Cleveland has a long history with beer, with moments both dark and light. According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, there were two breweries in Cleveland when the first city directory was published in 1837. The number of breweries grew significantly, peaking at 26 breweries in 1910 prior to the sunless era of Prohibition. Post-Prohibition, consolidation of breweries nationwide impacted our city as well, and the number of breweries in C-Town in 1970 dwindled back down to a dim two. The beer kept flowing, of course, but at Ten-Cent Beer Night in 1974 at Municipal Stadium, very little if any of the beer consumed (or thrown) was made here. In 1988, the clouds lifted when the Conways started a little place called Great Lakes Brewing Company. That’s also right around the time that the now-married owners of Indigo Imp Brewery, Matt and Kathy Chappel, first crossed paths at school in Independence. Watch the Cool Cleveland video of Indigo Imp Brewery here.
Of course, high school is typically not a time where classic European brewing techniques are foremost in one’s mind. One’s brain is typically too addled by hormones and one’s tastebuds too coated by Doritos to require anything other than the beer be cheap and available; when you are too young to drink legally, you are a beggar, not a chooser. There’s then a gradient that one climbs in beer appreciation where certain things begin to matter. First, usually, is the requirement that the beer is cold (for some, that is all that’s needed to appreciate beer). Second, there’s often the desire to have certain beers in certain seasons or on certain occasions (Guinness tends to be pretty popular a couple of days after the Ides of March). Third, and this is when one has a budget enough to be picky, craft beers begin to matter and the extensive array of flavors available from the craft-brewers in the US is now staggering (coffee-laden, beet-infused, hemp-spiked—enough so that many places now have beer menus). Fourth, and normally the pinnacle, is the desire to make one’s own beer, which was legalized in 1978 by Jimmy Carter (I’m sure his brother had nothing to do with that…). The Homebrewers Association estimates that there are more than 750,000 home brewers in the US. Some even dream of having their own brewery one day.
Matt Chappel was a homebrewer with a penchant for research and a dream to do something more. While he made beer in his garage for family and friends, he also laid the groundwork for the brewery he and Kathy would open in 2008: Indigo Imp Brewery. Cleverly named after the blue devil mascot of their high school, the Chappels have quietly grown their little brewery at a manageable pace, and along the way have incorporated classic, rarely used brewing techniques to create exceptional beer.
I visited the Chappels at their brewery in Tyler Village, at East 36th Street and Superior in the old Tyler Elevator Building on a Sunday—bottling day for them. Their two kids quietly worked on homework while the air compressor that makes the bottling machine work often jumped into action with a rumble and a burp behind them. Unlike me, they never once flinched or looked up; they’re obviously used to the sounds of a brewery (yeah, I am jealous too). Bottling day is a typical family day for the Chappels and a day where 2,200 bottles are happily filled with beer, capped and then labeled with some of the coolest labels you will ever see on a beer bottle (a friend designed their wicked-cool Imp logo). One beer in each six pack will get an extra touch: the capped end of the bottle is dipped in brightly colored wax that then drizzles down the neck of the bottle. This is the Imp bottle and while simple, it is a damned cool idea (I always save mine for last in a six pack—others collect them, according to Matt).
There are three large stainless steel kettles in the 3,000 square foot space, each of which Matt custom built just for the purpose of making carefully crafted, delicious beer for Cleveland (and now Columbus) consumers. The Chappels employ open tank fermentation, so wild yeast is able to hop into the tub with the water and the grains and ferment those mundane elements into something quite magical. The Chappels love yeast (and so should you), so some ends up in every bottle to allow for the old school technique of bottle-conditioning to carbonate the beer. When it comes to the drinking of the beer, though, you definitely want to empty the bottle gently into a glass to allow everything to wake up with the flood of oxygen that comes with a proper pour.
While their most popular offerings, Blonde Bombshell and Jester, are readily available at finer stores year-round, every so often Matt and Kathy will come up with a few new ones they wish to try out. The sampler pack for this early spring consists of the Belgian-style saison ‘Spring,’ ‘Fiend’ Red Rye Ale, and ’26 Degree Tropical Stout.’ These three beers may never be made again; they are truly a limited-time offering. Based on customer feedback, Matt and Kathy might decide to make one again or even offer it in a six-pack, but even then, they’ll never be quite the same due to the vagaries of the wild yeast that makes every batch a bit different from the last.
In the name of good journalism, I made the waistline sacrifice and purchased a sampler pack (four of each offering). The saison Spring is notably carbonated (this is much more a “champagne of beers” than the monochromatic Miller) and tastes a lot like light toast with a grapefruit juice chaser (a breakfasty beer). The Fiend Red Rye Ale has a deep berry taste, mostly raspberry, a bit of pumpernickel toast aroma and a deep brown color much like coffee (though I don’t suggest sneaking it in a thermos to work). The 26 Degree Tropical Stout hits the back of the tongue like black licorice with currant undertones (like you, I don’t actually know what currants taste like but it sounds impressive), and is quite potent (the potency likely leads to the ‘currants’ comment).
Clearly, the beer being made at the happy-family Indigo Imp Brewery is way beyond the Natty Light you may have consumed back in your early beer-drinking days. And not only are they making exceptional beer at Indigo Imp, they are living a truly Cleveland-centric success story. They grew up in Independence and went to college here. They make, bottle and distribute all of the beer themselves. Kathy still works a full-time job. They are raising two great kids. And all of you beer drinkers out there who care about quality and supporting local products have allowed them to thrive in their three years in business—nearly all of their beer is sold in Cleveland. With places like Indigo Imp Brewery in town, the future for great beer in Cleveland looks very bright indeed.
Watch the Cool Cleveland Cuisine video of Indigo Imp Brewery here.
Indigo Imp Brewery is located at 3615 Superior Ave. Suite 4201B in midtown Cleveland. They are open every Friday from 2:30 – 5:30PM for cash only purchases or you can find a list of retail locations on their website http://www.IndigoImpBrewery.com. They can also be reached at 216.881.0650.
Alan Block chose to move to Cleveland in 2006. He spends much of his free time seeking out great food in our region. To pay the food bills, he works at University Hospitals as the IT Service Desk manager. He has previously authored two food blogs, the Bacon Loving Heathen and the Cleveland Epicure, as well as the Eat, Drink, Repeat food newsletter. He welcomes your suggestions of cool food and drink destinations at cleveland.epicureATgmail.com.