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| - Nestled between the shoreline and ultramodern condos and townhouses of Battery Park is a beautiful, new brewery. Through the front entrance is a long, narrow space filled with rows of gleaming fermenting tanks and state of the art brewing equipment on the left. Opposite is a pleasing counterpoint of earthy wood tables and brick walls. At the back wall of the building is a handsome bar with a long row of gleaming taps, growlers, and glasses. Through the two story windows you will observe an expansive and clean open air patio. It is filed with picnic tables situated with clear views of the lake just across the railroad tracks. An adjacent tiled space with benches and pergola for dogs and people to play faces newly built and dynamic residential buildings.
Considering what considerable time, cost, and care went into the location, it is a shame the beer they sell is not to the same standard. Frankly, I would not even consider it passable. Their short list of in-house brews boast exotic flavorings and clever names, but mostly delivers disappointment. The session IPA was barely hopped, flat, and had a strange off-putting smell (rotting grain?). The "Asian" Saison beer with hints of Thai chile pepper, lemongrass, and coriander was a weird sensation but not a pleasant one. 2 of the 8 beers were hibiscus wheat beers. I didn't even attempt those for the obvious reasons. The Gose was barely sour, flat, and finished like dishwater. The Hefeweizen had a little of the familiar banana/clove yeast notes but felt unfinished. Also, and oddly for the style, it was 8% ABV and completely transparent. It's great to try to make unique tasting beers (especially in our increasingly congested local craft beer market) but I am not sure the brewers here are up to the task of making a decent conventional ale or lager. Luckily, there are many better beer bar options these days for us Clevelanders.
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