I was particularly impressed with Hop JuJu Double IPA. It was complete perfection for this style and a classic in every way. Each of the other beers was memorable as well, and I must make special mention of Rice Rice Hazy, as it is a double IPA made with rice, which is a rarity in the craft beer world.
Develop an Ego
Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights, Ohio was the first brewery I visited on my Cleveland, Ohio beer tour. Among the breweries I visited in Cleveland, this was one of two that I was already quite familiar with, having already tried their beers at festivals and back when I lived in Ohio. I knew about the large number of awards Fat Head’s had received and remember fondly my attendance at the Great American Beer Festival Awards Ceremony in Denver, Colorado, and the frequency at which Fat Head’s Brewery was called to the stage. Any brewery with this much positive recognition had to be a place deserving of a visit and since the new facility is so close to the airport, it made sense to make Fay Head’s the first stop on my Cleveland tour.
The Middleburg Heights facility is the newest and largest in the Fat Head’s family and the moment I drove up to the building, I knew there was going to be something special inside. The gigantic space houses a 65 barrel brewhouse with state of the art equipment and much open room for expansion. With such a large brewhouse, one might assume that Fat Head’s is brewing 100k barrels of beer per year but in fact, they are brewing right around 30,000 barrels. The large capacity at this new location means that it will be many, many years before Fat Head’s outgrows this space.
Walking into Fat Head’s for the first time, guests arrive in the restaurant and tap room. As expected, the area is BIG, with an array of seating options and a long bar that can seat about 20 to 25 guests. Immediately behind the bar is a tap wall and behind that, you can see the tops of fermenters. Keep in mind that the brewing equipment you can see is actually only a small fraction of what the brewery actually houses. You need to take a tour to see the rest.
Speaking of the brewery tours, this is recommended as a means to learn more about Fat Head’s and to see for yourself how large, clean, and modern this facility truly is. They have self- guided tours if you prefer, but I took my tour with two of Fat Head’s personnel. The pair of young ladies showed me around, shared the history, and answered my questions about Fat Head’s and its rise to fame. I expected the brewery to be large in size, but it turned out to be even grander than I thought, and it comes complete with the restaurant, as mentioned before, and even a gift shop for souvenirs. I visited in the afternoon and I was impressed by the large crowd present on a workday. The reason is because of the excellent food. Fat Head’s serves salads, pizza, burgers, nachos, chicken wings, sandwiches, and so much more. They might be best known for their award- winning suds, but the food quality has earned Fat Head’s quite a following among area foodies. Once I sampled some of the food, I understood fully why so many people take a midday break from work and head to Fat Head’s Brewery for lunch.
Breweries are in great abundance and some of the newer start- up breweries have introduced creative takes on popular styles and have successfully built a following among the craft beer faithful. But the veterans of the business have answered the challenge and Fat Head’s Brewery is a prime example of what happens when experience and a knack for creative innovation take hold. The Middleburg Heights brewery is one of the finest around and with such a short drive to/from the airport, a visit makes a great idea whether before a flight, after a flight, or during a long layover. They have certainly earned bragging rights at Fat Head’s Brewery, but like most members of the craft beer community, they remain humble and eager to serve you, their adoring customer. It’s one of the best breweries in the Midwest so be sure to visit Fat Head’s Brewery the next time you’re in the Cleveland, Ohio area. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.
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