Great Lakes Brewing Company

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Not to be confused with Great Lakes Brewery (Toronto).

Coordinates: 41°29′04″N 81°42′16″W / 41.4843807°N 81.7045187°W / 41.4843807; -81.7045187

Great Lakes Brewing Company
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded1988
Headquarters2516 Market Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio
United States
ProductsBeer
OwnersPatrick and Daniel Conway
Websitewww.greatlakesbrewing.com

Great Lakes Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub in Cleveland, Ohio. The first brewpub and microbrewery in the state,[1] Great Lakes Brewing has been noted as important to Cleveland's local identity and as one of the initial forces behind the revival of the Ohio City neighborhood on the near West Side.[2][3] In 2015, it was the 21st-largest craft brewery by volume and the 28th-largest overall brewery in the United States.[4] The company was established in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway, both St. Edward High School graduates, in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, located near St. Ignatius High School and the West Side Market. The brewpub and restaurant remain in their original locations, while production has expanded to adjacent properties.

The present site allows visitors to enjoy a glass of beer in the original brewpub which features a Tiger Mahogany bar from the 1860s, a Beer Cellar and the Rockefeller Room, named after Standard Oil founder and Clevelander John D. Rockefeller, who was thought to have worked in the building. There is a gift shop selling beer, along with apparel and barware. Tours are available on the weekends.[5] Since its inception, Great Lakes has also served as an incubator for Northeast Ohio brewers, with brewmasters at nearby Market Garden and Goldhorn Brewery in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood both being alumni of Great Lakes.[6][7]

On September 10, 2021, GLBC announced the forthcoming launch of a line of hard seltzer under the brand Agave Twist Ranch Water, released in northern Ohio in October 2021 and scheduled for release throughout the rest of GLBC's distribution footprint in 2022.[8]

Distribution[]

As of 2021, Great Lakes' products are heavily distributed in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. They can be found in Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, Southeast Michigan, Indiana, and west to Minnesota and Wisconsin, south to Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, and east to Syracuse, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.[9]

Beers[]

Year-round[]

Beer Pack % ABV IBU Description
Dortmunder Gold Lager 6, 12, 15
(bottles, 12 oz. & 16 oz. cans) 		5.8 30 An award-winning Dortmunder-style lager which was originally named "The Heisman" after the famous football player and Cleveland native. It is GLBC's first beer, as well as the brewery's best seller.[10][11]
Eliot Ness Amber Lager 6, 12
(bottles) 		6.1 27 An amber lager named after Eliot Ness, the famed prohibition agent and eventual Director of Public Safety in Cleveland. Ness frequented a tavern which is now the site of the GLBC's brewpub, and also has a connection to the Conway family: GLBC co-founders Pat and Dan's mother served as one of Ness's stenographers during his time in Cleveland.[11][12]
Burning River Pale Ale 6, 12
(12 oz. cans)		 6.0 45 An award-winning American pale ale named for the infamous 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River.[13]
Great Lakes IPA 6, 12
(12 oz. cans) 		6.5 50 An American India pale ale named in honor of the Great Lakes region where GLBC is located.[14]
Commodore Perry IPA 6, 12
(bottles, 12 oz. cans)		 7.7 70 An India pale ale named in honor of American naval officer Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, whose contributions in the War of 1812 include the Battle of Lake Erie.[15]
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter 6, 12
(bottles)		 6.0 37 A porter named for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a ship that frequented Cleveland ports and sank in 1975 with many Northeastern Ohioans aboard. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is often named in the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) as the most stylistically correct representative of a porter within the porter category.[11][16]
Hazecraft IPA 6, 12
(12 oz. cans)		 6.7 40 A hazy India pale ale, named in honor of Ohio's contributions toward space exploration, brewed with Simcoe, Azacca, and Lemondrop hops.[17]
Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat 6, 15
(12 oz. cans)		 4.0 10 A light-bodied wheat beer brewed with orange and lemon peel and purée, with 105 calories per 12 oz.[18]
TropiCoastal Tropical IPA 6, 12
(12 oz. cans)		 6.0 60 An India pale ale with notes of tropical fruit.[19]

Seasonal[]

Beer Pack % ABV IBU Availability Description
Conway's Irish Ale 6, 12
(bottles, 12 oz. cans)		 6.3 25 January An Irish ale brewed in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day and named after Patrick Conway, a Cleveland policeman who directed traffic for 25 years near the brewery, and the grandfather of brewery owners Patrick and Daniel Conway.[20]
Lemon Hefeweizen 6, 12
(12 oz. cans) 		5.1 25 March A German-style wheat beer with notes of lemon.[21]
Rally Drum Premium Lager 6
(16 oz. cans) 		4.2 20 March An American-style lager and the official craft beer of the Cleveland Guardians, named in honor of longtime Guardians drummer John Adams. Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop, at select retailers in the greater Cleveland area, and at Progressive Field at all Guardians home games for the 2022 season.[22]
Mexican Lager with Lime 6, 12
(12 oz. cans) 		5.4 20 April A Mexican-style lager brewed with lime.[23]
73 Kolsch 6
(16 oz. cans) 		5.7 20 August A kolsch-style ale brewed in collaboration with former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas.[24] Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop and at select retailers in the greater Cleveland area.
Oktoberfest 6, 12
(bottles, 12 oz. cans)		 6.5 20 August GLBC's interpretation of this Bavarian festival's namesake Märzenbier, a tribute to Cleveland's German heritage.[25]
Ohio City Oatmeal Stout 6, 12
(12 oz. cans)		 5.4 25 October An oatmeal stout for the start of Cleveland's notoriously cold fall and winter.[26]
Christmas Ale 6, 12
(bottles, 12 oz. & 16 oz. cans)		 7.5 30 November An ale brewed with spices and honey. Introduced in 1992 and available exclusively during the holiday season, it is consistently GLBC's second-biggest seller year after year.[11][27]

Imperial IPA series[]

Introduced in 2021, GLBC's Imperial IPA series consists of six premium quality, high-alcohol content (minimum 8.0% ABV) imperial IPAs.

Beer Pack % ABV IBU Availability Description
Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA 4
(16 oz. cans)		 9.5 80 January An unfiltered imperial India pale ale, named to honor Bessie, the monster allegedly living in Lake Erie.[28]
Chillwave Imperial IPA 4
(16 oz. cans)		 9.0 80 March An imperial India pale ale named as a tribute to Lake Erie surfers.[29]
Tidal Fury Imperial Hazy IPA 4
(16 oz. cans) 		8.0 40 May A hazy imperial India pale ale brewed with Trident, Zappa, and Simcoe hops.[18][30]
Ruby's Revenge Imperial Grapefruit IPA 4
(16 oz. cans) 		8.0 75 June An imperial India pale ale brewed with grapefruit purée.[31]
Nosferatu Imperial Red IPA 4
(16 oz. cans)		 8.0 70 September An imperial red India pale ale named for the 1922 German film Nosferatu.[32]
Dank Demon Imperial Dank IPA 4
(16 oz. cans)		 8.0 70 November A dank imperial IPA brewed with a mix of four different hops.[33]

Variety packs[]

A 12-bottle variety pack containing three bottles each of Dortmunder Gold Lager, Eliot Ness Amber Lager, Commodore Perry IPA, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is available year-round. A 15-can "Gimme Five!" variety pack containing three cans each of Dortmunder Gold Lager, Great Lakes IPA, Burning River Pale Ale, Hazecraft IPA, and Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat is also available year-round. A "Crushworthy Collection" variety pack containing three cans of Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat and three cans each of three different fruit variants (Grapefruit, Lemon Lime, and Watermelon) is scheduled for release in May 2022.

Pub exclusives[]

A bottle of Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold pale lager beer

GLBC brews many beers which are only available at their brewpub and restaurant. In some instances, beers that were formerly available throughout the brewery's distribution footprint (e.g., Holy Moses White Ale, Turntable Pils, Blackout Stout) are withdrawn from wide circulation and made available only at the brewpub.

Sustainability[]

Great Lakes Brewing Company has undertaken a number of initiatives to promote sustainability, including recycling promotional materials to create fuel for heating an outdoor structure, the use of straw-bale construction (incidentally the first straw-bale structure in Cleveland), the composting of leftovers from the brewery's restaurant, and the use of local and organic food. The brewery also provides barley left over from the brewing process to local farmers for use as feed and to local bakers who use it to produce bread and pretzels.[34] In addition, the delivery trucks are equipped to use biodiesel and are fueled with left-over vegetable oil from the restaurant. The brewery also uses outside air for cooling during winter months, rather than conventional refrigeration units.[35] The organization is growing, with 5800 members in 2008.

Great Lakes Brewing Company also hosts the meetings of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability, a business network in the Greater Cleveland area focusing on sustainability and entrepreneurship.[35] The brewery has set up displays at a number of sustainability-oriented events, including a 2006 "greener living fair" at Ohio State University,[36] and the "green pavilion" of the 2009 Cleveland Home and Garden Show at the I-X Center.[37]

References[]

  1. ^ Mitchell, Sandy. Great Lakes Brewery. About.com Cleveland. June 13, 2008.
  2. ^ www.gale.com https://web.archive.org/web/20210209045739/https://www.gale.com/databases/questia?docId=5002072930. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-02-04. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Ohio City, Cleveland's complete urban neighborhood, rises - Travel - The Buffalo News". Archived from the original on 2016-07-04.
  4. ^ "Brewers Association Lists Top 50 Breweries of 2015" (Press release). Brewers Association. April 15, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  5. ^ Penders, Carl Francis (3 July 2016). "Ohio City, Cleveland's Complete Urban Neighborhood, Rises". Buffalo News. Buffalo NY: Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Most Interesting People 2013: Andy Tveekrem". clevelandmagazine.com. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
  7. ^ DeMarco, Laura (Nov 3, 2014). "Much-anticipated Hub 55 project in Cleveland's St. Clair-Superior area reveals plans for brewery". cleveland. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Coming Soon: Agave Twist Ranch Water Hard Seltzer". GreatLakesBrewing.com. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. ^ "GLBC Distribution". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  10. ^ "Our Story - The Beginning". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-12-10. The first brew, a Dortmunder-style beer originally called The Heisman (named for the famed football player who lived around the corner from Great Lakes Brewing Company) was an overnight success.
  11. ^ a b c d Cho, Janet H. (Jul 17, 2011). "Patrick Conway, the man behind Great Lakes Brewing and Christmas Ale". cleveland. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Eliot Ness Amber Lager". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2007-12-11. Named after one of Cleveland's most respected safety directors who frequented the Brewpub's bar during his tenure from 1935-1941 and, according to popular legend, was responsible for the bullet holes in the bar still evident today.
  13. ^ "Burning River Pale Ale". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2007-09-17. Retrieved 2007-12-10. Named after the infamous 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River.
  14. ^ "Great Lakes IPA | Great Lakes Brewing Company". www.greatlakesbrewing.com. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
  15. ^ "Commodore Perry IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2007-12-10. This monumental India Pale Ale honors the hero from The War of 1812 who battled the enemy on Lake Erie.
  16. ^ "Edmund Fitzgerald Porter". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2007. Named after the ship that frequently docked in Cleveland and sunk in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975 with many Northeast Ohioans on board.
  17. ^ "Hazecraft IPA Launching Into Orbit August 31". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Meet Our 2021 Lineup". GreatLakesBrewing.com. January 5, 2021.
  19. ^ "TropiCoastal Tropical IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Conway's Irish Ale". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-12-10. Named after Patrick Conway, the grandfather of co-owners Patrick and Daniel Conway and a Cleveland policeman who directed traffic for 25 years near the brewery.
  21. ^ "Lemon Hefeweizen". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Now Batting: Rally Drum Premium Lager!". GreatLakesBrewing.com. March 19, 2021.
  23. ^ "Mexican Lager with Lime". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  24. ^ "73 Kolsch". Great Lakes Brewing Company.
  25. ^ "Oktoberfest". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  26. ^ "Ohio City Oatmeal Stout". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 2017-11-04. Dark and roasty yet light and smooth as a fresh coat of snow.
  27. ^ "Christmas Ale". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  28. ^ "Lake Erie Monster". Great Lakes Brewing Company.[permanent dead link]
  29. ^ "Alchemy Hour Double IPA" (PDF). Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  30. ^ "Tidal Fury Imperial Hazy IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Ruby's Revenge Imperial Grapefruit IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  32. ^ "Nosferatu". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2007-12-10. Named after the notorious German vampire from the 1920s film era.
  33. ^ "Dank Demon Imperial IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  34. ^ "MSN | Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos". www.msn.com. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Unconventional brewery pours over strategies; Brothers push sustainability in Cleveland.(Pat Conway and Dan Conway of Great Lakes Brewing Co.)", Waste News, Feb. 19th, 2007.
  36. ^ "Ohio State U.: Fair promotes greener living to Ohio State U. students.", The America's Intelligence Wire, Oct. 9th, 2006.
  37. ^ ""Cleveland home and garden show opens today at I-X Center, captures beauty of Paris", Norwalk Reflector, Feb. 7 2009". Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.

External links[]

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