Fat Head's Brewery Explained

Fat Head's Brewery
Opened:2009

Brewmaster Matt Cole partnered with Glenn Benigni, owner of Fat Head's Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to open Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in Cleveland, Ohio in 2009,[1] with Cole supplying beer to the Pittsburgh location. A production brewery opened in Middleburg Heights, Ohio in March 2012[2] and another brewpub location opened in Portland, Oregon in November 2014, which has since closed.[3] Fat Head's is known for their signature beers Head Hunter IPA and Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale.

Background

Fat Head's Saloon opened in the historic South Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1992 and grew to be known for its selection of craft beer and large sandwiches, called "headwiches."

Brewer Matt Cole apprenticed at Baltimore Brewing Co., then worked at Penn Brewery and Great Lakes Brewing Company before joining Rocky River Brewing Company. Cole spent more than a decade there, winning several awards at both Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup.[4]

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon opened in North Olmsted, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, on April 7, 2009. The brewpub has a 35-seat bar and a 200-seat dining room. There are 30 rotating tap handles that serve beers from Fat Head's as well as guest breweries. There is also a game room with a video games, a vintage bowling machine, pool tables, and dart boards. Derek Wilson, formerly of Great Lakes Brewing Company, heads the kitchen. In addition to the signature headwiches, a staple at the Pittsburgh Saloon, Wilson added stone oven pizzas, smoke house wings, and pulled pork to the menu.[5] [6]

Fat Head's Brewery opened in March, 2012 in a warehouse in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The production brewery supplies beer for the Fat Head's restaurants in Pittsburgh and North Olmsted, as well as bottles and kegs for distributes. As of 2013, the brewery has a BrauKon brewhouse that was purchased from Tröegs Brewing Company. A tasting room and retail shop opened on October 18, 2013.[7]

Fat Head's Portland

Fat Head's opened in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon on November 3, 2014. In 2018, the location changed owners and became Von Ebert Brewing, a Portland-based company. The brewpub had 278 seats throughout the bar and dining room and 42 rotating tap hands that served beers from Fat Head's as well as guest breweries. The brewery featured a 10-barrel JVNW brewhouse with 13 fermentors and 12 bright tanks. Matt Cole was the brewmaster, with Eric Van Tassel who served as the head brewer. They served Fat Head's signature beers, including Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale and Head Hunter IPA, as well as some of their own creations, including Zoobomb Dortmunder and Ultra Pils North German-Stlyle Pilsner.[8] [9]

Awards

YearBeer NameAwardCategory Competition
2009Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWest Coast IPA Fest[10]
2009Up In SmokeSmoked BeerGreat American Beer Festival[11]
2010Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival[12]
2010Head Hunter IPAdata-sort-value=99.1Grand ChampionAmerican-Style India Pale AleNational IPA Challenge[13]
2011Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterGreat American Beer Festival[14]
2011Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleDenver International Beer Fest[15]
2011Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival
2012AlpenglowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival[16]
2012Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterWorld Beer Cup[17]
2012Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWest Coast IPA Fest
2012Head Hunter IPAdata-sort-value=99.1Grand ChampionAmerican-Style India Pale AleNational IPA Challenge[18]
2012Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup
2013Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierGreat American Beer Festival
2013Hop JuJuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival
2013Trail HeadFresh Hop AleGreat American Beer Festival[19]
2014AlpenGlowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival[20]
2014Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterDenver International Beer Fest[21]
2014Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierDenver International Beer Fest
2014Bone Head Imperial Red AleImperial Red AleWorld Beer Cup[22]
2014Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup
2015Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierGreat American Beer Festival[23]
2015Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival
2015Bone Head RedDouble Red AleGreat American Beer Festival
2015Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival
2015Blitzkrieg Bock (Portland)Rye BeerGreat American Beer Festival
2016Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup[24]
2016Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleWorld Beer Cup
2016Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival[25]
2016IBUsive IPAFresh or Wet Hop AleGreat American Beer Festival
2016Black Muddy River Imperial Black IPAOther Strong BeerGreat American Beer Festival
2016Midnight Moonlight Black IPAAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival
2016Alpenglow German-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival
2017Sunshine Daydream Session IPAdata-sort-value=99.1Grand ChampionSession IPANational Session IPA Challenge[26]
2017AlpenglowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival
2017Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival
2018AlpenglowSouth German-Style WeizenbockWorld Beer Cup
2018Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleWorld Beer Cup
2018Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Martha Mueller Neff. Brewer opening Fat Heads saloon in North Olmsted. 6 January 2015. The Plain Dealer. 6 January 2009.
  2. News: Susan Ketchum. Fat Heads in Middleburg Heights to open tasting room. 6 January 2015. Sun News. 15 February 2013.
  3. News: Rick Armon. Fat Head's announces Nov. 3 opening for Portland brewpub. 6 January 2015. 20 October 2014.
  4. News: Matt Cole of Fat Head's Brewery in North Olmsted heads to England for special brewing collaboration. 6 January 2015. The Plain Dealer. Marc Bona. 27 August 2011.
  5. Web site: Opening day for Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon. . 6 January 2015.
  6. News: Douglas Trattner. TRUCE? Even Browns fans will love Pittsburgh import Fat Head's Saloon. 6 January 2015. Cleveland Scene. 3 June 2009.
  7. News: Rick Armon. Fat Head's opens tasting room today in Middleburg Heights. 6 January 2015. 18 October 2013.
  8. News: John Foyston. Fat Head's Brewery, a big new restaurant/pub, will soon join Portland's thriving beer scene. 6 January 2015. The Oregonian. 28 October 2014.
  9. News: Sam Allard. The New Fat Head's Brewery is about to Open ... in Portland. 6 January 2015. Cleveland Scene. 24 September 2014.
  10. Web site: Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA wins again. Ohio.com - The Beer Blog. 6 January 2015.
  11. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2009 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  12. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2010 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  13. Web site: Nation IPA Challenge 2010 Results. brewingnews.com. 6 January 2015.
  14. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2011 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  15. Web site: Denver International Beer Fest 2011 Results. denverbeercomp.com. 6 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150106214205/http://www.denverbeercomp.com/results_2011.html. 6 January 2015. dead.
  16. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2012 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  17. Web site: World Beer Cup 2012 Results. worldbeercup.org. 6 January 2015.
  18. Web site: Nation IPA Challenge 2010 Results. brewingnews.com. 6 January 2015.
  19. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2013 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  20. Web site: Great American Beer Fest 2014 Results. greatamericanbeerfestival.com. 6 January 2015.
  21. Web site: Denver International Beer Fest 2014 Results. denverbeercomp.com. 6 January 2015.
  22. Web site: World Beer Cup 2014 Results. worldbeercup.org. 6 January 2015.
  23. Web site: GABF Winners - Great American Beer Festival. Association. Brewers. en-US. 2016-10-05.
  24. Web site: Award Winners - World Beer Cup. en-US. 2016-10-05.
  25. News: GABF Winners - Great American Beer Festival. Association. Brewers. Great American Beer Festival. 2017-07-12. en-US.
  26. Web site: NIPAC 2017 - HOPS NOT HOOPS. www.brewingnews.com. 2017-07-12.

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