Great Lakes Brewery Visit 2---Ohio City Downtown

Since my girlfriend took over our house for a girls night, my friend and I decided to make a trip to Great Lakes Brewing Company to have three very special brews they put on tap, 2 of which will be gone VERY soon.

Food---I ordered the Fish and Chips.  The fish was Alaskan cod fried in Edmund Fitzgerald Porter batter.  The fish was very soft, juicy and flaky.   Usually when I eat fried fish I use malt vinegar, but this time I ate the fish without anything because the fish and batter combo were so good.  The Edmund Fitzgerald Porter batter was very tasty.  It was not too thick which allowed it to properly fry all the way through and still keep the fish inside moist and flavorful.   There wasn't a hint of left over grease from the fryer and the batter was crispy from first bite until the last one.  The pub fries were also excellent.  They had a rosemary flavor to them with lots of sea salt.   When I was done eating all you could see was the white plate.  This meal was excellent and I'd gladly order it again!  4.5/5

Drinks---At Great Lakes Brewing Company you'd be crazy not to try one, or more, of their amazing line up of craft beers.   They honestly have a style of beer that would meet the needs of any beer lover.  Our trip to Great Lakes was all about having three special brews.  The first brew that we had to have was the Quitness.  This IPA was brewed for one reason, to poke fun at the "King" Lebron James.  The Quitness is only avalible at the brewpub on draft, and only for a limited time, so if you plan on having one you better get there as soon as you read this!   Our second brew was the Barrel Aged Blackout Stout.  This is their Russian Imperial Stout but it is aged in an oak bourbon barrel which seriously gives this brew some kick!  You could have found this in bottles if you were at the brewpub within the first 6 hours of it going on sale because that is how fast they sold every single bottle of it.  They do still have it on tap at the brewpub, but like the Quitness if you want a taste, you'd better hurry down. Our final must have of the night was nothing to hurry down for because you can have it in bottles or drafts all over Cleveland for about the next 3-4 months, and that is Christmas Ale.  There is just something about having a draft of the first batch of the season after not having it for 8 months!   For a more detailed review of each brew simply click on the beer's name or go to the CraftBeer Review Page.  5/5

Overall---Great Lakes was absolutely packed tonight.  Just walking around the bar and the basement brewpub without spilling your beer was a chore.  My friend and I chose to go downstairs to the brewpub while we waited for a table (1.5 hour wait for a table.)  After standing around for about 30mins waiting for a table to open up in the brewpub (these tables are first come first serve) a group of people next to us who had pushed three 2-tops together graciously offered a 2-top and a couple seats so we could sit down and eat.   We really appreciated this and they were a pleasure to talk to!  Once seated we ordered from the bar (which you have to do in the brewpub) and our food came out to us amazingly quick, 20 minutes,  despite being super busy.  The bartender who brought our food out to us also took our drink orders and even offered to split our bar tab for us when we were ready to go.  As busy as they were our service was beyond belief.  I would have loved to have service this good even on a slow night!  The atmosphere of the basement brewpub is really somethign you have to experience.  You really feel like you are thrown back in time.  The stone walls and the architecture of the basement are very unique. 4.5/5

Check out my other review of Great Lakes too!!