Ah, the titan of Cleveland craft brews... Great Lakes Brewing Co. is the foundation around which our city's burgeoning brew economy was built. The Ohio City stalwart is an all-around great experience: good food, a great and pleasant interior, a really cool basement (the world's best basement, Ramon Rivas II will tell ya), and a tap lineup that'll knock your socks off seven nights a week. The peak experience is the annual Christmas Ale tapping in late fall, but you're missing a Cleveland staple if you're not stopping by the bar on the reg. "Ohio City" is sort of a destination in itself, but your travels are incomplete without a pint of Great Lakes.
2516 Market Ave., 216-771-4404, greatlakesbrewing.com.