Brewmaster Matt Cole partnered with Glenn Benigni, owner of Fat Head's Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to open Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in Cleveland, Ohio in 2009, with Cole supplying beer to the Pittsburgh location. A production brewery opened in Middleburg Heights, Ohio in March 2012 and another brewpub location opened in Portland, Oregon 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 and Great Lakes Brewing Company before joining Rocky River Brewing Company. Cole spent more than a decade there, winning several awards at both Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup.

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon opened in North Olmsted, Ohio, 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. 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, 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

Year Beer Name Award Category Competition2009Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWest Coast IPA Fest2009Up In SmokeSmoked BeerGreat American Beer Festival 2010Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival2010Head Hunter IPAGrand ChampionAmerican-Style India Pale AleNational IPA Challenge2011Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterGreat American Beer Festival2011Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleDenver International Beer Fest2011Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival2012AlpenglowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival 2012Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterWorld Beer Cup2012Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWest Coast IPA Fest2012Head Hunter IPAGrand ChampionAmerican-Style India Pale AleNational IPA Challenge2012Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup2013Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierGreat American Beer Festival2013Hop JuJuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival2013Trail HeadFresh Hop AleGreat American Beer Festival2014AlpenGlowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival2014Battle Axe Baltic PorterBaltic-Style PorterDenver International Beer Fest2014Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierDenver International Beer Fest2014Bone Head Imperial Red AleImperial Red AleWorld Beer Cup2014Head Hunter IPAAmerican-Style India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup2015Black KnightGerman-Style SchwarzbierGreat American Beer Festival2015Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival2015Bone Head RedDouble Red AleGreat American Beer Festival2015Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival2015Blitzkrieg Bock (Portland)Rye BeerGreat American Beer Festival2016Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleWorld Beer Cup2016Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleWorld Beer Cup2016Hop JujuImperial India Pale AleGreat American Beer Festival2016IBUsive IPAFresh or Wet Hop AleGreat American Beer Festival2016Black Muddy River Imperial Black IPAOther Strong BeerGreat American Beer Festival2016Midnight Moonlight Black IPAAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival2016Alpenglow German-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival2017Sunshine Daydream Session IPAGrand ChampionSession IPANational Session IPA Challenge2017AlpenglowGerman-Style Wheat AleGreat American Beer Festival2017Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival2018AlpenglowSouth German-Style WeizenbockWorld Beer Cup2018Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleWorld Beer Cup2018Midnight MoonlightAmerican-Style Black AleGreat American Beer Festival

See also Beer and breweries by region Beer in the United States List of breweries in Ohio List of microbreweries List of breweries in the United States

References

External links Fat Head's Saloon Pittsburgh Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon Cleveland Fat Head's Brewery Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon Portland