Cellar Rats Feature Small Scale Brews At Taste Of The Harvest

Jerome among his beer making equipment

Cleveland Beer Week is upon us! Now, the most important choice is what to drink. While most Clevelanders have enjoyed a Great Lakes or Buckeye Beer, few realize that really great beer is being brewed on both small and large scales by hobbyists and professionals alike right here on Cleveland’s west side.

A group of Clevelanders named the Cellar Rats has spent over 10 years taking to their kitchens and basements to create unique, hand-crafted beer that they are showcasing at the Taste of the Harvest event on Friday, October 21 at the Lake Erie Building in Lakewood.

We caught up with local brewing kingpin and Cellar Rats founder Jerome Welliver of Westlake to get his take on the local beer scene. Welliver has been making wine since he was 11 years old and beer since 1991. Today Welliver is the owner of JW Dover Wine and Supply in Westlake and commercial brewer for Crooked River, Western Reserve and Black Box Brewing Co. 

Welliver started the Cellar Rats in 2000. “Everyone was hanging around so we decided to make it official and now we have almost 70 members,” he says. The Cellar Rats come from all over NEO, getting together monthly to discuss varied styles of admired commercial beers and wines, along with bringing their homemade creations to sample and critique. From harvesting to drinking, the Cellar Rats goal is to educate each other about the brewing process and help make each other better brewers and drinkers. “The beer and the wine stuff is so scary to some people,” says Welliver. “I like breaking the globe of mystery or the ‘you’re not worthy’ syndrome that has been created by a lot of wine and beer companies.”

According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, craft beer sales soared 12 percent in value and 9 percent in volume in January to June 2010, compared to a U.S. beer market that fell about 3 percent during the same period. What is compelling people to make the switch from so-called domestic to true, from-your-neighbor’s-basement domestic?

Welliver thinks the push towards locally grown products has altered the craft brew industry for the better, citing “local markets are really changing the face of the craft brew industry with a lot of craft brewers getting into growing their own hops, spices or fruit. Last year I brewed a cucumber wheat with locally grown cucumbers.” This year Jerome used paw paw, a custardy soft fruit from one of North America’s oldest native edible fruit tree, for his Paw Paw Rye.

Dover Beer and Wine Supply opened in 1930 and was the oldest alcohol supply store in Cleveland. After years of patronage, Welliver bought the store in 1996 and reopened it as JW Dover. In 1999, he opened a winery in the same location, with Black Box Brewery following in 2007. Welliver is also a contract brewer who bought the labeling rights and recipes to the Crooked River and Western Reserve brands. He manufactures those beers right in Westlake and puts them on the market locally for commercial purchase as well as kegs for restaurants or consumers. Crooked River is currently available at area Giant Eagle stores.

Welliver hopes for his business and brewery to help give life to his community and to Cleveland. “We’re in this world how long?  There are so many things that are against us in order to enjoy our lives whether you want to look at politics, health issues, climate and if we can get enjoyment out of brewing beer, and then drinking it, it’s a great thing,” says Welliver. “I have people that I have helped teach that now are in the business or they’ve found a hobby they love, which benefits our society and community, that’s my spice of life.”

Sidebar: 

The Cellar Rats are often seen participating in events that help their communities, like the upcoming 4th Annual Taste of the Harvest, a benefit for the Covenant Adolescent Drug Treatment Center. The Cellar Rats are donating eight styles of craft beer uniquely brewed for this event and paired with appetizers from Cleveland’s hottest restaurants including Dante, Crop Bistro, Light Bistro, Gatherings Kitchen, Porcelli Bistro, ABC Tavern, DragonFly, Garage Bar and Marigold Catering in the Lake Erie Building at 13000 Athens Ave, Lakewood, 44107. Visit www.tasteoftheharvest.com to buy tickets or for more information.      

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Volume 7, Issue 20, Posted 9:51 AM, 10.05.2011