Walking into Butcher and the Brewer’s 100-year-old, 13,000-square-foot space on East Fourth Street feels like watching a well-rehearsed waltz. With the brewery’s mash kettle and lauter upstairs and the main fermenting tanks found at the bottom of an elegant staircase, there’s beauty in the dance between floors to adjust the manual system. “Normally, everything is on the same floor so brewers aren’t running up and down stairs,” says head brewer John McGroarty. “But I feel it’s the art of brewing.” Since taking over in 2016, he’s tangoed with about 60 different styles of beer made in single batches such as traditional sours that take at least six months to brew. His next dance routine? Saisons aged in pinot grigio- and blueberry-infused barrels. Our Pick: The Albino Stout ($6 for 16 ounces), a white, high-adjunct oat ale with strong chocolate and coffee notes, is the perfect ale for the stout-phobic drinker.
2043 E. Fourth St., Cleveland, 216-331-0805, butcherandthebrewer.com
