Cleveland Rocks: Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon, Cleveland, OH

The hunt for great beer is an endless one for a beer lover. Anytime I find myself on a trip any where, it is a new beer hunt. I make sure that I look for what is brewing locally, and try to visit as many local brewpub and breweries as I can. Cleveland, OH is a city I have been to on a number of occasions, so I was very happy when I visited about a year ago to find that in the suburb of North Olmsted, OH another outstanding brewpub/brewery had joined the ranks of great places to drink beer in the Cleveland Area.

That place is Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon. For those who know good beer, Fat Head's Saloon is a legendary Pittsburgh, PA beer bar, that in 2009 branched out, and established its own brewery in the Cleveland area. You can find the Fat Head beers pouring at the original saloon in Pittsburgh, PA but it is here in Cleveland where the Fat Head beers are brewed, which made it a must visit for me.

Like the saloon in Pittsburgh, Fat Head's Brewery gets it right on so many levels. The space is huge, the atmosphere is awesome, its well staffed and well run. The menu like the saloon in Pittsburgh is extensive and they offer the legendary Headwiches, which are huge over stuffed sandwiches that will satisfy the biggest eaters. I suggest if you are in Cleveland, try the Full Cleveland a one pound sandwich of grilled kielbasa, bratwurst, hot pepper kraut, melted Swiss, thousand island dressing, and Cleveland's own Stadium mustard. To die for.

What the real draw here is of course is the beer. Fathead's serves at any given time 10 of their house brewed beers along with about 20 more taps of craft brewed beers and imports. The selection is staggering. As much as I love the choices, I go with the house brews, and you will not be disappointed. Fathead's has only been brewing since 2009 but have already offered about 40 different beer styles, and they are doing them all very, very well. I could have lost an entire afternoon in this place. On my trip I was able to enjoy their IPA, Chocolate Stout, hefeweizen, and Czech pilsner. I was very impressed with how flavorful and stylistically accurate these beer were. A very good sign indeed.

Great atmosphere, great service, great food, great local beer. For a brewpub/brewery experience, you can not ask for more. Growlers to go as well. I love this place, and it quickly has become a personal favorite of mine. Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon is an absolute must visit if you ever find yourself in and around the Cleveland, OH area. For more info visit:

http://www.fatheadscleveland.com/