Billed as “A Complete Cleveland Neighborhood,” Ohio City might just be one of the best places in the state to live.
Incredibly walkable, bike-friendly, and close to transit, Ohio City is a place you can go to and never leave. They’ve got a great centerpiece in the West Side Market, as well as tons of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, apartments, homes, and even a grocery store. And yeah – more than a few breweries.
I recently took a weekend trip to Cleveland with my brother-in-law, with the express intent to visit as many of the breweries within walking distance as we could. We started out on Friday night and hit Collision Bend Brewing in The Flats, as well as Masthead Brewing and Noble Beast Brewing downtown.
On Saturday the real fun began. After a 14-mile run to Edgewater Park and Lakewood Park, we ventured out on a glorious spring day to get our Brewery Adventures on.
Saucy Brew Works
Saucy Brew Works was the furthest brewery on our list away from our Airbnb, so we decided to start there. Still just about three quarters of a mile away, the brewery has two locations – the original brewpub and a “Vibe Garden” outdoor spot across the street. We decided to check out the brewpub, which features high ceilings, plenty of high top tables, and a large bar. There’s also a large enclosed patio, which is where we sat.
After a 14-mile run the Verde Gose sounded amazing – a light and refreshing offering brewed with tomatillo, cilantro, lime, and salt. It’s brewed with Lachancea Tart yeast, giving it the mouthfeel of an oak fermented sour. A really solid beer and great start to the day.
Saucy has a large menu with pizza and wings, but we didn’t eat any food at the brewpub. They also have locations in Pinecrest, Columbus, and Detroit.
Bookhouse Brewing
Just around the corner from Saucy is Bookhouse Brewing, the second stop on our tour. Designed in the mode of a bookstore, Bookhouse has multiple different seating sections to give your group the feeling of a private space just for you. They also feature a nice outdoor patio, which is again where we sat. I love the laid back vibe of the entire place, and the well-rounded selection of beer styles.
I was able to try a flight with Cold As Rice (cold IPA/IPL), Modern Romance (pilsner), Form Follows Function (Belgian pale ale), and Lost and Found (maple brown ale). The lost and found was a delicious example of a maple beer done right – just sweet enough and not too heavy. Bookhouse was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Nano Brew
We planned to make Nano Brew our third stop, but there was a wait for a table, so we instead went across the street to grab a flight at Bad Tom Smith while we waited.
Once back at Nano, we again sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day. A bicycle-themed brewpub, Nano is the experimental brewing wing of Market Garden, which is right next door. They had been closed for awhile during the winter due to the pandemic, so there weren’t a lot of fresh offerings on tap, but I was able to try a “light & bright” flight with Pin High (pilsner), Lemon Shandy, Frosty Lime (wit), and Nano OG Lager.
Nano has an awesome space in an old brick building with a large bar and high top table seating inside. Outside, they have a two-level patio out back, as well as more patio seating on the side. The atmosphere of Nano was definitely one of my favorites on the trip.
Bad Tom Smith Brewing
I’m very familiar with Bad Tom, as their original location is located in Cincinnati near where I live. The Ohio City location is very similar to their Madisonville space, although it’s just a little smaller. They feature a large bar and just a few tables surrounding, and they also serve pizza.
Bad Tom focuses on a core group of beers so there’s not always a ton of new offerings to try, but we were able to grab a flight featuring Breathitt County (blonde ale), Wicked Sheryl (blush pale ale), Straight Shooter (porter), and Winter Jam Lager, a guest tap from Hamilton, Ohio’s Municipal Brew Works.
Market Garden Brewery
After a quick break, we headed out for the second leg of our day, with our first stop being Market Garden. I had been to Market Garden years back, but they have since expanded to include a huge production brewery featuring tours behind their large brewpub. We walked through the production brewery but didn’t take a tour, and then went to the brewpub for a beer.
Market Garden also has a large outdoor patio, but it was full so we sat inside in one of their three main spaces – the front has booths and tables for more formal dining, there’s a middle that’s mostly bar seating, and the rear area is a space that could hold events. We sat near the bar section and ordered beers. Market Garden mostly focuses on lighter options, but I had the Hyper Haze New England IPA. It’s a citrusy and juicy IPA with low bitterness.
Great Lakes Brewing
Great Lakes Brewing is the largest Ohio-based brewery, but their Ohio City brewpub is still a favorite for both locals and visitors alike. It reminds me of a German biergarten, with ivy and brick and earthy vibes. It’s a great place to enjoy some food and beer.
By this time we were very hungry, so we ordered a pierogi flatbread and some appetizers. I actually hadn’t had many of the Great Lakes staple beers in a long time, so I tried a flight of some old favorites. I had Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat, one of their newer offerings, as well as Eliot Ness amber lager, Burning River pale ale, and Rally Drum red ale.
Great Lakes is always a must-stop, and it’s been awesome to see Ohio City grow up around one of the centerpieces of the neighborhood.
Brick & Barrel Brewing
After Great Lakes, we hopped on some rented scooters to go to Brick & Barrel Brewing, a dive-bar sort of brewery in the Irishtown Bend area just east of Ohio City. The small taproom has a warehouse/garage vibe, with a small patio outside. Their small brew system definitely gives you the feeling that it’s someone’s homebrew setup on steroids.
They only had two of their own beers on tap, so we ordered both the Brewski Kolsch and Noble Saison. I love when a smaller brewery does classic styles well like this.
Forest City Brewery
Just south of Brick & Barrel in the “Duck Island” neighborhood on the edge of Ohio City and Tremont is Forest City Brewery, a vintage-themed brewery. Just about everything in the taproom is old – from the bar to old school brewery memorabilia. Located in the same building as Western Reserve Meadery and Cleveland Cycle Tours, the building also features a large rentable hall and an outdoor beer garden.
In terms of beer, they focus on European styles. I was able to try a style that I’d never had before – Dyngus Day Gratzer, a Polish smoked beer brewed to celebrate the holiday.
On Sunday we were also able to check out Doggie Brunch at Terrestrial Brewing Company before heading home, so it was an all-around great trip with a total of 13 breweries on the weekend.
Check out more Brewery Adventures here.