FIRST: Bell Tower Brewing Co.

After spending almost two years looking for the right property for their brewery, Ryan Tipton and the other two owners of Bell Tower Brewing settled on a building located at 310 Park Ave. that was home to a church and built in 1858.

“As soon as we walked into the main hall for the first time, we were absolutely mesmerized by the character of the building,” he said. “The age and the quality of the building fit our vision really well and it pushed us to grow a little bigger than we originally intended.”

Originally, Tipton said he and the owners had wanted to just have a tap room and beer, but the space inside the church was so large and “amazing” that they felt like they needed to add a whole kitchen as well. 

“Almost all of the food that comes out of our kitchen is made from scratch,” he said. “We make all of our breads, pretzels, dips and sauces in house.”

Tipton also said the bar manager makes all of the cocktails from scratch. The citrus used for the cocktails is freshly juiced and a lot of the non-alcoholic drinks are made from scratch too.

The brewery is known for a lot of classic style beers such as loggers and pilsners, which are also some of their best sellers. 

All of the beer is made by hand on site.

“I think that the one thing that is really important that we want all of our customers to know is that everything we offer is a crafted offering,” he said. “It’s something that our staff is making with their hands and with passion and love.”

Bell Tower Brewing Co. can be contacted at (330) 663-2355.

SECOND: North Water Brewing Co.

Located on the Cuyahoga River at 101 Crain Ave., North Water Brewing Co. is committed to conservation and sustainability, said manager Derek Salustro.

“We’re really outdoorsy people,” Salustro said. “We love to kayak, run and bike. We love being right by the trail, so that people walking or biking by can stop for a beer.”

North Water Brewery’s Irish Red won gold at the Ohio beer cup three years ago, and its Mexican hot chocolate won silver in the flavored beer category. 

“There’s always something for everyone,” he said. “People have been really receptive and positive towards the beers that we have been making.”

Salustro said they opened a kitchen behind the garage door last May, which has helped to produce even more business.

All of the beers are brewed in house by using fresh, natural ingredients, Salustro said. 

“When people ask us if we have any domestic beers I tell them all of them are domestic,” he said. “Everything is brewed 20 feet away.”

He also said he enjoys brewing all of the different beers that they have.

“When you see the look on someone’s face after they try your beer and like it, nothing beats that,” Salustro said. “It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Call North Water Brewing Co. at (330) 778-4677.

THIRD: MadCap Brew Co.

MadCap Brew Co. started out small, and later, its owners managed to renovate a machine shop and make it into their brewing headquarters today, according to its website.

Back in February, Lee Angelo’s Pizza, a local pizza restaurant located at 1422 Mogadore Rd., opened in a kitchen within the brewery. It serves fresh pizza on top of the already 12 rotating beers on tap.

Charlie Helmkamp, a member of the community, said he was happy to hear about the pizza shop opening within the brewery.

“I always love when you can get food at breweries, especially pizza,” he said. “Beer and pizza just go so well together.”

Helmkamp said he loves the atmosphere of the brewery and the funky names of the different beers.

“I always love when breweries use some imagination to come up with their beer names,” he said. “Some of them are so unique and fit perfectly with the taste of each beer.”

Lee Angelo’s Pizza and MadCap Brew Co. are open everyday except for Mondays during the week and feature a space to hold large parties/events. 

Call MadCap Brew Co. and Lee Angelo’s Pizza at (330) 548-9654.

Molly Hoffer is a campus editor. Contact her at [email protected].