Crooked River Brewing Company - Crooked River Robust Porter

Crooked River's Robust Porter is brewed with a combination of two row pale, chocolate and caramel malts. Stephen hops this tasty treat with Yakima hops for their bittering characteristics and Cascade for both their aromatic and bittering qualities. We found this Ale to be a deep, dark English style Porter with a distinct malty sweetness. It has a dark brown hue and well roasted malt flavors on the palate. Look for it to be medium-bodied and while unusual for a Porter, it has citrusy accents on the nose most likely from the Cascade hops. You will also notice notes of grapefruit and cascade hops in the finish. Overall, a very drinkable Porter and worthy of its many accolades.

Crooked River Brewing Company is a full-fledged, production microbrewery located in the heart of "the flats" in Cleveland, Ohio. Although a few brewpubs were already in operation locally, Crooked River is the first production and bottling brewery to operate in Cleveland since the Christian Schmidt brewery closed its doors for good in 1984. Cleveland once boasted more than thirty local breweries, but one by one the hometown brewers disappeared. Famous brands like Carling Black Label, P.O.C., Standard and Black Forest once called Cleveland home. Sadly, that great era is long gone, but Crooked River Brewing Company is leading the way in the rebirth of the Cleveland Brewing tradition. Crooked River takes its name from the Cuyahoga River, which winds its way through Cleveland. "Cuyahoga" actually means "Crooked River" in the Native American tongue of the Mohawk Indian tribe.

Master Brewer Stephan Danckers and his partner Stuart Sheridan began nurturing the idea of The Crooked River Brewing Company in 1992. They wasted no time finding investors, forming the company and designing bottle labels. The real challenge was finding a home for the brewery. By 1993, arrangements were made to convert the old Scottish Tool and Die building at 1101 Center Street into the new 6000 barrel Crooked River microbrewery. If anyone was up for the challenge it was Brewmaster Stephan Danckers. His brewing credentials include a Masters degree in Brewing Science and technology from the University of California-Davis. Further, Danckers received a Fulbright Scholarship to Brewing Faculty at the University of Munich at Weihenstephan, Germany. In June 1994, Danckers began brewing the first test batches of beer in Crooked River's new 30-barrel brew kettle. He brewed 12 test batches of pale ale before finally settling on a suitable formula for the brewery's first brand, Crooked River ESB.

Today, Crooked River offers 6 year-round styles and five seasonal brands under the Crooked River name. The company also brews special house brands for Cleveland's Jacobs Field and Browns Stadium. Both of the Crooked River beers featured this month have won numerous awards including Silver Medals at both the 2000 Great American Beer Festival and Nittany Valley Brewer's Cup for the Porter and a rating of "Highly Recommended" for the Lager by the Beverage Testing Institute in both 1999 and 2000. We know you're going to enjoy them!

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (216) 771-BEER.