CLEVELAND, Ohio – BrewDog’s planned Cleveland expansion actually goes back several years, to right after the Scottish brewery landed in Ohio.
Related coverage: BrewDog sets opening date in Cleveland
BrewDog came to the United States in 2015, choosing Ohio as its first location in this country. It broke ground that year in Canal-Winchester southeast of Columbus and opened the taproom in early 2017.
Keith Bennet, BrewDog’s head of special projects, said the decision to have a brewpub in Cleveland was made “immediately after we opened here in Columbus.”
“We just knew Cleveland is a great beer market and a great beer scene and we wanted to have a space up there,” he said. “Really we had been looking for a number of years in Cleveland for a space. There were a couple of discussions we had that just hadn’t quite worked out. We just wanted to make sure we have the absolutely perfect space and nailed it, and we feel like we have with the Avian building.”
Target opening date for the brewpub, at 1956 Carter Road in the Scranton Peninsula of the Flats, is early November. It was a combination of factors that led the brewery to choose Cleveland.
“I think Cleveland, as you know, is a big sports city, it’s a big beer-drinking culture, and I think it makes perfect sense for us,” Bennet said. “Great people, close to our home in Columbus, and we’re just really keen to be a part of it for that reason. Huge beer culture. Ohio has an incredible beer scene, and Cleveland is a massive, massive part of that. It makes sense for us to be there.”
BrewDog will occupy the first-floor space and outdoor patio of the Carter Road location, covering about 10,000 square feet inside and out each. It will maintain about 20 beers on tap, a mix of BrewDog beers and lines dedicated to local crafts. A “beer-school area” with an interactive screen will offer customers a chance to learn about beer making. Shuffleboard, arcade games and a “takeaway area” to buy a six-pack to go all are in the plans. Plus, he said, it will offer “amazing views of the city.”
“It’s an incredible space,” Bennet said, adding the lease for the building near the Cuyahoga River is for 15 years.
The building has renovated electrical, lighting and HVAC, but the “base components” have been left alone, he said. That means expect exposed brick walls and concrete columns that will yield the building’s telltale personality: A repurposed industrial space.
It will be a brewpub primarily, but it will have the capacity to brew. With the main brewing operation just two hours away, that’s an expected plan. The beer will be brewed in Columbus and transported here.
“We’re going to do a very, very small brewing element on site and just do some very small one-offs and maybe some co-ops, but nothing large-volume wise,” he said.
Local craft-beer aficionados are well-versed with BrewDog’s offerings. It’s known for a variety of styles, especially its array of India Pale Ales. The brewery has maintained a presence in Northeast Ohio for several years, through a retail footprint with variety packs as well as in multiple beer fests.
Out of the brewhouse, the company – with its logo of a nose up, leaping dog - became known for its “equity for punks” crowdfunding ventures where investors were offered a slice of ownership for their financial infusion. BrewDog opened the first craft-beer hotel in Columbus in 2018, and this year announced a deal for a rooftop patio on Las Vegas’ Strip.
The Flats location will be less glitzy, located almost perfectly due west of Progressive Field and fairly close to Brick and Barrel and Forest City breweries. The irony is BrewDog – founded in 2007 - will be located not far from Ohio City, the neighborhood that is home to Great Lakes Brewing Co., the state’s first craft brewery that also owns some undeveloped land near where BrewDog will be.
“Great Lakes has a proud history and is an amazing brewery that makes amazing beers,” said Bennet, who said the first beer he tried when he landed in Columbus was from the venerable brewery, which was founded in 1988. “We’re looking forward to being neighbors.”
Down the line, BrewDog might have a few more neighbors in the state. Expansion probably won’t stop in Cleveland, he said.
“Ohio being our home … we’re always looking for opportunities here. I certainly wouldn’t think Cleveland would be the last spot we do. We’d definitely like to do as many spaces as makes sense. … We love Ohio; it’s been our home and we’re proud to be part of the Ohio beer scene and definitely interested in more opportunities there.”
I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. And tune in at 7 a.m. Wednesdays for “Beer with Bona and Much, Much More” with Munch Bishop on 1350-AM The Gambler. Twitter: @mbona30.
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