If the new exhibit honoring “The Clash” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t enough to put you on the road to Cleveland this summer, then how about adding a fantastic brewpub to your list of “mistake on the lake” destinations. Don’t worry, it rarely snows up there in July or August and the river hasn’t caught fire in years. When I am in Cleveland, one of my “must do’s” is to stop and have a beer at Great Lakes Brewing Company’s fantastic little brewpub. On my last trip I decided to go all out and have dinner as well. I was not disappointed.

The Brewpub is located about a mile from the area called “the Flats,” not far from downtown in the “Ohio City” neighborhood. The pub is set on a little side street with a few other trendy storefronts and sidewalk cafes. I was told that the building housed the oldest pub in Cleveland. The building features very old woodwork and a cozy cellar pub that is actually called “The Pub,” which offers a bit of a medieval feel with stone walls and little alcoves. There is normally some form of live Celtic music being played in the pub area, but there was a fund raiser for a Catholic missionary taking place the night I visited.

The Main Floor features an awesome traditional wooden bar with a large dining area in an adjoining room. The actual production brewery operates less than a block away, so the wonderful (not really) smell of boiling wort can be enjoyed by those eating “al fresco”. The original, small seven-barrel brewhouse was formerly operated at the brewpub site, but steady growth since the late 1980s required a new, larger brewery.

The brewpub usually offers at least eight Great Lakes beers on tap, with two of those beers being exclusive to patrons of the brewpub. “The exclusives” tonight, for example, are a Dunkelweizen (dark wheat ale) called Lorelei, featuring a very nice dark bread character and a bit of clove; and Prohibition Pils, a really refreshing and drinkable pilsener, with a crisp grainy flavor and a fresh hoppy kick. Both good choices for summer seasonal beers.

I decided to have dinner, but first I had to try the barley pretzel appetizer. I was served two large soft pretzels along with a few “breathe fresheners” of green onion and radishes. (It was a good thing I wasn’t going to be engaging in after dinner conversation with anyone at close range.) For my main dish I ordered maple- seared salmon. This was a beautiful flaky salmon fillet that had been pan seared with some vegetable stock and a bit of maple syrup. This left the perfectly done salmon with caramelized edges from the maple sugars. The salmon fillet was set on top of crisp green beans and seared baby potatoes and carrots. I paired my meal with the suggested Great Lakes Elliot Ness amber lager. Outstanding!

You really cannot go wrong with the beer from Great Lakes. They make one of the country’s best porters in Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, a great pale ale, along with Burning River Pale Ale and a beer that is like the beer equivalent of a swiss army knife for food pairing, Dortmunder Gold. These are some of the best beers you can find in the cooler around the Charleston area.

I know it’s hard to sit down and try to justify a summer road trip to Cleveland. The verbal abuse from friends and family can be hard to endure, but spousal acceptance can be make or break. So before you reveal your plans to your life partner, make sure to set the mood with some music from the James Gang and have a “Burning River” pale ale poured and ready to go. Then you say it: “Honey, let’s go to Cleveland…” (And don’t dare mention the Indians game until you hear a ‘yes.’)

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