Brewery Spotlight

Willoughby Brewing Co.

Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby, Ohio is a hip and happening brewery serving its own food and organizing weekly band performances, among other live events. 

Willoughby Brewing Co. is no new kid on the block. It has been an unmistakable part of the downtown Willoughby community ever since it opened over 20 years ago. Rollin Cooke III, the owner of this famous Ohio brewery, hired an array of talented brewers over the years to work at this brewery. Known for its Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter and for popularizing the concept of crowler fills in the area, Willoughby Brewing Co. continues to churn out tasteful quality brews in-house, as well as in collaboration with neighborhood breweries. Equipped with a full bar, Willoughby Brewing Co. doesn’t disappoint non-beer drinkers either. The idea behind Willoughby is to serve customers with a meal they will remember, complete with an ambiance they can appreciate.

Image by Kira Isenberg on Google Maps

Things to Know

Willloughby Brewing Co. provides visiting customers with enough space for parking. Valet parking, street parking, and even a private parking lot accommodate vehicles of customers driving up to this Ohio brewery. 

The brewery offers outdoor seating space for individuals who’d much rather get some fresh air in while chilling with their glass of Willoughby special beer. It is also child-friendly, so you can plan a trip here with your entire family without any misgivings. 

Willoughby Brewing Co. attempts to caters to solo customers as well, with its large-screen TVs airing games and other live events. You can also avail free Wi-Fi and catch up on your work if you visit mid-week. Of course, if you’d rather be interested in conversation, the friendly staff here is always up for a chat.

As for food and drinks served at Willoughby, customers can avail small tastings before placing their drinks order. Service staff is open to making recommendations for those who’d rather skip the tastings. 

The brewery taproom is huge, so seating space is never a problem. There are multiple rooms, in addition to the outdoor patio. There’s also a stage in place for the benefit of live performers. 

If you visit, try to order their porters, burgers, pizzas, and pretzels; you will not be disappointed at all.

Barrel-aged bottle releases are held to advertise their new brews from time to time and is a good time as any to pay this award-winning brewing enterprise a visit. 

The brewery might be spacious, but it does get crowded sometimes, and a table reservation might be in order. You can call/reserve a table at Willoughby from their online webpage.

What’s On the Beer Menu?

Currently, Willoughby Brewing Co. is serving 14 beers on draft and 3 guest taps. Let’s learn a little more about these below –

In-house brews on tap:

  • Barrel Aged Nut Smasher (2019 – Knob Creek) – American Imperial Stout with 11% ABV
  • Barrel Aged Coconut Nut Smasher (2019 – Knob Creek) – American Imperial Stout with 11% ABV
  • Barrel Aged Vietnamese Nut Smasher (2019 – Knob Creek) – American Imperial Stout with 11% ABV
  • Wild Irish Red – Irish Red Ale with 5% ABV
  • Legislation Ale (2018) – English Barleywine with 12.3% ABV
  • Black Taxes – Schwarzbier with 8.8% ABV
  • Brute’s Quad – Belgian Quadrupel with 10.6% ABV
  • Kaiserhof – Kolsch with 5% ABV
  • Baenum’s Law – American Pale Ale with 6.2% ABV
  • Railway Razz – Fruit Beer with 4.5% ABV
  • PB & J – Coffee Porter with 5% ABV
  • Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter – Coffee Porter with 5.5% ABV
  • Spiral IPA – American IPA with 7.2% ABV
  • Gutterpup – Porter with 5.54% ABV

Guest taps:

  • Spyglass – Berliner Weisse Sour with 6.9% ABV
  • Prosperity Wheat – Hefeweizen with 6% ABV
  • Young Hearts – Dry Cider with 6.9% ABV

As for food, besides the dishes recommended above, you will find a variety of salads, small plates, and shareable big plates on offer. 

Image by Krista Starr on Google Maps

Host Your Event Here

It’s the perfect place to throw your baby shower, fundraiser, birthday party, and just about anything else you could need. They can accommodate as few as 20 to as many as 300 heads. You can place any requests that you might have, and they will look into it the best way they can to meet your demands. They also have a special banquet menu for catering events. It includes the entire range from appetizers to desserts. 

What Customers Say

Customers come down here to have a taste of Willoughby Brewing Co.’s now-world-famous porters. While you will find other kinds of beer sold here, the stouts and sours really are what you should taste first. Willoughby Brewing Co. serves customers with food made in its own kitchen. You can choose from the pretzel or the pizzas, and even the burgers come highly recommended.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and does its best to manage the visiting crowds. You might have to wait a while for your order to come around on busy days, but the food and drinks served to you will make you forget you ever had to wait. Yes, it is that good. 

Although a brewery, Willoughby never compromises on the quality of food it serves. One look at customer reviews online and it should tell you the same. The burgers and pizzas served here are above par and go well with the cold brews. Sides and sauces are picked carefully to accompany your dishes. The brewpub focuses on the cuisine its offers equally. 

If you’re in Ohio or just passing by and fond of live music to wash down your beer with, Willoughby Brewing Co. is the pilgrimage point you were unaware of. With live events crowding up its calendar almost every day of the week, this is one brewery you should not miss out on. Sample your local Ohio live entertainment scene at Willoughby while you taste undoubtedly some of the best porters the entire locality has to offer. Why wait? Visit now.

You can reach this craft brewery by driving down to 4057 Erie St, Willoughby, Ohio. Call 440-975-0202 if you need any help with directions or otherwise, and the team will be happy to guide you. Willoughby Brewing Co.’s official website lists its upcoming events schedule to help you plan your visit.

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