First Glances: The Hermit Club Restaurant at Hofbrauhaus Cleveland

Playhouse Square's Hermit Club already had the intimate look and feel of some European Alpine lodge. Founded in 1904 near East Fourth Street, the club moved to Playhouse Square in the 1920s and was taken over by Hofbrauhaus in 2013 and kept open for the Hermit Club's members.

Now, a menu of upscale takes on the German favorites served out of Hofbrauhaus chef Oleg Makhayev's kitchen completes the Hermit Club's far away feel.

While all the beers on tap at Hofbrauhaus are available at the Hermit Club, the menu offerings — such as the shareable and perfectly cooked 14-ounce bone-in prime ribeye steak ($39.99) — or the juicy bone-in pork chop ($22.99) — are trimmed down to a manageable one page and only available in the Hermit Club.

 
The beef stroganoff served over spatzle ($18.99) was a savory highlight. The rich, tender pieces of meat got a blast of freshness from slices of green onion and a sour cream dollop, while the presentation and chewy spatzle took it well beyond mom's old egg noodle concoction.

Beer for Breakfast

Even hardcore beer enthusiasts don't often get an excuse to drink beer with all the trappings of a hearty breakfast. Thankfully, the Winking Lizard has our backs. On Jan. 29, the Lakewood tavern is hosting a Founders Brewery (Grand Rapids, Michigan) event featuring Founders' seasonal Breakfast Stout, limited-edition Kentucky Breakfast Stout and the extremely rare, "backstage-pass edition" Canadian Breakfast Stout.

What makes a beer breakfast-worthy?

Well, all three are brewed with oats, a blend of coffee and imported chocolate. The Kentucky Breakfast Stout, which is usually only available in April, is also cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels. But the Canadian Breakfast Stout, which hasn't been released since 2011, is a true rarity.

"We were able to acquire a very limited number of maple syrup bourbon barrels about a year ago and decided to age an imperial stout brewed with coffee and chocolate," says Dave Engbers, Founders Brewery president and co-founder. 

When it's available, which isn't often, it's usually listed among the top five best beers in the world and given a perfect 100 rating, according to the popular beer-aficionados site BeerAdvocate.com. 

Winking Lizard Lakewood is offering all three as a flight of 5-ounce pours for this event. But only 175 flights will be available (at $15 each) due to the limited quantities available. We recommend getting there early. Doors open at 4 p.m. and kegs will be tapped at 5, but after its last release, Founders Brewery CEO Mike Stevens felt the need to apologize to frustrated fans who missed out:

"We make this beer because we are extremely passionate about creating the best liquid we know how to produce. We started this business as home brewers and still look at ourselves as such. We know that some of you might never get your chance at a CBS bottle, but we feel it would be a greater disappointment to have never shared this product at all."

Other Founders Brewery draughts will include Big Luscious, a dark chocolate and raspberry stout; Backwards Bastard, a bourbon barrel-aged Scotch ale; Black Rye rye beer; Dirty Bastard Scotch ale; and All Day IPA, Centennial IPA and Dark Pennance, all pale ales.

A Christmas Ale Ice Cream Story

As if Clevelanders needed another reason to drink Christmas Ale, Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream are teaming up to bring sweet-toothed beer drinkers a little something extra this holiday season.

Great Lakes' highly desired holiday brew will be the primary flavor in Mitchell's Christmas Ale Ginger Snap ice cream.

"The ice cream definitely tastes like Christmas Ale," says Mike Mitchell of Mitchell's. "But it doesn't taste like you're drinking a frozen beer."

The ice cream maker is taking the small amounts of ale left over from the bottling process and adding more organic honey, Vietnamese cinnamon and homemade ginger snaps — flavors and ingredients already in the brew — to enhance the taste.

"It's a really good beer base for an ice cream because it has those Christmas and holiday flavors: honey, cinnamon and ginger," Mitchell says.

The ice cream will be available Nov. 1 at all Mitchell's locations as single scoops ($2.99), pints ($6.50) and quarts ($10.75). It will also be available at GLBC as a brewpub dessert ($5) or take-home pints ($6.50). The plan is to keep it around until the end of the year, but with Christmas Ale as an ingredient, supplies may dwindle fast.

Just in case that still isn't enough Christmas Ale, Lauren Boveington from GLBC suggests a pint of the beer as an ideal pairing for the ice cream.

"That's the best way to savor it," she says.

The holiday buzz returns

Great Lakes Brewing Company has given us an early reason to be merry: the return of Christmas Ale.

The brewery kicked off the holiday season early with a tapping party in the bar Tuesday at lunchtime this Tuesday and an official release at midnight last night. Faithful fans were allowed to buy one case each until 1 a.m. last night at the brewery gift shop on Market Avenue, across from the West Side Market. Six-packs are now available for purchase there.

Chances are, you haven’t forgotten the taste of this Cleveland tradition, but let us refresh your memory just in case. The brew includes honey, ginger, and cinnamon, mixed together for a spicy flavor that lingers long after it’s been consumed (as does the buzz). The popular ale has been a hallmark of Cleveland's Christmas seasons since about 1990, and the suspense we feel throughout the remaining winter, spring, and summer months has made beer-lovers crave and demand it every year since.

The beer hits stores Monday, but it's already available on tap at the brewery. The shortages of years past are unlikely — for a while, at least. We hear production has increased 22% this year, with thousands of barrels to go around.

So bring your thirst over to Market Street and rejoice.

To read our article about Christmas Ale from the magazine's December 2008 Cleveland beer package, click here.

Cleveland Beer Week opens tonight with ceremonial keg-tapping

This is the kind of event we can get behind. The first annual Cleveland Beer Week opens tonight with a ceremonial tapping of the keg at the Winking Lizard in Independence, featuring Jimmy Malone of WMJI and state Sen. Tom Patton.

(We'd be there, but we're heading to Cleveland Magazine's Best of Cleveland Party tonight.)

The rest of the week includes a dizzying lineup of tastings, tappings, talks, brewing demos, beer dinners, an IPA festival -- and, next Saturday, Brewzilla, a 50-brewery mega-tasting at the Euclid Arcade downtown.

To get into the festive spirit, and to remind you of all the malty liquid goodness of Cleveland's brewing culture, we recommend "Beer Ye, Beer Ye," our December 2008 package of stories celebrating the 75th anniversary of our constitutional right to beer.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

In possibly the worst idea ever — and no surprise, considering it's from the punk rock bar that has 40 oz malt liquor served in a paper bag on its menu — Now That's Class is hosting a 10-cent beer night tonight to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the infamous promotion held at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

In 2007, we interviewed a guy who swiped the ball cap off Texas Ranger Jeff Boroughs' head just before things got totally out of hand. He tells a cool story.

If any of my friends are stupid enough to accept my invitation to go, I'll make sure I snap some photos.

Cavs: Having Too Much Fun?

Its been a lingering question all season: Have LeBron and company been goofing off just a little too much? And with this parody of the popular Heineken commercial to promote the NBA playoffs people are buzzing with knocks on the Cavaliers again. As long as they keep winning, why not enjoy the ride and entertain fans off the court too? As soon as that game clock starts ticking, the Cavs have proven they are all business: Best record. Coach of the Year. Soon-to-be-named MVP. Enough said.

Bonus: Joe Smith (aka Joe Beast) shows off his rapping skills here with a song about what else? The Cavs.

Because you're drinking beer anyway ...

It's not everyday that a big box of beer shows up at the office (oh, how we wish it did). When it does, we pounce, divide the stuff up and give it a critique because, as you all know, we love beer in this city.

So, when Samuel Adams sent us a bunch of its newest Imperial Series (translation: high quality brew), we followed suit. Week 1: the new Samuel Adams Imperial White ($9.99/four pack). Here's the marketing-speak on it: "Imperial White pushes out the boundaries of the witbier style. While showcasing the traditional witbier aromas and hazy appearance ... " Ah, enough of that already, you really just want to know what a bunch of mild-mannered editors think about this stuff, don't you?

Managing Editor Jim Vickers: Samuel Adams gets serious with this batch. Weighty, but not heavy-tasting beer that stands up as a true premium. Sam's brewmaster series has failed to grab me in the past, but this one is great. Could it make me leave my go-to beer favorites (Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Dogfish). Doubtful, but let me take another sip and ponder that.

Associate Editor Andy Netzel: Considering the 9 percent alcohol content, this beer could not go down smoother. Citrus undertones. Solid brew. Drink this beer out of a glass so the yeast sediment gets distributed properly.

Associate Editor Special Projects Kim Schneider: I’m an avid Hoegaarden drinker, so Sam Adams’ Imperial White is right up my alley. It hits the same notes as Hoegaarden with coriander and orange but goes a step further with a total of 10 spices for a stronger finish. While it has tons of flavor, packs more punch, its more of a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of beer rather than my go-to drink.

Senior Editor Special Projects Jennifer Bowen: The first sips I drink of Sam Adams Imperial White make me think of it as a summer beverage, the sips that follow change my mind. It has a slight orange undertone, but the spices are what carry the taste. It’s warming. I’d rather order this at the corner pub than a vodka-soda or plain-Jane Miller Lite.

Next Week: Samuel Adams Imperial Stout

Since you're going to be drinking beer anyway...

Samuel Adams sent Cleveland Magazine over two new beers that will be on shelves next month, an Imperial White and an Imperial Stout.

Before I give you my thoughts, some biases to get out of the way: In general, if I'm not drinking a microbrew, I'm drinking Sam Adams. In general, I really like the taste of their beers. I also prefer hefeweizens, anything overly hoppy and I like ales.

The Imperial White is very smooth, and should be drunk out of a glass. I noticed a little yeast sediment in the bottle when I held it up to the light. It had a hint of citrus — maybe orange? — and it goes down too easy considering it has 9 percent alcohol.

Verdict: Definitely a good beer. I'm sure more will end up in my fridge at some point.

The Imperial Stout had me a little nervous. I like some stouts, but they're not what I'm going to order. The beer is not just dark, it is black. The first taste you get is sweet, coffee-like. Then a tiny bit of bitter hits you. I really enjoyed it, which means drinkers who prefer stouts will probably think it was too sweet and not bitter enough.

Verdict: I enjoyed it but not enough to buy.

Party like it's 1933

If you've gotten your December issue of Cleveland Magazine, you've seen our tribute to the 75th anniversary of our reinstatement of beer.

Well, Great Lakes Brewing Company is following suit with what sounds like an awesome party. Maybe it's just because there are never enough opportunities to swing dance to Big Band music or meet nice girls in flapper dresses, but I don't know how we can pass up this invitation...


Great Lakes Brewing Company Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the End of Prohibition

WHY:
December 5, 1933: The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, thus repealing the 18th Amendment of 1920 and bringing an end to 13 years, 10 months and 19 days of the prohibition of alcohol in America and Great Lakes Brewing Company is celebrating the 75th Anniversary of this momentous occasion in history!

WHERE:
Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Avenue, Cleveland
Across from the Historic West Side Market

WHAT:
A Legal Anniversary Celebration Complete With:

Prohibition Menu Specials All Made With Alcohol!!!!
§ Spicy Tomato Bisque with Burning River Pale Ale: $6.00
§ Mixed Greens Salad with Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Scallion Dressing: $7.00
§ Flank Steak with Eliot Ness Amber Lager Demi Glace, Veggie Valley Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables: $16.00
§ Apple Tart with Bourbon Sauce: $5.00

Drink Specials
§ Keep The Glass Special: GLBC Pilsner Glasses
§ Prohibition Pils On Tap

Plus: Prohibition Propaganda and Decorations, Big Band Music, Flapper and Depression-Era Costumes!

Guests are encouraged to dress up like it's 1933!

WHEN:
Friday, December 5, 2008 (11:30 AM - 1 AM)
Saturday, December 6, 2008 (11:30 AM - 1 AM)

Still Hopping

I went to a media gathering in honor of Great Lakes Brewing Company's 20'th anniversary. The socially and environmentally conscious local beer maker has crafted about 50 varieties of sudsy goodness since 1988. To mark their double-decade shelf life, six new brew tanks were installed.

Easier said than done. Their historic building on Carroll, off Lorain and West 27th, already cramped, doesn’t offer much room for maneuvering. To get the three-story steel cylinders in place, holes were cut in the roof. A sky-high crane was positioned on site and some seriously skilled guys hoisted what looked like space capsules up and then ever so carefully and slowly lowered them down into the tank farm. It was a pretty dramatic way to deliver the message that GLBC is growing better and bigger and doing it right there in Ohio City. My pro photographer husband Barney captured the moment with a cell phone. There was definitely a happy vibe rippling through the crowd of invited onlookers. But things definitely got even more cheerful when our brewery tour guide and host Pat Conway, who co-owns the business with his brother Dan, announced “Time for some beer.”

We raised seven (not so big) glasses of lagers, ales, and stout to toast the occasion, each one paired with menu favorites from the past including pretzel chicken and chocolate torte made with Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. It was a great night of eating and drinking (sensibly of course). But don’t assume the fun is for professionals only. Tomorrow, September 4, Happy Hour lasts all day and into the evening until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday are designated Customer Appreciation Nights, and on September 9, there’s a special brewmaster’s dinner, open to the public by reservation.

Beer Me!

Cleveland, Jul 24, 2008
Originally uploaded by firewater9898

We love Great Lakes Brewing Co's beer as much as the next guy. Maybe even more. Heck, we've toured the underground tunnels, started marking the days until Christmas Ale hits store shelves (in case you're interested, we're at 102 and counting), paid homage to its attempt to make science cool (everything goes better with beer) and even bestowed several Silver Spoon Awards upon its frothy head. But we've got nothing on this guy. ... We're just hoping someone called him a cab.