Cleveland is known for many things: our fierce loyalty to our sports teams; our location on Lake Erie; even some of our cool museums. But Cleveland should probably also be known for its growing beer scene.
Cleveland is full of amazing craft breweries, and a visit to the city wouldn’t be complete without checking out at least a few of them. Luckily for you, most are located within a short drive or walk from each other. (Cleveland isn’t *that* big, after all.)
So whether you want to create your own craft brewery crawl, or just want to sample a few beers, here are all the best breweries that Cleveland has to offer.
Top 11 craft breweries in Cleveland
1. Great Lakes Brewing Company
Address: 2516 Market Avenue, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: The OG craft brewery, best brewery tour
Best beer: Seasonal beers like Great Lakes Christmas Ale and Cleveland classics like their Burning River IPA
Website: Great Lakes Brewing
In 1986, back before craft brewing was cool, Great Lakes Brewing Company took up space in the old, rundown neighborhood of Ohio City. They brought business back to the neighborhood and paved the way for many breweries to come.
Founders Pat and Dan Conway were inspired by the beer they drank while traveling across Europe. They hired the master brewer and engineer from the last brewery in Cleveland that closed in the early 1980s, and it took off.
While they may be the OG craft brewery in Cleveland, they also serve up classic, Cleveland-themed beers like Burning River IPA (named after the famous Cuyahoga River catching on fire in the 1960s) and the Elliott Ness Amber Lager (named for the prohibition-agent-turned-safety-director in Cleveland).
Aside from the great beer, they also serve amazing pub food like potato kegs (giant, cheesy tater tots) and pub bites (Alaskan cod, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter batter, and homemade cocktail and tartar sauces).
And while you’re there, definitely check out their brewery tour. For $15, you get to see the ins and outs of the brewery on top of enjoying four 5 oz. samples of beer!
2. Masthead Brewing Company
Address: 1261 Superior Ave, Cleveland (Downtown)
Known for: Fantastic can releases, IPAs, and pizza
Best beer: Citra Vice Hazy IPA and Single Origin Coffee Stout
Website: Masthead Brewing Co.
Definitely noteworthy, Masthead is perfect for watching any Cleveland sports team with friends on their many screens before ordering their delicious wood-fired pizza.
Pizza and beer belong together like peanut butter and jelly, so it just makes sense that they created delicious and chewy pizza to go with their many beers on tap. But our favorite thing isn’t just the pizza, the beer is pretty great, too, and also ever-rotating.
Not many people are willing to stand outside in freezing temperatures before noon on a Saturday for beer, but when people are waiting in a line so long that it wraps around the block, you know you’ve struck beer gold.
Masthead frequently releases new beers, and will celebrate with a giant can release party. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. So you want to get in quick and stock up on their latest on offer.
Lately, they’ve knocked it out of the park with their New England IPAs, especially the Colony Collapse Triple New England IPA.
Come for the beers, stay for the tasty pizza creations.
3. Terrestrial Brewing Company
Address: 7524 Father Frascati, Cleveland (Edgewater)
Known for: Views of the lake, being dog friendly
Best beer: Citropapotomus IPA or Public Pilsner
Website: Terrestrial Brewing on Facebook
This is the perfect brewery to visit after a day spent at Cleveland’s Edgewater Beach. If you want to catch a vastly underrated Lake Erie sunset, this is the place to do it. Terrestrial is located in Battery Park, just a quick walk from the beach.
Known for being dog-friendly, bring your pooch and sit on their patio while you enjoy the breeze and sip their latest beers. We love their Citropapotomus IPA, but whatever is currently in their infuser is always a good call, too. They’ll frequently infuse their classic beers with various fruits and other items to give it an even tastier finish.
This is the perfect spot to soak up Saturday afternoon sunshine and get your weekly dose of cute pups.
4. Butcher and the Brewer
Address: 2043 E 4th St, Cleveland (Downtown)
Known for: Farm to table deliciousness meets craft beer
Best beer: Albino Stout or Stop Hop Kaboom IPA
Website: Butcher and the Brewer
Located on Cleveland’s bustling East 4th Street, the Butcher and the Brewer offers unique beers and incredible food. Many dishes are served small plate style, which allows you to pair their house-smoked corn dogs, dry-aged beef sliders, or smoked whole wings (they are a butcher shop, after all) with amazing beers like their Stop Hop Kaboom IPA or any of their hand-crafted cocktails.
This is the perfect place to go before a night out at the theatre at Playhouse Square, or before catching a baseball game at Progressive Field.
5. Collision Bend Brewing Company
Address: 1250 Old River Rd, Cleveland (The Flats)
Known for: Great food and views!
Best Beer: Lake Erie Sunset
Website: Collision Bend Brewing
Located where the Cuyahoga River bends in the Flats, this scenic brewery has outdoor seating to enjoy the river views (it’s one of our favorite patios in Cleveland!). With claims of serving up Southern California street food with natural ingredients, you know the menu will be eclectic and tasty, too.
This is the perfect place to split some small plates with friends like their cheese and charcuterie board or buffalo tofu before getting big plates like their beer cheese mac with pork belly or vegetable poke bowl.
Okay, though, enough about the food. Let’s get into their equally inventive beers! They’ve got your classics like C-Town IPA and Bollard Pull American Porter, but for those willing to branch out, they have Legend of the Guava American Wheat with Guava or the Red Moon Rising Smoked Red Ale.
Our favorite, though, is the tasty Lake Erie Sunset Blood Orange American Wheat beer. It always goes perfectly with good friends, pretty sunsets, and that mac and cheese.
6. Noble Beast Brewing Company
Address: 1470 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland (Downtown)
Known for: Beautiful brewery with eclectic beer styles
Best Beer: Catchweight Kolsch and Imperial Cookies and Milk Stout
Website: Noble Beast Beer
Great food, great venue, and great beer pretty much describe Noble Beast Brewing Company in a nutshell. On a warm, sunny day, enjoy the plants dangling from the ceiling, the front collapsible wall pushed all the way open, and crisp beers to sip.
With quirky beers like the Imperial Cookies and Milk Stout or the Kilbane’s Irish Nitro Stout, Noble Beast might convert anyone who claims to dislike dark beer. But the best beers are some of their German varieties like the Lichtenhainer, an ale brewed with beechwood smoked barley malt and malted wheat.
No matter the beer you get, be sure to try the food, too. They take pub fare to the next level with their impossible vegan burger, deliciously interesting salads, and their Mousetrap (local meat and cheese board with their in-house Kolsch mustard, pickled veggies, croustades, and flax crackers).
7. Platform Beer Co.
Address: 4125 Lorain Ave, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Great patio and huge beer menu
Best Beer: New Cleveland Palesner and their sour beers
Website: Platform Beer Co.
A short walk from other Ohio City breweries like Great Lakes Brewing Company, this location is also a must-visit. Originally opened in 2014, they now also boast tasting rooms in Columbus and Cincinnati.
If you’re a fan of sours, you’ll love Platform’s creations that come from its own sour beer-making facility (Phunkenship, which now has its own tasting room on Sackett Ave.).
In 2020, Platform opened up a new beer garden concept called The Lot, located right next to its Lorain Ave. location. The Lot is home to themed seating areas inside converted shipping containers and is a unique spot to grab a beer or two.
8. Sibling Revelry Brewing
Address: 29305 Clemens Rd, Westlake
Known for: Food truck and trivia nights
Best Beer: Pecan Brown Ale and Siblime
Website: Sibling Revelry Brewing
While it’s a bit of a drive west from downtown, this brewery will not disappoint. They offer a food truck and snacks most days, or feel free to bring your own – like some Swenson’s burgers! All of it tastes great with their beers on draft.
Notable offerings include their Pecan Brown Ale and Winter Ale in the colder months, and their Siblime and Cherry Wit in the summer. Relax with friends, play some board games that they provide, or try out their trivia during trivia night.
9. Jolly Scholar Brewing Company
Address: 11111 Euclid Ave, Cleveland (inside Thwing Center)
Known for: Serious college vibes with grown-up beers
Best Beer: Tyndall Effect New England IPA and Jolly White IPA
Website: The Jolly Scholar
Plan on having your ID checked here. Located literally on a college campus – inside the student center of Case Western Reserve to be exact – this brewery is certainly offering more than the Natty Lite most of us were accustomed to from our college days.
With beers like the Tyndall Effect New England IPA and Salted Caramel Coffee Porter, you’ll surely be able to find something to enjoy. All while watching sports on the televisions, admiring photos from scholars of yore, and being pleasantly surprised by the variety of people who enjoy this brewery who aren’t students.
If you want a throwback to your college days (but with much better beer), this is definitely the place to go. It also is located in the University Circle area, which has tons of great places to check out including the Cleveland Museum of Art.
10. Fat Head’s Brewery
Address: 24581 Lorain Rd, North Olmsted; 17450 Engle Lake Dr, Middleburg Hts
Known for: Largest tasting room and sandwiches as large as your head
Best Beer: Bumbleberry and Head Hunter IPA
Website: Fat Head’s
I guess with a name like Fat Head’s you’ve got to be huge, right? What started as a smaller brewery in Pittsburgh back in 1992, Fat Head’s grew, branching out into Cleveland in 2009 with two spaces: Fat Head’s Cleveland Brewery and Saloon in North Olmstead, and the huge production brewery that opened in Middleburg Heights.
And it isn’t just the space it is taking up that’s huge. Expect huge flights of beer and sandwiches as large as your head! The sandwiches are so large they literally call them “headwiches.” So come hungry (and thirsty) to their saloon and enjoy favorites like their year-round Bumbleberry or Head Hunter IPA, or their seasonal beers like their Holly Jolly Christmas Ale, G’Suffa Oktoberfest, Benjamin Danklin IPA, or Barley Brown’s IPA.
Be sure to check out their brewery tour in their new production facility, too. And if you’re ever in the Saloon, be sure to pick up some swag to take a photo with on your travels! They have a huge wall of Fat Head’s Around the World!
11. Saucy Brew Works
Address: 2885 Detroit Ave, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Good beer and pizzas; they also do tours on Fridays and Saturdays
Best Beer: What’s His Nuts and Love You, Bye
Website: Saucy Brew Works
Saucy Brew Works has grown quite a bit in the last couple of years, especially with a new location in Pinecrest as well as in nearby cities including Columbus and Detroit.
To top it off, they have the Vibe Garden in their Ohio City location complete with sand volleyball courts, Giant Yard Pong courts, and plenty of picnic tables to relax on a warm summer evening with friends.
They also always have multiple TVs in their brewpub for watching Cleveland sports while you enjoy a tasty, freshly made pizza.
Some great beers to sample include their year-round favorite Love You, Bye Imperial Hazy IPA, and the Juicy ASAP IPA as well as their seasonal classics like the Three Hos Christmas Ale and What’s His Nuts? Vanilla Coffee Stout with peanut butter.
Other Cleveland breweries
Did you know that Cleveland is currently home to more than 30 different craft breweries?? If you want to visit even MORE, here are 20+ additional breweries in the Greater Cleveland area (in alphabetical order to make it easier):
12. Avon Brewing Company
Address: 37040 Detroit Rd, Avon
Known for: Burgers and handcrafted beer, plus a nice patio
Website: Avon Brewing Company
13. Blue Monkey Brewing Company
Address: 5540 Wallings Rd, North Royalton
Known for: Small brewery with good beer and live music
Website: Blue Monkey
14. Bookhouse Brewing
Address: 1526 W 25th St, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Beer and cider in a historic taproom – plus all the bookshelves!
Website: Bookhouse Beer
15. Boss Dog Brewing Co.
Address: 2179 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights
Known for: Good beer, food, and atmosphere; close to the Cedar Lee theater
Website: Boss Dog Brewing
16. BottleHouse Brewery & Meadery
Address: 2050 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights and 13368 Madison Ave., Lakewood
Known for: Small-batch beers, mead, and ciders; community-style seating plus boardgames
Website: BottleHouse
17. Brew Dog Cleveland Outpost
Address: 1956 Carter Rd, Cleveland (Forest City)
Known for: 28 beers on tap, great patio space, and plenty of games
Website: Brew Dog Cleveland Outpost
18. The Brew Kettle
Address: 8377 Pearl Rd, Strongsville
Known for: A spot where you can eat, drink, AND brew your own beer!
Website: The Brew Kettle
19. Brick and Barrel
Address: 1844 Columbus Rd, Cleveland (The Flats)
Known for: Craft beers, cask ales, and even wine
Website: Brick and Barrel Brewing
20. The Cleveland Brewery
Address: 777 E 185th St, Cleveland (Euclid)
Known for: Small batches in a small tasting room (open Thursdays through Saturdays)
Website: The Cleveland Brewery on Facebook
21. Cornerstone Brewing Co.
Address: 58 Front St, Berea
Known for: Being a good brewpub
Website: Cornerstone Brewing
22. Crooked Pecker Brewing Company
Address: 8284 E Washington St, Chagrin Falls
Known for: Great IPAs and Milk Stouts
Website: Crooked Pecker
23. Forest City Brewery
Address: 2135 Columbus Rd, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Small and cosy tasting room + historic beer garden
Website: Forest City Brewery
24. Goldhorn Brewery
Address: 1361 E 55th St, Cleveland (St. Clair Superior)
Known for: Cleveland-themed and seasonal beers (like Dead Man’s Curve IPA and Polka City Pilsner), and their strong neighborhood ties
Website: Goldhorn Brewery
25. Hansa Brewery
Address: 2717 Lorain Ave, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Eastern European bites and brews
Website: Hansa Brewery
26. Hofbräuhaus Cleveland
Address: 1550 Chester Ave, Cleveland (Downtown)
Known for: German beer and food in a traditional beer garden setting
Website: Hofbrauhaus Cleveland
27. Immigrant Son Brewery
Address: 18120 Sloane Ave, Lakewood
Known for: Old world techniques for new world beers
Website: Immigrant Son
28. Market Garden Brewery
Address: 1947 W 25th St, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Good brewpub and patio in Ohio City; they also offer $6 tours of their production brewery
Website: Market Garden Brewery
29. Nano Brew Cleveland
Address: 1859 W 25th St, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Small-batch beers and ever-rotating taps
Website: Nano Brew
30. North High Brewing Co.
Address: 2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland (Ohio City)
Known for: Great food and beers with a coworking space attached
Website: North High
31. Phunkenship by Platform
Address: 3135 Sackett Ave., Cleveland (Clark-Fulton)
Known for: This Platform spot is dedicated entirely to sours
Website: Platform Beer Co. Phunkenship
32. Pulpo Beer Company
Address: 3941 Erie St 1st Level, Willoughby
Known for: Women-owned brewery crafting Latin-inspired beers
Website: Pulpo Beer CO
33. Railroad Brewing Company
Address: 1010 Center Rd, Avon
Known for: Taproom that usually partners with food trucks outside
Website: Railroad Brewing
34. Rocky River Brewing Company
Address: 21290 Center Ridge Rd, Cleveland (Rocky River)
Known for: Being a family-friendly gastropub
Website: Rocky River Brewing
35. Schnitz Ale Brewery
Address: 5729 Pearl Rd, Parma
Known for: Old world food and beer
Website: Schnitz on Facebook
36. Southern Tier Brewing Company
Address: 811 Prospect Ave E, Cleveland
Known for: State-of-the-art brewery and taproom with 30+ beers on tap
Website: Southern Tier Cleveland
37. Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
Address: 1085 Old River Rd, Cleveland (The Flats)
Known for: Flavor-filled small batch beers
Website: Thirsty Dog
38. Voodoo Brewing Co.
Address: 2279 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights
Known for: Craft beer, barrel-aged cocktails, local wine and cider, and upscale bar food
Website: Voodoo
39. Working Class Brewery
Address: 17448 Lorain Ave, Cleveland (Kamm’s Corners)
Known for: Seasonal brews and a casual space
Website: Working Class Brewery
Cleveland Brewery Passport
The city of Cleveland has embraced its growing craft beer scene and has come up with the Brewery Passport for locals and visitors. You can pick up a passport at the Cleveland Visitors Center downtown, or through the free Destination Cleveland App if you’d prefer a digital version. Then you get to visiting!
Get a stamp after making a purchase at any local brewery (or check-in and snap a photo if you’re using the app). You can then turn in your passport for prizes after receiving 8, 20, and 34 stamps. Prizes include things like coasters, a pint glass, and a t-shirt.
Cleveland beer tours
With so many beers to try in Cleveland, it’s easy to go a little overboard. So, in order to have an equally fun AND safe brewery-hopping experience in Cleveland, you might want to consider going on a dedicated beer tour.
There are a couple different companies offering beer tours in Cleveland, including Cleveland Brew Tours.
OUR PICK: Cleveland Original Brew Tour – This 5-hour tour will stop at 4 different Cleveland breweries where you’ll get to tour the facilities, sample up to 16 different beers, and enjoy a beer-inspired lunch. (Book here!)
https://widget.getyourguide.com/v2/widget.jsNote: Many images in this post were taken by my friend Jeremy of Living the Dream.
Who’s ready to go drink some beer in Cleveland??
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Kat is a Cleveland transplant and has lived here for over 5 years. She loves to eat, drink, and explore all across the city, and has made it her personal mission to find the best breweries and pizza in Northeast Ohio. She also runs a couples travel blog and podcast called World Wide Honeymoon.
These are so handy to have. We’re slowly trying to travel again and my husband I are on the lookout for pet friendly places, and the Terrestrial Brewing Company seems perfect! Thanks for this.