Saturday 12th of January 2013 07:22:03 PM

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This brewpub had a change of ownership in early 2011 and since then the beers have increased dramatically in quality. I stopped going there for a while and now I go back very often. Their Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter and Cosmic and Moonshadow IPAs are consistent award winners. Happy hour offers $3 pints and 1/2 price apps.
Definitely one of Cleveland's better beer destinations (especially when you include the 3 craft beer bars around the corner).

Saturday 4th of April 2009 03:39:16 PM

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Willoughby has some OK beers, but not overly impressed with the sampler styles. Ratebeer.com seems to confirm my rating averages.

Old train station carved out to give the feel of standard brewpub atmosphere. Noting too exotic, fairly common almost franchise like feel to it.

Food was pretty good, service not bad at all. Parking is kind of a hassle with a shared lot and street parking in the bar district in Willoughby.

Generally pleased with visit when I was in the neighborhood, but not sure it would be a destination. Don't remember a patio or outdoor seating.

Sunday 11th of January 2009 10:31:36 AM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

Willoughby Brewing has a classic brewpub feel. Large high ceilings in all rooms coupled with a brick facing that was designed to mimic a train station. In fact, the establishment had a miniature model train running around the perimeter of the dining rooms on an elevated train track about 15 feet high. Much of the naming convention for food and drink was also derived from an association with the railroading industry.

We encountered a bit of a wait because it was Saturday night. I found a seat at the bar and proceeded to order one of the brews that looked interesting. My selection was a “Chocolate Dunkel”. This was an amazing brew, A+ in my book. It featured a very enticing array of dark malts that did provide for a slightly sweet chocolate after taste. For an American wheat beer this was truly impressive.

The second beer chosen this evening was their Christmas Ale. The board behind the bar pronounced that they were down to their last keg of this particular brew. Unfortunately (for me) this beer was one of the winter ales that the brewer decided to throw some seasonal spices into (ala Boston Beer Company’s Sam Adams “Old Fizzywig”). I’ve never found the inclusion of nutmeg, cinnamon or any other Xmas spice in beer enticing.

I was finishing up the second beer of the evening (and beginning to feel it…) when we were called for our table. After sitting down and deciding on a steak dinner, I ordered a sampler, their practice was to include only their “usual 6 beers” in this menu item. Since I had already had two of the other three beers that they had on tap, this didn’t bother me.

My sampler included the following offerings: Willoughby Wheat, Lost Notion Pale Ale, Razzberry Ale, Willoughby Amber, Lost Stop Stout and a fine Imperial IPA.

Willoughby Wheat – Weak filtered American Wheat beer. Had very little nose, a slight almost imperceptible citrus flavoring. Wheat beers are one of my favorite varieties of brew so this one was a disappointment. Rating: C-

Lost Notion Pale Ale – Nicely hopped pale ale. Good color, good nose, very smooth finish. I like pale ales that aren’t shy about including a good measure of hops. Rating: A-

Razzberry Ale – Somewhat understated raspberry flavoring, good color. Unfortunately, there is very little nose on this ale. The wheat beer portion of the beer suffers from the same process (I imagine) that produces their standard wheat beer. The understated raspberry flavor adds slightly to the final rating. Rating: B

Willoughby Amber Ale – Good color, no nose what so ever. Weak understated mostly flavorless. Somewhat of a Killian’s Red knock off. Rating: C

Lost Stop Stout – Dark color, good nose, somewhat muted malty flavor. A worthy stout offering by any account. Rating: B

Imperial IPA – First taste was an eye-opener (in comparison to some of the other offerings). Very nicely hopped (the brewer did well with their standard ale so this wasn’t a complete surprise. Great color and a very smooth finish. Rating: A-

The food was well prepared but, a tad pricey (my opinion) service was good despite the Saturday evening crowd.

Tuesday 23rd of September 2008 10:25:26 PM

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Interesting location- old train repair shop- so it has train theme throughout. A little bit more trendy type place, gets very busy on weekends as they generally sponsor bands. Beer is solid, probably the most popular is Rasberry Wheat - not my favorite. Have an excellent season called Old Wausenslaus at Christmas time. Also have a good oktoberfest.

They have a very complete beer selection, including their own version of "Christmas Ale" in 2008. They also recently had a Chocolate Porter with 10% ABV which was very tasty.

Parking is a little bit of a pain as it is valet. Food selection is decent, some interesting selections. Good pairings with beer. Large dining area.