Cleveland, OH

Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s flagship Dortmunder Gold is a cultural icon: Classic CLE Eats & Drinks

Published

9 months ago

October 26, 2023

Press Room

Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s flagship Dortmunder Gold is a cultural icon: Classic CLE Eats & Drinks

CLEVELAND, Ohio — You never forget your first.

Beer. I meant beer. Come on, people.

My very first beer was a respectable Miller Lite. I say respectable because:

a) Milwaukee and Cleveland are more alike than they are different, except they’ve known what to do with their lakefront longer than we have;

b) it was served to me at a questionable age (“gasp!” and “woot!”) at Cleveland Municipal Stadium… staaahhp it, the statute of limitations and the building itself have long passed;

c) “how” it was served — warm, in a 16 oz., wax-coated paper cup, with a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth, held there precariously by a rubber band over the mouth. They pre-poured (heathens!!!) to keep the long lines moving. You had to drink up that temperate nectar before the bottom of the cup fell out.

Oh, and perhaps we should also consider d) unlike some beers of today, which are served with a wedge of citrus on the rim, this one had the original Murder Hornet — a mean ol’ wasp known as a Yellowjacket — clinging to the cup like it was Tom Cruise in a “Mission: Impossible” film.

Those were the days.

If you showed up at the ol’ Stadium for the start of the second inning, they just let you in without a ticket.

Management made more in concessions and merch on walk-ins than they ever would on admission to a baseball game. Those 100-loss seasons really crimped their style.

If you know, you know. Back then Browns games were a whole other story.

Ah, but I’m really not here to talk about sports or even my first light beer (at least not anymore).

Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Dortmunder Gold Lager beer. Who’d dare put this legend in a wax paper cup?Peter Chakerian, Cleveland.com

No, I’m here to talk about my first craft beer. And as it was for so many in The Land, that first was a “Dort” —Dortmunder Gold, brewed by the godfathers of CLE craft at Great Lakes Brewing Co.

The brewery got its start on September 6, 1988, when brothers Pat and Dan Conway decided to dump the day jobs for something a little sexier. Before opening the brewery, Pat was a schoolteacher and Dan was a banker — and as current and former employees know by heart, nothing makes you want to drink more than handling other peoples’ kids and their money.

The rest is history, including Dort’s former name, The Heisman — named for football icon John Heisman of Cleveland’s Bridge Avenue and the resulting trophy that bears his name. This led to an infamous cease-and-desist from the trophy folks. That story is best served and summed up by our own Marc Bona.

Unlike my first light beer, my first Dort came legit on my 21st birthday at the brewpub.

A delectable lager beer, first popularized in what’s known as North Rhine-Westphalia in central Germany, the Dort is an intriguing brew: simple, yet complex. Smooth, well-balanced, accessible and crushable. But also subtly nuanced with a thin head, biscuit-like flavor profile with floral notes and beautiful, orange-bronze color.

Dort is also the beer that broke Cleveland wide open into becoming one of the premiere destinations for craft beer on the planet. Inspiring in more ways than one.

Here’s a brief music analogy: a lot of people who bought the Velvet Underground’s debut album went on to form bands of great import. With Dort, the beer was a gateway to making brewers who have gone on to fortify Cleveland’s legendary stature on the beer globe.

Brewers like Andy Tveekrem (Market Garden Brewery), Matt Cole (Fat Head’s), Luke Purcell (Collision Bend) and many others brewed for Great Lakes early on.

Great Lakes Brewing Company's Dortmunder Gold Lager beer — Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Dortmunder Gold Lager beer as seen in its 35th anniversary retro packaging.Peter Chakerian, Cleveland.com

“That’s why it’s Cleveland’s original craft beer and remains a cultural icon,” said Mike Williams, beer educator at Great Lakes, referencing the beer that launched a thousand more.

“The beauty of it is that it’s simple and complex, which made it accessible to industrial [read: commercial] lager drinkers, but unique at the same time,” he said of the brewery’s flagship brew.

“I fell in love with that beer just like you did and, you’re right. It’s perfect as an entry-level beer for the craft-brew-curious, but there’s really a lot to unpack.”

Dortmunder Gold is still as tasty at a tailgate as it is at the tail end of a lobster on a surf-and-turf platter.

A friend once called Dortmunder Gold the perfect “helmet-to-heels” beer—that is to say, comfortable for a football fan’s day of “grievance nurturing” or a night on the town. No-frills and fancy all at once.

I wholeheartedly concur and will put that status to the test with the Cleveland Arts Prize festivities and Browns/Seahawks game this weekend. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find some wax paper cups…

I’m kidding. Really. I’m not a monster. Who could do that to a Dort?

Source link

Cleveland, OH

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Published

7 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Get Your Golf On!
Golfers of all abilities are invited to play in GCSC’s Summer Golf Classic presented by First National Bank on Monday, August 5, 2024 at Cleveland Metroparks Sleepy Hollow.
Join us for a day of 18 holes with cart featuring beverages, contests & prizes, lunch and a buffet dinner.
FORMAT:…

Source link

Cleveland, OH

Fatal shooting on east side after reports of large fight: Cleveland Police

Published

14 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

Fatal shooting on east side after reports of large fight: Cleveland Police

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – One man is dead after a shooting following reports of a large fight on the east side, according to Cleveland Police.

Police got reports of a large fight around 2:50 a.m. on Saturday in the 1000 block of East 71st Street.

While officers were en route, they learned that two people were shot.

Police located a 22-year-old man and a 24-year-old man who were both shot, according to a release.

Both of the men were taken to the hospital by EMS.

The 22-year-old man later died at the hospital.

The condition of the 24-year-old is unknown.

Cleveland Police homicide unit is investigating, according to police.

Source link

Cleveland, OH

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Results: Winners And Grades On August 3, 2024

Published

22 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

WWE SummerSlam 2024 results

Credit: WWE.com

WWE SummerSlam 2024 from Cleveland, Ohio advertised six championship matches. Among them was Solo Sikoa challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship, LA Knight challenging Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship, Sami Zayn defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker and GUNTHER challenging Damian Priest for the WWE World Championship.

This week’s broadcast of WWE Raw garnered 1.412 million viewers on SyFy after being preempted by the Olympics.

WWE SummerSlam Results | August 3, 2024

Liv Morgan def. Rhea Ripley | WWE Women’s World Championship
Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn | WWE Intercontinental Championship
LA Knight def. Logan Paul | WWE United States Championship
Nia Jax def. Bayley | WWE Women’s Championship
Drew McIntyre def. CM Punk
GUNTHER def. Damian Priest | WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Cody Rhodes def. Solo Sikoa | WWE Undisputed Championship

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Ticket Sales

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Venue: Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, OH)
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Tickets Distributed: 55,858
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Tickets Available: 807

WWE Money In The Bank 2024 Winners And Grades

Liv Morgan Def. Rhea Ripley

Despite all the talk of The Judgment Day competing by themselves, Dominik Mysterio accompanied Rhea Ripley to the ring.

Michael Cole noted the last time Rhea Ripley lost a singles match was 26 months ago. To Liv Morgan.

This match started as a cat-and-mouse as Liv ran away from Ripley. Fans became frustrated and booed Liv loudly.

Rhea dominated this match until Liv Morgan dodged a charging Ripley and followed up by throwing her, shoulder-first, into the turnbuckle. Ripley could be heard (kayfabe) saying “it’s out, it’s out!”

Fans were split as they made dueling chants of “let’s go Rhea/let’s go Liv!”

Liv Morgan (kayfabe) popped her shoulder back into place by running herself into the announce table and fans went crazy.

Ripley hit the riptide, but did not pin Morgan. Instead, she grabbed a steel chair that Morgan brought into the ring. Mysterio grabbed the chair from her, which was the wise decision because she would have gotten herself disqualified. This led to an Oblivion for a nearfall and “holy s—t” chants.

Dom distracted the ref, leading to an Oblivion on the steel chair for the win. After the match, Dominik Mysterio kissed Liv Morgan and they left together.

Backstage, Damian Priest was furious with Dominik Mysterio for his actions. Finn and the rest of the Judgment Day vowed to go find him. I don’t trust them.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan Grade: A-

Bron Breakker Def. Sami Zayn

Bron Breakker hit his always impressive Breakkensteiner early on, then he proceeded to scream “quit!” at Sami Zayn.

Bron Breakker cut Sami Zayn off with a Spear, then he hit ayn with another Spear for the win. This wasn’t necessarily a squash match, but it was definitely a dominant win for Breakker.

Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn Grade: B

LA Knight Def. Logan Paul

Logan Paul wore a Cleveland-inspired American Flag vest and greeted two security guards on his way to the ring. One of hte security guards turned out to be Cleveland’s own MGK.

LA Knight shattered the glass on Logan Paul’s Prime vehicle before making his way to the ring.

Paul cleared the table, but LA Knight got the better of him with a modified TKO, though the table didn’t break.

Paul won these people over with a springboard moonsault on LA Knight. Though they cheered the spot, they eventually came to their senses and chanted “you still suck!”

After jumping up on the top rope, LA Knight hit a scary looking superplex. Fans chanted “this is awesome” after a nearfall.

Logan Paul borrowed brass knuckles from MGK. After a shot to LA Knight, Knight countered with a BFT.

Logan Paul vs. LA Knight Grade: A-

Nia Jax Def. Bayley

Bayley relentlessly knocked Nia Jax off her feet early in the match.

Nia Jax took control of the match, to the point where she hit the Annihilator, but Bayley kicked out.

Jax called herself “reckless” and “clumsy” while trash-talking Bayley on offense.

Bayley hit an awesome power bomb on Nia Jax from the top rope. The fans were fervently into a match that struggled to follow Logan Paul vs. LA Knight.

A Tiffany Stratton cash-in was thwarted by Bayley, but the distraction led to two power bombs and two Annihilators for the win.

Nia Jax vs. Bayley Grade: A-

Drew McIntyre Def. CM Punk

Seth Rollins walked out in a long cloak, and what was under the jacket was certain to be even wilder.

WWE used ref cameras on the referee’s ear, and there were never more ref cam shots than during Seth Rollins’ entrance.

Rollins’ referee outfit were baggy, bedazzled pants and a cutoff shirt similar to Shawn Michaels.

Fans chanted “CM Punk” to start the match as punk donned pink gear in homage to Bret Hart.

Rollins did a great job working the fans into a frenzy before ringing the bell. When the bell rang, Punk and McIntyre brawled like crazy.

Instead of counting to 10 while Punk and McIntyre were outside of the ring, Rollins instead chose to tie his shoes. Rollins also took immense pleasure in seeing Punk and Rollins beat the hell out of one another.

During an Anaconda Vice on McIntyre, Punk secured his friendship bracelet and the entire stadium celebrated.

Punk stopped his GTS on McIntyre dead in its tracks and confronted Rollins about wearing his bracelet, which Rollins picked up off the ground did wear, but out of no malice.

After a ref bump and a nearfall (followed by a second visual pinfall), Punk and Rollins got into a heated argument. Punk hit a Go To Sleep on Rollins and took his bracelet back, but it cost him the match.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk Grade: B+

GUNTHER Def. Damian Priest

Finn Balor wished Damian Priest luck before the match. Famous last words.

GUNTHER already had chop marks on his chest before the match even started.

GUNTHER and Priest chopped the hell out of one another to the point where GUNTHER was bleeding from the chest.

Finn Balor hit the ring, presumably to save Priest, but he ended up costing Priest the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by putting GUNTHER’s leg on the bottom rope.

After this match, Jelly Roll, The Miz and R-Truth took out A-Town Down Under.

GUNTHER vs. Damian Priest Grade: B+

Cody Rhodes Def. Solo Sikoa

Cody Rhodes ran into Arn Anderson backstage, and Anderson said he called in a few favors to a few allies of Cody Rhodes. Some of whom he knows, some he doesn’t.

For a full recap of Cody vs. Solo Sikoa in Bloodline Rules, click here.

Source link