Located in one of the hippest parts of Cleveland, Tremont Taphouse is the city’s first gastropub, a London-inspired casual pub with upscale cuisine complemented by an assortment of great beer. The Taphouse has more than 48 craft beers on tap at all times, rotating constantly. I decided to switch things up a bit with a darker beer at the start: the Too Cream Stout. This beer is an 8% ABV, a roasty chocolate-flavored sweet stout from Dark Horse. Though not my personal favorite in their stout series, it’s not a bad brew and well worth a try. For dinner, I ordered the House Burger, a scrump...
Dogfish Head, known for its uniquely experimental beers, has teamed up with the equally inventive and groundbreaking record producer Dan the Automator, of the critically acclaimed and well-loved Deltron 3030 that also features hip-hop madman Del The Funky Homosapien, to commemorate the completion of the group’s new record. Over a decade in the making, the new Deltron 3030 album is set to finally see the light of day this spring, and a beer has been brewed to celebrate the release. Dubbed Positive Contact, it is a hybrid of beer and cider based on Dan’s favorite ingredients and Dogfish Hea...
Opened just last summer in the Summit Mall shopping plaza, The Rail has quickly become a destination spot for outstanding burgers and tasty drinks. Located next door to the equally popular but significantly cheesier P.F. Chang’s, The Rail prides itself on locally sourced meat and Ohio-made beers. Presenting a decked-out warehouse atmosphere, The Rail is a 75-seat establishment that, in addition to burgers and beers, also offers salads and milkshakes. Those in the mood for a healthier night can munch on veggie burgers instead. Chef Mike Mariola, who also owns two successful eateries in Woos...
For those of you who made it out the Cleveland International Film Festival this year, then you know we sponsored a fantastic little gem called Daylight Savings. Filmgoers showed their love for the film packing both screenings to the brim. If you missed the film, fear not as director Dave Boyle and actor/musician Goh Nakamura are hoping to take the film (along with its predecessor) on the road for a national tour across the U.S. This year. Boyle has teamed up with Kickstarter to make this dream a reality. Just in case you have lived in a cave these last few years, Kickstarter is a crowd fundin...
Nelson Imperial IPA Nelson Imperial IPA is a year-round offering from Widmer Brothers, who calls Portland home. This India Pale Ale draws its name from the Nelson Sauvin hops imported from New Zealand and used to create the brew. Mixed with a fair share of malty sweetness and caramel character, this beer explodes with a great balance of flavors. Pretty drinkable, but it seemed to lack the repeat drinkability that Widmer claims the Nelson Sauvin hop is supposed to bring forth. Pouring a nice copper shade with a nice amount of head on top, the best part of the brew is its piney aroma that has m...
An avid homebrewer, beer aficionado Shane Welch took the inevitable next step in the brew-loving progression: He started his own brewery. Accumulating more than 100 recipes, he housed his ambitious start-up in an 800-square-foot garage in a dilapidated and perilous part of Brooklyn. And thus, in 2004, Sixpoint Brewery was born. “The neighborhood was not in great shape then and has since seen a wonderful renaissance of growth and renewal, which we like to think Sixpoint has played a part in,” said Jerry Welch, Sixpoint’s sales representative for Northeast Ohio. Sixpoint takes their nam...
All great things must come to an end and so we must say goodbye to the Cleveland International Film Festival until we meet again next March. A record breaking number of movie goers made their way to Tower City Cinemas for the festivities this year with the final call coming in at just over 85,000 attendees. Stakes were also high this year with a 75,000 dollar challenge match planned, however, thanks to northeast Ohio's love of film, numbers were far surpassed with the crowd during the 11 day festival raising a total of 88,605 dollars. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture will match that amount, which wi...
In clearly the longest film running in the festival, Dreileben is well worth your time if you have, say 4 and a half hours free. Originally release as a television miniseries in Germany, the film is broken into three separate films each helmed by a different director. All three films stands alone, however, with the same on-going story running through each picture - a murderer has escaped and is on the loose among the town of Dreileben. The first film in the series, Beats Being Dead, is the strongest of the bunch and follows two teenagers that meet under unlikely circumstances and fall in lo...
If there were an award for the strangest film at the festival, Yorgos Lanthimos' Alps would run away with the prize. If you are familiar with Lanthimos' work, however, then you know that weirdness for him comes second nature and you are in for one hell of a wild ride when you decided to tackle one of his films. Alps follows a group of individuals, who seek out those that have lost someone close, offering up their services to take the place of the deceased in order to console their loss and ease the pain. Whether you end up liking the film or loathing it, one thing is for certain – Greece ...
I know it seems a little premature to say this, but Tyrannosaur may be competing for best film of the festival this year. The film follows a man overflowing with violence and rage, who finds redemption in the form a religious woman that takes pity on him and in the process creates an unlikely companionship. Peter Mullan is astonishing as Joseph in role that should have been recognized for its greatness during this year's award ceremony but was controversially absent. It is still beyond me why no larger studio (the film is being distributed by indie Strand Releasing) had the cajones to pic...
Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a four-year old when you're not around? First-time director Valerie Massadian explores the inner workings of an adorable child without the watchful eye of an adult in her feature-length debut, Nana. Capturing a few days with and without a guardian by her side, the director brilliantly crafts our journey with an incredibly independent girl, who seems to make due on her own regardless of her mother disappearing one day from the lonely countryside shack they both inhabit. Artist/photographer Massadian perfectly weaves a tale of child innocence and th...
One of the best-loved breweries in the craft-beer community sits nestled in the northwest Indiana town of Munster. The acclaimed Three Floyds has cracked the top five best beers in the United States on both Rate Beer and Beer Advocate. Three Floyds Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon Floyd and their father, Mike. Their beers were designed to be a departure from the relatively minimal craft-brewing scene at the time, and the result was intense, balanced beers unlike any other. Known for their extremely hopped characters and complexity, Three Floyds’ offerings a...
Located in the historic Brewery District, the Columbus Brewing Company hasbeen offering up spectacular brews since 1988. Six years ago, Eric Bean stepped in to purchase a portion of the brewery and has since then taken over the reins as brewmaster. This past year he bought out his business partner and now owns a majority share of the company. “Owning a brewery has been my dream since I turned 21 and the focus of my brewing career,” Bean said. “This gave me the opportunity to take an existing company and mold it into what it is today. This has not always been easy, but it has...
As cold winter nights make room for breezy spring days, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) once again returns with 11 glorious days of cinema. Between March 22 and April 1, the 36th annual festival will screen more than 300 flicks. Here are our 15 most-anticipated films of this year’s festivities. Alps (Greece) From the crazed mind of Yorgos Lanthimos, director of the totally bonkers “Dogtooth,” comes “Alps.” It’s about four people who, when a family member dies, decide to hire one another to take the place of the deceased in order to console for t...
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2D/3D) Nationwide Zac Efron voices a 12-year-old boy who is in search of something that will help him win the affection of the girl of his dreams (Taylor Swift). His answer - the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the grumpy creature who fights to protect his world. Opens 03/02 Project X Nationwide Yet another found footage films hit theaters this month, this one from the mind of "The Hangover" creator Todd Phillips. Music video filmmaker Nima Nourizadeh directs a bunch of unknowns in a plot involving a group of teenagers who document a house party that goes horribly wrong....
This month’s stop is one I’m embarrassed to admit I had not been familiar with until my editor tossed me a bone. Opened in 1998, Stamper’s Grill Pub was founded by Jim and Mary Stamper, with their friends Jim and Susan Smith, on Lorain Road in Fairview Park. Now, 14 years later, the pub has turned into something remarkable — a great spot for delicious food, live entertainment and, most importantly, a fine selection of craft beer. Just a few months ago, Jimmy Stamper, son of the original owner Jim, returned to Cleveland and made the wise decision to rebrand the establishment a bit. N...
Oedipus Rex Cleveland Cinematheque Douglas Rain and William Shatner are two of the performers in this film version of a famous 1950s stage production of Sophocles’ tragedy directed by Tyrone Guthrie for the Stratford Ontario Shakespearean Festival. Using the W.B. Yeats’ translation of the play, Guthrie places his actors behind painted masks, as the ancient Greeks did, giving the performance an almost ritualistic quality. The play itself tells of a king who unknowingly murders his father and marries his mother. Thursday, 02/23 at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, 02/26 at 1 p.m. Outrage Cleveland C...
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Nationwide If you thought the first Ghost Rider was a big piece of excrement wait until you get a load of the sequel. Nicolas Cage once again stars as Johnny Blaze this time hiding out in Eastern Europe and attmpting to stop the devil from taking human form on earth. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then have at it. Opens 02/17 The Secret World of Arrietty Nationwide Famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki wrote this new film that has already become a critical and box office success in its home country. The film evolves around a group of "tiny peopl...
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 Cleveland Cinematheque Made entirely from 16mm footage shot between 1967 and 1975 by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States, this new documentary was edited together by a contemporary Swedish filmmaker. Thursday, 02/09 at 6:45 p.m. Friday, 02/10 at 9:15 p.m. Charlotte Rampling: The Look Cleveland Cinematheque The aloof, enigmatic, now 65-year-old star of “The Night Porter,” “The Swimming Pool,” and many other movies talks with friends and artistic collaborators about topics ranging from age an...
Big Miracle Nationwide Drew Barrymore and The Office's John Krasinski make a family film. Awww. In a month known for the time in which studios dump their worst movies, this all ages flick seems to fit right in. The film follows small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and an animal-loving volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. Opens 02/03 Chronicle Nationwide Hope you are not sick of the whole “found footage” film style done so well with Blair Witch Projec...
