CLEVELAND (July 2, 2018) - With the new Cleveland Brewery Passport from Destination Cleveland and its brewery passport advisory council, local and visiting beer lovers can now reap rewards while exploring all or part of Northeast Ohio's craft beer scene.
The Cleveland Brewery Passport features 30 breweries, all located within a 25-mile radius of Downtown Cleveland. The eastern-most brewery is Willoughby Brewing Company; the western-most is Avon Brewing Company; and the southern-most is The Brew Kettle in Strongsville. Once in possession of a passport, brewery/brewpub patrons will receive a stamp in their passport for making a purchase at a participating establishment. (Note: Full list of participating breweries/brewpubs is below.)
"The Cleveland Brewery Passport gives residents the information they need to create a customized tour for themselves or their guests, making it easy for visitors and residents alike to experience Northeast Ohio's notable brewery scene," said David Gilbert, President and CEO at Destination Cleveland. "The initiative helps us to showcase Northeast Ohio's expanding craft beer scene and further develop the region's reputation as a craft beer destination."
The Cleveland Brewery Passport is flexible, offering two tiers of prize opportunities. After making a purchase at just eight of the 30 participating breweries/brewpubs, a first round prize - a customized Cleveland script bottle opener - is available to participants. Those that fill their entire Cleveland Brewery Passport will receive a Cleveland script hat and will also be entered in a contest to win a weekend getaway in Cleveland.
Residents and visitors can pick up the free Cleveland Brewery Passport at any of the participating breweries or at the Cleveland Visitors Center (334 Euclid Ave., Cleveland).
"More than half of Cleveland's out-of-town visitors come to visit family and friends so we wanted to design a program that was open to residents as well as visitors," said Gilbert. "By offering two tiers of rewards, residents can complete their journey over several months while visitors are encouraged to come back to the area on multiple occasions to earn their reward for completing the circuit."
Destination Cleveland worked with the brewery community to create the Cleveland Brewery Passport. A recently formed brewery passport advisory council offered their expertise throughout the process. The advisory council consisted of representatives from Destination Cleveland as well as:
- Leslie Basalla-McCafferty and Brian P. McCafferty, The Cleveland Brew Bus
- Rick Seibt, Willoughby Brewing Company
- Sara Cleary, Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon
- Jay Demagall, Forest City Brewery
- Zachary Acerra, Beer Advocate and Resident Advisor
The council identified the following criteria for participation based on research and discussion:
- All breweries participating in the passport must have an A1C permit and should have a brewing system on premise.
- All breweries' beers must be continuously available to the public when the passport launches and throughout the year.
- All breweries must be at least a listing level partner of Destination Cleveland.
Breweries participating in the Cleveland Brewery Passport include: Avon Brewing Company, Bad Tom Smith Brewing, Boss Dog Brewing Co., The Bottlehouse Brewery, The Brew Kettle, Brim Kitchen + Brewery, Brick and Barrel, Butcher and the Brewer, The Cleveland Brewery, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Fat Head's Brewery + Beer Hall, Forest City Brewery, Goldhorn Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Hansa Brewery and Restaurant, Hofbräuhaus Brewpub, The Jolly Scholar, Market Garden Brewery, Masthead Brewing Co., Nano Brew, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Platform Beer Co., Railroad Brewing Co., Rocky River Brewing Company, Saucy Brew Works, Sibling Revelry Brewing, Terrestrial Brewing Company, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Willoughby Brewing Co. and Working Class Brewery.
To learn more about Destination Cleveland or to keep up-to-date on new developments and activities in Northeast Ohio, please visit www.thisiscleveland.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our channels on YouTube and Pinterest.
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland's convention and visitors bureau. This private, non-profit organization's mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes 18 million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.