There’s a lot happening inside the walls of Cleveland, Ohio’s Noble Beast Brewing. All of it is good.
On this episode it’s a conversation with owners Shaun Yasaki and James Redford about food, hospitality, creativity, and tradition.
The Host’s Perspective
It was a snowy Friday morning last week when I walked into Noble Beast Brewing for the first time. It was warm and inviting, an industrial space with plant life all around. Art and mementos on the wall felt purposeful and important, not haphazard or trying to make an artistic statement.
The beers were right up my alley. Lagers, properly made from equipment specially designed for the brewery, built for decoction mashing. Horizontal lagering tanks were just out of sight but doing the job.
Heavenly aromas were wafting from the open kitchen.
Soon enough I was at a table and across from me was Shaun Yasaki and James Redford. They founded the brewery in 2017 with Yasasi helming the brewery and Redford the kitchen.
Together they have built a destination brewery in downtown Cleveland, not far from the stadiums and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s got a neighborhood bar feel, and indeed within a few minutes of opening, even with a few inches of snow on the ground and more falling, the locals walked in, settled into the bar, and started in on a few pints.
Yasaki likes traditional lagers and brews the well, but he also puts his all in on other styles, including award-winning Baltic porters. Foeders against the front wall are aging barley wine, saison, and an excellent Flemish red.
The brewery is a family business. Yasaki’s wife, JoLyn, runs operations, human resources, and accounting.
In the Kitchen, Redford has familiar bar dishes mixed with more practical ones. He has a passion for local farms and the items changes seasonally. It’s the kind of menu that is so detailed that it also includes spent brewing ingredients and beer in many of them.
Hear the whole conversation on the Drink Beer, Think Beer podcast. Download via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you download shows.
This Episode is Sponsored by:
Attention brewers: registration for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards closes on January 31st. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded.Use promo code “allaboutbeer” to receive 10% off your order. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register
