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] In 2015, it was the 21st-largest craft brewery by volume and the 28th-largest overall brewery in the United States.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5][6]
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.[11][12]
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.[13]
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.[12][14]
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.[12][16]
Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat
6, 15 (12 oz. & 16 oz. cans)
4.0
10
A light-bodied wheat ale brewed with orange and lemon peel and purée, with 105 calories per 12 oz.[17]
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]
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.[21] 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.[22]
A wheat ale brewed with strawberry and pineapple.[24]
Grape Lime Transfusion Hard Seltzer
TBA
TBA
TBA
May
TBA.
Kickaround POG Tart
6, 12 (12 oz. cans)
4.3
10
June
A tart ale brewed with passion fruit, orange, and guava.[25]
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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]
A limited-edition release based on the recipe for Eliot Ness Amber Lager, aged in bourbon barrels and released in celebration of GLBC's 35th anniverary.[30]
Cookie Exchange Milk Stout
6 (12 oz. cans)
5.5
15
October
A milk stout flavored with speculoos flavor and vanilla extract, with a rotating cookie-inspired flavor (2023 flavor: caramel vanilla shortbread).[31]
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.[12][32] 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.[33]
A Belgian quad aged in bourbon barrels, the first entry in GLBC's new Limited Barrel Aged Series.[35] Available exclusively at the GLBC gift shop as a limited release.
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.[36]
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.[37]
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 containing three cans each of Dortmunder Gold Lager, Midwest IPA, Hazecraft IPA, Cran Orange Wheat, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is also available.
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
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) 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.[38] 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.[39] And during the colder months, they use outside air for cooling, rather than conventional refrigeration units.[40] The organization is growing, with 5800 members in 2008.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
