Brewmaster Matt Cole partnered with Glenn Benigni, owner of Fat Head's Saloon in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, to open Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

in 2009, with Cole supplying beer to the Pittsburgh location. A production brewery opened in

Middleburg Heights, Ohio Middleburg Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb about southwest of downtown Cleveland. The population was 16,004 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Middleburg Heights is part of the histo ...

in March 2012 and another brewpub location opened in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in November 2014, which has since closed. Fat Head's is known for their signature beers Head Hunter IPA and Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale.

Background

Fat Head's Saloon opened in the historic South Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1992 and grew to be known for its selection of craft beer and large sandwiches, called "headwiches." Brewer Matt Cole apprenticed at Baltimore Brewing Co., then worked at

Penn Brewery Penn Brewery, also known as the Pennsylvania Brewing Company, is a brewery and restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Tom Pastorius in 1986, and is located at 800 Vinial Street in the Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, o ...

and

Great Lakes Brewing Company Great Lakes Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub in Cleveland, Ohio. The first brewpub and microbrewery in the state, Great Lakes Brewing has been noted as important to Cleveland's local identity and as one of the initial forces behind th ...

before joining Rocky River Brewing Company. Cole spent more than a decade there, winning several awards at both

Great American Beer Festival The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Cente ...

and

World Beer Cup The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition organized by the Brewers Association, a trade group A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organizatio ...

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon opened in

North Olmsted, Ohio North Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,442 as of the 2020 census. It is a western suburb of Cleveland and part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History The land that became North Olmsted was ...

, a suburb of Cleveland, on April 7, 2009. The brewpub has a 35-seat bar and a 200-seat dining room. There are 30 rotating tap handles that serve beers from Fat Head's as well as guest breweries. There is also a game room with a video games, a vintage bowling machine, pool tables, and dart boards. Derek Wilson, formerly of Great Lakes Brewing Company, heads the kitchen. In addition to the signature headwiches, a staple at the Pittsburgh Saloon, Wilson added stone oven pizzas, smoke house wings, and pulled pork to the menu. Fat Head's Brewery opened in March, 2012 in a warehouse in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The production brewery supplies beer for the Fat Head's restaurants in Pittsburgh and North Olmsted, as well as bottles and kegs for distributes. As of 2013, the brewery has a BrauKon brewhouse that was purchased from

Tröegs Brewing Company Tröegs is an American brewery located on Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania. John and Chris Trogner founded the company in 1996. Tröegs is a craft-brewery, or microbrewery focusing their production on specialty and seasonal beers. ...

. A tasting room and retail shop opened on October 18, 2013.

Fat Head's Portland

Fat Head's opened in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon on November 3, 2014. In 2018, the location changed owners and became

Von Ebert Brewing Von Ebert Brewing is a brewery based in Portland, Oregon. The business has operated in Northwest Portland, Oregon, northwest Portland's Pearl District, Portland, Oregon, Pearl District, at Glendoveer Golf Course in the Northeast Portland, Oregon, ...

, a Portland-based company. The brewpub had 278 seats throughout the bar and dining room and 42 rotating tap hands that served beers from Fat Head's as well as guest breweries. The brewery featured a 10-barrel JVNW brewhouse with 13 fermentors and 12 bright tanks. Matt Cole was the brewmaster, with Eric Van Tassel who served as the head brewer. They served Fat Head's signature beers, including Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale and Head Hunter IPA, as well as some of their own creations, including Zoobomb Dortmunder and Ultra Pils North German-Stlyle Pilsner.

Awards

References

External links