Virginia is not the only place we’ve been lately to taste great beer. We were also able to enjoy some microbrewed beer on a recent trip to my husband’s hometown of Cleveland.
Right next door to the famous Westside Market is the Market Garden Brewery.
It has a nice outdoor seating area that was perfect to enjoy the pleasant summer afternoon, but it has a huge indoor area with plenty of TVs, too.
At the time of their visit they had 10 varieties of beer made in-house under the guidance of brewmaster Andy Tveekrem, but also have a variety of microbrews from locales around the world. We decided to share a sampler of 6 of their brews.
Pearl Street Wheat – A tangy and sweet Hefeweizen with a hint of clove. I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of the style, but this was not outstanding. Just fine.
Tarte Blanche Blonde Ale – Their thirst-quenching, fruity summer brew. It was great for sitting outside in the sun.
Progress Pilsner – Crisp with a nice balance between malt and hops. It was well made, but nothing to write home about.
Wallace Tavern Scotch Ale – Super malty it reminded us of whiskey. We both ordered a full pint of this one.
OHC ESB – An Extra Special Bitter with a nice amount of malt. If we stayed longer, I would have ordered this again.
Gordian Strong Ale – Another malt heavy brew. I think we will enjoy it more in cooler weather, which Cleveland definitely has for a few months.
They seemed to have a pretty good collection of spirits behind the bar, but a craft distillery for the grounds is also in the works. We were disappointed to learn it is just “coming soon.”
