There’s something pretty exciting brewing in Ohio City. The craft beer industry is booming in Cleveland and the brew masters and business leaders behind Market Garden Brewery are striking while the iron is hot…and the beer is cold!
There is a major expansion underway behind W. 25th Street. Market Garden Brewery is turning their already impressive output into a potential powerhouse. They’ve already installed seven 70 barrel fermenting tanks. How much beer is that? (hint: 1 barrel=31 gallons) That’s a lot of brewski!
The ownership is growing from a single restaurant’s worth of brew, to a full scale production facility with plans for kegging and bottling their beers. They’re also working tours, tasting and retail space in to their plans.
MGB is renovating 5 old buildings behind the W. 25th Street block they already occupy, next to the back parking lot of the West Side Market. It used to be a city block’s worth of houses. Most recently it was a warehouse. But when this project is all said and done, it will be an operation with the capacity for 80,000 barrels of beer. Yowza.
The creative and careful ownership group behind this project is taking steps to preserve the buildings’ character they’ve uncovered during the construction process. Original, exposed brick walls still stand.
Beautiful reclaimed wood is being re-purposed for doorways and other trim elements. I love that they are staying true to the vibe of the neighborhood.
Once they are fully operational, it’s time to get their family of beers out to the masses…on tap at bars and restaurants, and on display at grocery and beverage stores.
At this point, Brewmaster Andy Tveekrem says they are in the “courtship phase” with beverage distributors, trying to find the perfect marriage of production and distribution.
If it wasn’t official already, with an institution like Great Lakes Brewing Co. around the corner, and sister restaurant/brewery Nano Brew down the block, the addition of Market Garden Brewery’s expansion certainly makes a case for this portion of W. 25th St and Ohio City as Cleveland’s Brewery District. Cheers!
Cheftovers 