Chardon Brewworks and Eatery

No Longer In Business

Basic storefront kind of atmosphere. Small. Very small menu. Tried the beer cheese soup and it was inedible. Prices ok. 12 taps of very mediocre beer. Service was decent. Probably will not bother to go back.

This is an excellent new brewery in the "old downtown" Chardon, just outside of Cleveland. A cozy spot that apparently offers live music and other events weekly. I believe there were 10-12 taps on when I visited (all of which I wanted to try). Ended up sampling 8 of them, some of which were excellent (espresso brown ale, ironworker ipa, golden spike ale, and british brown ale), some of which were ok to good (maple porter - I guess I just expected more from their flagship - and working man pale), and just a couple that were mediocre (honey peach kolsch and belgian waffle ale). They offer sandwiches and such made from spent grain and other appetizer selections . I can’t believe this place hasn’t been rated since 2010, but it is an excellent brewpub and they have clearly improved since their opening. Great beers, interesting styles, pleasant staff - what’s more to ask for? I’ll be back for sure.

They have few house drafts available (around 6). They are o.k. Some are above average, some below. At least one I tried did not seem true to stated style. The other two regional drafts (ringneck and great lakes) were better. The focus seems to be more on the restaurant aspect of the business to me. The food is, however above average. They have great hamburgers. Service was very average.

Just opened sometime before April I was able to make a trip out here on a busy Saturday afternoon. Because of the Kentucky Derby it was packed but soon thinned out by 7:30 PM. As a result service was a little slow.

The beer selection included six local Ohio beers (three house taps, a guest tap from Willoughby, a guest tap from the Brew Kettle, and one Great Lakes tap). There are also the usual selection of bottles for the less adventurous. Prices are on par with every other brewpub at $4.00 to $5.00 a pint.

The house taps are decent enough for a brewpub that is just starting out. On par with anything I have tried from similar brewpubs the current options are 5 to 6% sessionable releases. I hope to see some rotation but this is a promising start.

The food is also solid. Other than the fries being underdone the rest of the meal was a great value. This is a notch above standard brewpub fare at a reasonable price. If you happen to be in the area check it out. Hopefully it lasts for a while in an area which has nothing else.