41°29′04″N 81°42′16″W / 41.4843807°N 81.7045187°W / 41.4843807; -81.7045187
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | 2516 Market Avenue Cleveland, Ohio United States |
| Products | Beer |
| Owners | Patrick and Daniel Conway |
| Website | www |
Great Lakes Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub in Cleveland, Ohio. The first brewpub and microbrewery in the state, 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. In 2015, it was the 21st-largest craft brewery by volume and the 28th-largest overall brewery in the United States. 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 consume 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. 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.
Distribution
As of 2023, 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., with the New York City market added in October 2023.
Beers
Year-round
| Beer | Pack | % ABV | IBU | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest IPA | 6 (12 oz. & 19.2 oz. cans) |
7.0 | 45 | An India pale ale with a "sensible" amount of hops, marketed as the "unofficial IPA of Midwest Nice." |
| Vibacious Double IPA | 6 (12 oz. & 19.2 oz cans) |
9.0 | 40 | A smooth and hoppy double India pale ale. |
| Juicy Vibacious Double IPA | 6 (12 oz. & 19.2 oz cans) |
9.5 | 40 | A juicy and smooth double India pale ale. |
| Dortmunder Gold Lager | 6, 12, 15 (bottles, 12 oz. & 19.2 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. |
| Hazecraft IPA | 6, 12 (12 oz. & 16 oz. cans) |
6.7 | 40 | A hazy India pale ale named in honor of Ohio's contributions toward space exploration and brewed with Simcoe, Azacca, and Lemondrop hops. |
| Eliot Ness Amber Lager | 6, 12 (bottles, 12 oz. cans) |
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 that is now the site of the GLBC brewpub, which 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. |
| Commodore Perry IPA | 6, 12 (bottles, 12 oz. cans) |
7.7 | 70 | A British-style 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. |
| Edmund Fitzgerald Porter | 6, 12 (bottles, 12 oz. cans) |
6.0 | 37 | A porter named for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which 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. |
| Cold Rush Premium Light Lager | 12 (12 oz. cans) |
4.0 | N/A | A light, easy-drinking lager, with 100 calories per 12 ounces. |
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. |
| Easy Buckets Blonde | 6 (16 oz. cans) |
4.5 | 10 | January | A blonde beer with a smooth finish, brewed as part of GLBC's partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Available at all Cavaliers home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and at retailers within the Cavaliers' broadcast footprint. |
| Vanilla Blackout Stout | 4 (16 oz. cans) |
10.5 | 50 | March | GLBC's Blackout Stout, originally brewed in commemoration of the 2003 northeast blackout, brewed with vanilla. Released in celebration of the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop and at select retailers in the greater Cleveland area. |
| 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. |
| Mexican Lager with Lime | 6, 12 (12 oz. cans) |
5.4 | 20 | April | A Mexican-style lager brewed with lime. |
| Strawberry Pineapple Wheat | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
5.5 | 17 | April | A wheat ale brewed with strawberry and pineapple. |
| Bourbon Barrel Rye | 4 (16 oz. cans) |
11.6 | N/A | May | A rye ale aged in bourbon barrels. |
| Grape Lime Transfusion Hard Seltzer | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
5.0 | N/A | May | A hard seltzer flavored with grape and lime, inspired by the similar-flavored cocktail. Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop and at select retailers in the greater Cleveland area. |
| Kickaround POG Tart | 6, 12 (12 oz. cans) |
4.3 | 10 | June | A tart ale brewed with passion fruit, orange, and guava. |
| Rocket Pop Hard Seltzer | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
5.0 | N/A | June | A hard seltzer flavored with cherry, lime, and blue raspberry, inspired by the classic Bomb Pop frozen confection. Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop and at select retailers in the greater Cleveland area. |
| 73 Kolsch | 6 (16 oz. cans) |
5.7 | 20 | July | A kolsch-style ale brewed in collaboration with former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas. 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. |
| Cran Orange Wheat | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
5.5 | 17 | September | A wheat ale brewed with cranberry and orange. |
| Cookie Exchange Milk Stout | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
5.5 | 15 | October | A milk stout flavored with peanut butter and chocolate, with a rotating cookie-inspired flavor (2024 flavor: peanut butter blossom). |
| Christmas Ale | 6, 12 (bottles, 12 oz. & 16 oz. cans) |
7.5 | 30 | October | 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. Christmas Ale's popularity and cult status have been officially recognized in recent years by GLBC with a "first pour" celebration at the GLBC brewpub, held annually in late October. |
| Barrel Aged Christmas Ale | 4 (16 oz. cans) |
8.0 | 30 | October | GLBC's bestselling Christmas Ale aged for six months in bourbon barrels. |
| Barrel Aged Blackout Stout | 4 (16 oz. cans) |
12.5 | 50 | November | An imperial stout brewed in commemoration of the 2003 Northeast blackout, aged in bourbon barrels. |
Imperial IPA series
Introduced in 2021, GLBC's Imperial IPA series consisted of premium quality, high-alcohol content (minimum 8.0% ABV) imperial IPAs. The series was discontinued following the January 2024 release of Chillwave Imperial IPA.
| Beer | Pack | % ABV | IBU | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillwave Imperial IPA | 4 (16 oz. cans) |
9.0 | 80 | January | An imperial India pale ale named as a tribute to Lake Erie surfers. |
Double Feature IPA series
Launched in 2024, GLBC's Double Feature IPA series consists of three high-alcohol content double IPAs, two of which are reformulated versions of beers formerly released in GLBC's Imperial IPA series.
| Beer | Pack | % ABV | IBU | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return of the Lake Erie Monster Double IPA | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
9.5 | 65 | April | A double IPA that is a "remastered" and reformulated version of Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA and named for Bessie, the monster allegedly living in Lake Erie. |
| Spacewalker Hazy Double IPA | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
8.0 | 70 | June | A hazy double IPA. |
| Nosferatu Double Red IPA | 6 (12 oz. cans) |
8.0 | 70 | August | A red double IPA that is a "remastered" and reformulated version of Nosferatu Imperial Red IPA. Named after the 1922 German film Nosferatu. |
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 is available year-round; the spring/summer version contains three cans each of Strawberry Pineapple Wheat, Midwest IPA, Mexican Lager with Lime, Dortmunder Gold Lager, and Eliot Ness Amber Lager, while the fall/winter version contains three cans each of Dortmunder Gold Lager, Midwest IPA, Cran Orange Wheat, Cold Rush Premium Light Lager, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.
A "Hop Madness" IPA variety pack containing three cans each of Vibacious Double IPA, Hazecraft IPA, Midwest IPA, and a variety pack exclusive Small Batch IPA is available. A Holiday Pack containing six cans each of Christmas Ale and Cookie Exchange Milk Stout is available during the holiday season.
Pub exclusives
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) 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. In addition, the delivery trucks are equipped to use biodiesel and are fueled with left-over vegetable oil from the restaurant. The brewery uses solar panels placed on the roof to preheat the water they use to brew beer. And during the colder months, they use outside air for cooling, rather than conventional refrigeration units. 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. The brewery has set up displays at a number of sustainability-oriented events, including a 2006 "greener living fair" at Ohio State University, and the "green pavilion" of the 2009 Cleveland Home and Garden Show at the I-X Center.
Sports affiliations
GLBC has been the official craft brewery of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB) since 2019, and of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2022.
References
- Mitchell, Sandy. Great Lakes Brewery Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine. About.com Cleveland. June 13, 2008.
- "Ohio City, Cleveland's complete urban neighborhood, rises - Travel - The Buffalo News". Archived from the original on 2016-07-04.
- "Brewers Association Lists Top 50 Breweries of 2015" (Press release). Brewers Association. April 15, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
- Penders, Carl Francis (3 July 2016). "Ohio City, Cleveland's Complete Urban Neighborhood, Rises". Buffalo News. Buffalo NY: Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- "Most Interesting People 2013: Andy Tveekrem". clevelandmagazine.com. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
- 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.
- "GLBC Distribution". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- "Midwest IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- "Vibacious Double IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- "Juicy Vibacious Double IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- "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.
- ^ Cho, Janet H. (Jul 17, 2011). "Patrick Conway, the man behind Great Lakes Brewing and Christmas Ale". cleveland. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
- "Hazecraft IPA Launching Into Orbit August 31". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "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.
- "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.
- "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.
- "Cold Rush Premium Light Lager". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- "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.
- "Easy Buckets Blonde". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- "Now Batting: Rally Drum Premium Lager!". GreatLakesBrewing.com. March 19, 2021.
- "Mexican Lager with Lime". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- "Strawberry Pineapple Wheat". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- "Bourbon Barrel Rye". Great Lakes Brewing Company.
- "Grape Lime Transfusion". Great Lakes Brewing Company.
- "Kickaround POG Tart". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- "Limited Edition Rocket Pop Hard Seltzer Blasts Off!". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- "73 Kolsch". Great Lakes Brewing Company.
- "Oktoberfest". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- "Cran Orange Wheat". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- "Cookie Exchange Milk Stout". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- "Christmas Ale". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- "Barrel Aged Christmas Ale". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- "Barrel Aged Blackout Stout". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- "Alchemy Hour Double IPA" (PDF). Great Lakes Brewing Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- "Return of the Lake Erie Monster Double IPA". Great Lakes Brewing Company.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - "MSN | Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos". www.msn.com. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
- Armon, Rick (2011). Ohio Breweries (1st ed.). Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-8117-0868-5.
- ^ "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.
- "Ohio State U.: Fair promotes greener living to Ohio State U. students.", The America's Intelligence Wire, Oct. 9th, 2006.
- ""Cleveland home and garden show opens today at I-X Center, captures beauty of Paris", Norwalk Reflector, Feb. 7 2009". Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved Nov 18, 2020.
- "Great Lakes Brewing Co. The Official Craft Beer of Cleveland Baseball". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- "Great Lakes Brewing Co. Official Craft Beer of the Cleveland Cavaliers". Great Lakes Brewing Company. Retrieved 14 October 2022.