Fat Head’s Plans to Open Brewpub in Portland in 2014
(Cleveland, OH) – Fat Head’s Brewery has announced the opening of a Fat Head’s Brewpub in downtown Portland slated for mid-year 2014.
While gaining national attention for their beer, Fat Head’s initially became famous for it’s food – from massive munchies to colossal sandwiches, including Headwiches billed as “roughly the size of your head.” These meals on a bun with fun names like The Chick ‘n Little, Beauty and the Beasty, and Bay of Pigs include an abundance of fresh ingredients served on fresh, locally sourced rolls. The South Side Slopes, a nod to Fat Head’s Pittsburgh hometown, features a mountainous helping of kielbasa, pierogies, cheese and grilled onions and was voted No.5 sandwich in the nation by Maxim Magazine. Fat Head’s founder, Glenn Benigni, a craft beer enthusiast since opening his first location in 1992 said, “We’re looking forward to introducing Fat Head’s to one of our favorite cities. Heads up Portland!”
When Benigni got together with Master Brewer Matt Cole, they headed down the highway, building their first Brewpub in Cleveland. Two crazy friends, each with a discerning palate, an encyclopedic knowledge of beer and a vision that seemed like the perfect two-headed monster. Cole already had a following in the beer industry from stints at Baltimore Brewing, Great Lakes and Rocky River Brewing. Fat Head’s success was so instant and the awards so overwhelming that a full-scale production brewery was opened in 2011 to keep up with demand.
Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA has been repeatedly awarded at the highly acclaimed Great American Beer Festival (GABF), The World Beer Cup, The West Coast IPA Fest and was a 2x Grand Champion at the National IPA Challenge. Draft Magazine named Head Hunter one of the top 25 Beers in the World in 2009 and their Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale was voted “Most Refreshing Beer In America” by Brewing News Magazine. The 2013 GABF was Fat Head’s most prosperous yet, bringing home silver medals for Black Knight Schwarzbier and Wet-Hopped Trail Head Pale Ale; plus, in the 2nd largest category with 149 entries, Hop JuJu Imperial IPA won gold. And the list goes on with eight total GABF medals and two World Beer Cup awards in just four years of operation. “The recognition by our industry peers is much appreciated,” says Cole, “but it’s even more gratifying to introduce more and more folks to fresh, locally made beer. That’s our passion.”
It’s easy to see these guys love what they do and have fun doing it. Their creativity doesn’t stop at the mash tun. Their humorously tagged menu items and beer names with artistic embellishments to their iconic Fat Head logo accompanying each new beer they create are natural extensions of the brand they strive to keep ahead of the crowded craft beer industry.
“Bringing our beer to Portland is a dream come true for us. We love this town. Portland is like a brewer’s mecca,” says Cole. High praise from a man who tops the list of “brewers most desirable to collaborate with” for many breweries in this country and abroad. Cole just returned from the UK where he created a collaboration ale with Batemans Brewery in Lincolnshire.
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