Great Lakes Brewing Company

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Great Lakes? The beer selection is phenomenal! I don’t think I’ve had one I don’t like. My personal favorite has to be the Edmund Fitzgerald. If you like a dark beer, this one will knock your socks off.
The brewery tour is really interesting. There is a lot of history behind the brewery, where it is located and the names of the beers they brew. They tour guides were extremely friendly and could answer just about any question that got thrown their way.
After our tour we ate at the restaurant. The food was really good. They try to incorporate their beer in a lot of different ways, from the pretzels to the breading they use. It really adds a nice flavor to the food, and if you pair the food with their suggestion, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s obvious that Great Lakes has made a huge effort in making sure their customers are satisfied. Despite the fact that we were there on a great weekend day and it was crowded, our food came out promptly, the servers were extremely happy and welcoming. I would go back over and over!

Tops. Great Lakes Brewing Company knows what they’re doing, and has been as successful as it is for good reason.

Great experience! The beer was awesome — I had two of the pub-​only selections. Rye of the tiger and a red beer (I forget the name). We waited at the downstairs pub for our table and the bartender downstairs was super nice even when we kept closing the tab but deciding to order more.
We were seated in the area near the store. The only gripe is that the table was tiny and there wasn’t enough room between you and the tables on the other side (booths). As for the food, everything was good. I ordered the spinach, mushroom and brie pizza. It was great! Perfect size for one person (although it could have been shared, I had leftovers). Other orders at the table were a burger (don’t know which one), perogies, and fish and chips. I have to comment that the tartar sauce was addictive.
The service was awesome as well.
In the store, I wish they sold non-​chilled beer especially if you want to take it back with you.

Great food and great atmosphere. The staff were friendly and the service excellent. They have homemade tater tots! The bomb!

I am a huge fan of this local brewery in the heart of Ohio City off of West 25^th across from the Flying Fig. I had the salmon salad, which was cooked just right for me on a better of crisp lettuce with sweet peppers. This is a casual dining place where everyone can come enjoy some local food and beers.
You have to check out the basement where you can see where they use to brew beer, but better yet, schedule a tour of the actual brewery. It is amazing! My favorite beer is the class Great Lakes Dortmunder lager beer. This is a must stop place in Ohio City!

Enjoyed a beautiful Spring afternoon sitting in the patio at Great Lakes Brewing Company while in town for business. Maybe due to slower afternoon staff, but we had to order inside and bring it out to a small patio area just for people who weren’t there to eat. Not too big of a deal. Beer was good.

Stopped for a bit before an Indians Game. We were outside on the patio where you can order «baskets» of food and drinks from the bar inside. The beer choices are fantastic and the food was surprisingly good. We had the pretzel bites, the house made tator tots and the sliders. All of them were quick to come out, fresh, hot and yummy. We also paid $ 1 to get a ride to and from the Indians Game on their Fatty Wagon. Great experience.

The granddaddy of Cleveland microbreweries has settled into a sort of complacency as of late, providing nothing that other (many, many) new kids of the block can’t provide in spades, choosing instead to continue representing itself as, in essence, your old man’s version of a local brewery. While this reliability is surely a comfort to some, a pronounced lack of overall daring, coupled with a saddening absence of vegetarian options, prevents GLBC from attaining the level of excellence its esteemed legacy would no doubt seem, at first glance, to afford it. The beer is masterfully brewed (and accounts for the 4 star rating on its own), it probably goes without saying, but chances never seem to be taken with the flavor profiles anymore. Not that I necessarily crave a chocolate habanero stout brewed in bourbon barrels and flavored with hibiscus, but resting on one’s laurels (dortmunder, conway’s, various ipas and red ales) seems a dangerous proposition in such a saturated market. Grievances re: a somewhat depleted sense of adventure having been aired, however, let us note that the staff at this locale are nothing if not polite, helpful, and irresistibly sharp on their recommendations. It is just a shame that the boozy microcosm they tend has seemingly lost its once so vital spark, glossy new labels notwithstanding.

Wanted to rate higher but the Session IPA I tried was 3 star at best, in addition, the «I’m a hipster and don’t give a sh$t about you» service is the reason for the overall two star review. We sat down at the patio tables and were ignored while some tatooed server talked to his friends next to us. We had to order at bar and bring back to table. I’m a beer lover and found this to be really dissapointing, especially in a competitive industry.

Wonderful spot! I first have to say how nice it is to see nothing but smiling faces from all of the staff from beginning to end of our time spent here. It is refreshing to see that they seem to love their job and are well trained in their jobs.
There are so many options here, sit on the beautiful and welcoming patio, upstairs bar, downstairs bar, regular indoor tables. We opted for outdoor patio because of the gorgeous night. It is clean with the perfect ambiance. There was an Indians home game last night and it was packed, but the crowd was not obnoxious. It was fun, polite, and everyone was well behaved.
Had the Dortmunder Lager as my beer last night, the table shared pub bites, pretzels, and I personally had the Spinach and Brie pizza as my entrée. Food is very good, all ingredients are from local Ohio vendors, which I appreciate. We were a group of four and all entrees were presented in a lovely manner and everyone enjoyed their food (pulled pork sandwich, steak special, another pizza). I could not finish the pizza, but packed it up in a (A+ for this!) Eco-​friendly to go box!
Our waitress was amazing. Very personable, attentive, never let beers or waters go completely empty, she even had cute little hops earrings on. She was great!
This was a wonderful experience and I’m just sad I don’t live in town! I’ll have to talk my boyfriend in moving back to Cleveland! :)

Food: 4
Décor: 5
Ambiance: 5
Service: 4
Value: 5
The food was slightly short of great, but the star here is clearly the beer. I tried 8 of their offerings, and all were amazing. Great Lakes Brewing definitely didn’t disappoint.

We are at the pub and was very pleased with the menu for «brewery food». I want to come back and try everything! Lots of items are locally sourced and many are vendors from the west side market they use which I love!
You have to get the pretzels as an appetizer if you come here !
We also did the brewery tour– you get four healthy «sample» servings of the beer (already strong) and was neat to learn the history behind it. We had an older gentlemen as our tour guide and he was funny and made the tour special for all of us!

We came here to have a flight of beers before heading to Tremont for lunch. I’ve been buying bottled GLBC beers for years, but sometimes it’s nice to sample a fresh pint on site. The place was packed in the early afternoon on Good Friday, but it would have only taken 10 – 15 minutes to secure a table. Instead, we swooped in on two seats at the bar downstairs and chose to try all 11 beers that they had on draught.
The bartenders downstairs were excellent and provided wonderful service to the packed bar area. Watching them pour flights was kind of mesmerizing and I wish I could have captured it on video! I tend to like my beers on one of either end of the spectrum: light, spicy, and fruity or dark, rich, and slightly bitter. It should come as no surprise then that my favorite draughts of the day were the Grand Cru (Belgian ale with coriander and citrus), the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (chocolate-​coffee notes), the Woodtooth Porter, and the Wolfhound Stout. I think the Wolfhound Stout was my overall favorite of the day, but we compromised and took home a growler of the Woodtooth Porter. The flight was $ 16.50 and well worth it, though you can sample individual beers for $ 1.50 a pour.
We didn’t have anything to eat here, but let me tell you something… the gentleman next to me ordered the Po Man and it took some serious self-​control to not straight up steal it off of his plate. The sandwich has Czuchraj smoked kielbasa, pierogies, beer mustard, and sauerkrauit (all local), and it smelled like a little slice of Cleveland heaven. If we hadn’t had plans to have lunch elsewhere, that’s exactly what I would have ordered. We honestly thought about staying for lunch but ended up leaving. I will be back and the Po Man will be mine!

I’m honestly not a big beer fan but GLBC may have changed that. The tour was fun and it was really cool learning about the company and how they give back to the community.

Came here back in 2013 while a road trip with 2 friends. It was so good, we came back on the way home! Let’s start with the beer. I’m not a big drinker but the beer here was the best I ever had! It really made me wish, at the time, we had Great Lakes at home. Surprise surprise, it started to show up in the stores and at restaurants on tap a few months later. My favorite has to be the Edmund Fitzgerland! If you can get a sampler to try out, please do so and try them all. You won’t regret it!
The bar itself was small but exactly what we were looking for. Did I mention that some nights, they have live entertainment down there as well? We felt right at home. The bartender we dealt with was extremely professional and just overall a good person, making suggestions for us to try things and where to go since we were not from the area.
If I ever go back to Cleveland, this will be my first stop. Be warned though, parking situation is a little tough but this have nothing to do with the restaurant. I suggest, if you want to get a table or sit at the bar in peace, to come before the 5pm dinner crowd!

Wait… I haven’t reviewed GLBC? My only excuse is that living 2 blocks from it, I suppose I kind of take it for granted but there’s really little I can add to the already spot-​on raves from fellow Unilocalers.
GLBC is in the top 5 of «Where would you take someone who’s new to Cleveland?» restaurants, again specifically because I live in Ohio City. The atmosphere is great although as some have said, crowded during certain events such as the Christmas Ale release.
The food — eh, the burgers I’ve had there aren’t OMG, but they are locally raised, sustainable blah blah as it goes these days, farm to table and all that. I mean they feed the cows the spent grain from the brewery — talk about recycling. What friends and I love to get are the pub bites — they’re like chicken nuggets, only delicious little cod bites! They come with a house «tartar sauce» that is def homemade without pickles to muck it up. Pickles are ew. It even has a slight kick from horseradish to tingle your tastebuds and of course to leave your mouth yearning for what? Wait for it…
A tall, cold beer.
I’m not a craft beer geek… I barely know what hops are other than a natural pain reliever. It’s true, Go on, open Google in a new tab and look it up. I don’t care about some scale that measures hoppiness in a beer and I kind of feel like being caught up in all that takes away from just enjoying the product. In my case I’m afraid I’m pretty unadventurous — I like the Dortmunder and Burning River Pale Ale and like many, I could bathe in Oktoberfest brew. I’m telling you… Early October, that chill in the air and you’re sitting outside with some chums enjoying Oktoberfest beer while dipping their spent grain bread into some Stilton cheddar soup? Heaven, baby.
LOL, one word though… I did find out after rather swooping in on a brewery tour one night as they walked into the plant, that it is not «free», but ha ha, the lady just said well, nothing we can do about it now, consider it your Christmas present.
I love living in Ohio City, love walking to the market and smelling the malt and yeast coming from Great Lakes, love that they are sustainable, and love telling people about our terrific city. Now get out there and enjoy it!

Came here Saturday night after the beer festival at the convention center for some late night (drunken) snacks. We couldn’t handle anymore beer, so we had dark and stormy’s, which were quite good. For an appetizer we ordered the pretzels and I had a mushroom pizza for my entrée. The pizza was quite good, but maybe had a little too much blue cheese. The server was extremely friendly, despite the late hour. We usually only come here for beer, but were happy with the food. Our favorite thing about glbc is the downstairs cavernous bar. The beers at glbc have slipped in recent years, imho. Definitely not the best in Ctown anymore, but they’re still pretty good.

This review is for the bar and brewery! My wife is a fan of Great Lakes Brewery and it was great that it was in the city of Cleveland!
The brewery tour was well worth it! It was $ 5 a person! You must register online or take a chance and go as a walk in! You have to go to the galleria that is located next to the gift shop. They had tours from 5 – 8. Went on the 5pm tour and it was completely booked! I don’t remember how many couples were there but it was a decent size to where it wasn’t annoying because it was a large crowd! The tour begins by singing in a receiving your 4 drink chips! They are good for 4 oz samples of their popular beer! The tours starts with 5 – 10 min video and the history of the brewery. After this you go across the street to the actually brewery! This tour last about 40 – 45 mins. Total time for the tour is about a hour!
The bar had a very casual atmosphere! We just went there because they had my wife’s favorite craft beer! It was called Christmas Ale! It wasn’t my cup of tea but just had to go because it’s my wife’s thing. The bar tenders were pretty good with the service. It’s a full bar but the main focus is their beer!
This place is worth a visit! The BREWERY is must!!!

This is one of my favorite places in Cleveland. I’m surprised I’ve never written a review!
The food is always great, and we try something new every time. Their grainy mustard is amazing — we have gone there just for that!
You can’t go wrong with any of the beer. I love to try their seasonal, but the Edmund Fitzgerald or Dortmunder are my go to if I’m not feeling adventurous.
Also, you have to check out all three floors. My favorite is the lower levels. I love the exposed stone; it just feels cozy.

Great Lakes Brewing Company has always been on my list of breweries I wanted to visit.
The neighourbhood was dark and quiet when we arrived after our Cavaliers game but the pub was busy and hopping!
We sampled some Pub Exclusive which only available at the actual Brewery:
Red Right 88
Cleveliner Weisse
Ohio City Farmhouse
Rye-​O-​Rye Can’t We Win Orange and Brown
Mash Appeal (Collaboration with Oskar Blues and Lagerheads) Beer for Beer Week 2015
Service was super friendly. I love the selection on taps which changes seasonally.
Great place for beer lovers and as a neighourhood pub to chill with your friends.

The beer is (obviously) awesome. The food is just kinda– meh. There are so many really good places around I feel like this place is hard to compete.
They don’t have a ton of really original options, and everything we got was just pretty good. My boyfriend ordered perogies, kielbasa, and sauerkraut and it was AWFUL. Not to mention it came out plated very uh– phallicy. No way it wasn’t intentional, but we have a sense of humor lol. The service was decent. We will likely come back only to drink a few at the bar, and head somewhere else to eat.

Crowded for a Tuesday at 2 p. m…I guess I shouldn’t be surprised as this Brewery has an excellent reputation for great craft beer and it is the holiday break.
We were told 30 to 50 minute wait but due to a «no show» our party of 6 was seated in under 10. Although I would have preferred the pub, beggars can’t be choseres, so sitting in the enclosed patio was just fine.
Service came quick and was friendly.
I had not had their Abbey Ave. Double… and it did not disappoint. Really quite good. Dad liked the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter as well
Started with soup. Mom liked the cream of broccoli and I LOVED the cheese soup. Outstanding!
Everyone like their meals and I know my meatloaf sandwich was quite good. Although I think I would have like a beef meatloaf more than the turkey they served.
Overall a very good lunch.

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 couldn’t 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 aren’t 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 entrée, 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 wasn’t too keen on the pierogis because I think it was filled with goat cheese, which I’m not a fan of. The bratwurst was good, but nothing amazing. But the cheddar ale soup that the waiter recommended he pair the entrée with tasted like liquid crack. It was cheddary, smooth, creamy but not nauseatingly creamy. It also went well with my pretzel chicken. Or maybe I’m just biased because it was just so good — I would probably say that it goes well with anything.
There’s a gift shop in between the brewery and the restaurants. You can pick up souvenirs and more importantly, six packs to bring home!

If you know me, you know why I love this place. Amazing outdoor seating on a great street for people watching, delicious mac & cheese, and decadent desserts can all be found at this little gem!
First, the mac & cheese. Listen, the bacon bits are an amazing touch. Makes the taste SO GOOD! I had a local beer (whose name I cannot remember… but it was a blonde ale), and that was also very good despite me not being a huge beer drinker. The dessert… oh boy… we couldn’t decide on just one, so we got two. The ice cream, which is apparently made locally, was awesome! The cheesecake was the star of the show! All I will say about it is that you MUST try it if you go there! You’ll thank me later!
Our server, Mia, was very friendly and even split our checks without us even asking her to!

I’ve been here several times over the last few years but I will focus this review on my last visit. I joined a few friends after work to attend «beer school», located in the beer symposium on the side of the brewpub. What a great experience!
We enjoyed a tour of the brewery and learned about the science behind making beer. We then sat for a tasting of 6 beers, paired with a delicious Great Lakes pretzel and snacks. The staff educated the group on the history behind each beer as we went along. At the end you get a t-​shirt and a glass to take home. Great value and great night!

I’ve seen some of Great Lakes brews on tap in both Cleveland and western Pennsylvania. After I visited the West Side Market I got hungry, and realized the brewery was just around the corner, so it seemed like a good place to get some lunch.
I was by myself, and both the hostess and server were gracious and didn’t make me feel awkward, which is always a plus. The patio is great, with a nice fountain and plenty of shade. My server had really helpful beer recommendations, and steered me toward a great IPA (the Session IPA– very drinkable). For food, I ordered the fish and chips. The fish was one large piece which was a little tricky to eat, but the beer batter was great and the fish was flaky and delicious. The cole slaw was all right, but the best part was the fries– they’re the thick-​cut pub-​style and covered in sea salt or parmesan or crack or something, but they were some of the best fries I’ve ever had.
I didn’t go on the tour, although it seemed like a nice space (after living in Colorado I’ve been on my fair share of brewery tours), but I’d love to try more of the beers sometime when I’m not driving, and I’d definitely consider a repeat visit next time I’m in Cleveland.

I’m not a HUGE fan of craft beer, honestly, because I hate hops & haven’t 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 décor, 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 guide’s 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 GLBC’s 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 didn’t 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, & I’d 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!