Fun fact: At networking and other professional events, I’m usually the only woman in the room drinking a beer.

But I’m also a bit of a snob about it and will only drink craft beer. I can’t help any of this – beer is delicious when done right and if it’s not, why bother?? If you share my love of craft beer or like to indulge sometimes or just need a good place to take your friends and family who love it, here are five bars with the best craft beer selection in Cleveland (I’ve included a mix of breweries and regular bars with a good craft beer selection):

• Great Lakes Brewing Company: I think I would be kicked out of Cleveland if I left this mainstay off the list. Outside of caring about my safety, though, they really do have delicious beer. The Oktoberfest is my favorite out of all the Great Lakes beers, and I’m also a fan of Conway’s Irish Ale.
• Tremont Tap House: The beer list is humongous and when I first started drinking craft beer several years ago, this bar featured a lot of breweries I’d never heard of. Now it often has a lot of brews from Butcher and the Brewer (same owner) on tap, which is fine by me because they’re pretty good. I recommend sitting at the bar here – if you can, it’s pretty small.
• Market Garden Brewery: I might be a little biased because this brewery has my favorite beer of all time, Wallace Tavern Scotch Ale. But I have branched out when they don’t have it (*tears*) and have enjoyed many other fantastic beers here as well.
• Edison’s Pub: I love the vibe at this bar, so maybe it makes the beer taste better? Either way, they have a strong craft beer list despite having fewer options than most of the other places on my list. Quality over quantity!
• Portside: This is hands-down my favorite brewery in Cleveland – I’ve never had a bad beer off their list. I usually go in intending to at least sample their run (it’s a distillery AND a brewery), but I get distracted by the beer.

Honorable mention: Barrio. It’s a little unfair because I’m pretty sure Barrio is on every “top” list ever in Cleveland. I’m mentioning it though because I’m guessing people think of it mostly for the margaritas, but they actually have an awesome craft beer list. And in my opinion, nothing goes better with salty, spicy food than a hoppy beer.

OK, friends – what are your go-to bars for craft beer that didn’t make this list?

Looking for more great bars in Cleveland? Check out Leah’s post about happy hours!