Cocktails

 
No, that is not a misspelling.  It’s not Sibling Rivalry,  but Sibling Revelry.  Revelry is defined in the Google dictionary as “lively and noisy festivities, especially when these involve drinking a large amount of alcohol.”  Makes more sense now, doesn’t it?
Lively and festive was the vibe we got when we walked into Sibling Revelry for our tour.  A few people stood talking and laughing behind the long, wooden bar with a plethora of beers on tap while a dog named Cooper ran playfully in and out of the taproom.  Haley, the marketing coordinator at Sibling Revelry, introduced herself and then introduced us to Wally Weiss, the Assistant Brewmaster who would be giving us the tour of the brewery.

Wally grabbed the beer he was sipping, and guided us into the back to walk us through the beer-making process.  We started by climbing ladders to look inside the massive mashing tun and lautering tun, and we  learned about boiling the beer and adding the hops near the end to avoid too bitter of a beer.
“One of the reasons Pete and I get along is because we don’t like bitter beer.”  “Pete” we learned is Pete Velez, the Head Brewmaster who we later met during our tasting.  When we talked to Pete, he described the smell of brewing beer as “delicious.”
But, before I get side-tracked, let’s get back to Wally.  We finished our tour after seeing the fermentation tanks, the gigantic refrigeration unit and the canning process.  Did I mention they have the capacity to can 51 beers a minute?

We also learned that they pride themselves on self-distribution.  “We have six salespeople and two full-time drivers.”  All of who are getting the word out about Sibling Revelry.  Apparently, it’s working.  You can now find Sibling Revelry in nineteen Ohio Heinen’s grocery stores.  It’s also available for purchase at their Brewery and throughout Northeast Ohio in bars, liquor stores, grocery stores and in many local restaurants.

Moving on to our favorite part, it was finally time to taste the beer.  Ashlee and I were given a wooden tray in the shape of Ohio designed to hold seven smaller beers.

What was so impressive was the vast difference in options like the Lavender Wit which is a really light beer to the Coffee Red which is similar to their popular Red Ale “with a lightly roasted and sweetened coffee finish”.  Their seasonal beer was Yet Another Pumpkin, which I assumed I wouldn’t like, but left considering it one of my top three picks!  This has me looking forward to their winter seasonal release, Pecan Brown Ale, which will ship out November 1st.  I also enjoyed their IPA and Noble Sibling which they made in collaboration with Noble Beast Brewing Co. of Cleveland.
Ashlee’s top picks were the cream ale Sabatico, Lemongrass Saison (we later learned is Gluten-free ), and Coffee Red which they collaborated with the Cleveland craft coffee roastery  duck-rabbit.
It became apparent that Sibling Revelry isn’t just about making good beer.  They are about collaboration and community too.  Take for instance their Tuesday Trivia Night, Taproom Music Nights, seasonal parties for all ages, Balance and Brews (yes yoga and beer), Sip and Savasana Yoga, an impressive food truck line-up and more.  Check out the Events page at Sibling Revelry for full details.  We will definitely be going back for one of their fun events!
So, whether you want to learn about wort, lautering, or how hops affect the taste of beer, or you just want to sit back, sip a beer, and enjoy the revelry – head over to Sibling Revelry in Westlake – trust us, you won’t be disappointed 🙂
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