Cleveland Beer: History & Revival in the Rust Belt

Cleveland loves its craft beer. The city's breweries are flourishing under a period of brewing renewal and an insatiable taste for quality local craftsmanship. But Cleveland's brewing industry hasn't always enjoyed such prosperous times. The industry boomed during the 1800s only to see Prohibition, dwindling demand and increased competition stifle production. Each brewery, one by one, closed its doors until none remained. In 1988, Patrick and Daniel Conway opened the fledgling Great Lakes Brewing Company, and the industry was born anew. Today, local visionaries are engineering the comeback and bringing national attention to Cleveland's award-winning craft brews. Authors Leslie Basalla and Peter Chakerian chart the remarkable history of the ups and downs of Cleveland beer.

Native Clevelander Leslie Basalla owns Cleveland Brew Bus, a brewery tasting tour service. She majored in journalism at Ohio University and covered local news before falling into the restaurant industry and professional craft beer service. While manager of Market Garden Brewery, Leslie learned a great deal about Cleveland beer history and craft brewing. Leslie is a Certified Beer Server through the Cicerone Certification Program and a Certified Beer Steward through the MBAA.

Peter Chakerian is an award-winning writer, author and journalist whose work has been featured on Yahoo! News, America OnLine, Technorati, RootsRated and in dozens of publications across the country. His twenty-five-year career has earned him several awards, including "Best in Ohio" nods for online journalism by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. He is a regular contributor to The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com covering dining, nightlife, popular culture and entertainment.