Fat Head's discovers gold in California!

  Matt Cole, Fat Head's Brewmaster              © 2009 K Bujak

In Hayward, California (San Francisco Bay area), the Bistro is an excellent place to drink excellent beer. Several times a year they host competitions such as their India Pale Ale (IPA), double IPA, barrel-aged beers, and wet-hop beer competitions. On August 8, 2009 they held their 12th annual IPA Festival. With 62 IPAs on tap, it was a hophead’s dream come true! They shut down the streets, set up the tents and start pouring the IPAs. Other than perhaps the Great American Beer Festival, where can you find so many IPAs on tap? After the professional judging of the 62 entries, Fat Head’s of North Olmsted, Ohio beat out all of the mostly Californian beers for the gold medal!

Competing against the likes of Vinnie Calurzo of Russian River Brewing who is often credited with “inventing” the double IPA, Sam Caligione of Dogfish Head, Tomme Arthur of Pizza Port, Rich Norgrove of Bear Republic and Arne Johnson of Marin, to name a few, Matt Cole, Fat Head’s brewer, walked away with the top honors! It’s the first time in its twelve-year history that a non-California brewer has won any medal, let alone a gold! Cole credits his win partially to Johnson, Norgrove, and Calurzo who have been his mentors and maybe taught him too many of their secrets! 

The Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA, described on their menu as an “uncivilized, aggressive, West coast IPA… with big hop flavors of citrus, pine, grapefruit, and pineapple” is a favorite at the North Olmsted brewery and the number one selling beer (out of 42 taps) at the Fat Head’s Pittsburgh location. The beer is now on its way to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival (Sept 24-26), looking for another gold medal. Good luck, Matt!

For more info including business hours: Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon, 24581 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, OH -- (440) 801-1001. Visit them online at www.FatHeadscleveland.com.