One of the highlights of our trip to Cleveland was our tour of the Great Lakes Brewing Company. We had a superb lunch at their brewpub, where I sampled their new milk stout (outstanding!) and a new pale ale they’ve dubbed The Lake Erie Monster (also shockingly good). I’ve toured breweries before, but not one responsible for such a large percentage of the beer that I drink. But that wasn’t what made it interesting, for me.
Though only 25 years old, GLBC now brews in what was the distribution house for the L. Schlather Brewing Company, way back in 1879. The history of the building is visible in its architecture, and is modestly curated in the tasting room, adjacent to the kettles pictured above. This sort of renaissance for an old building in what is largely a dilapidated city warms my heart, and I hope it continues.