Eat*Drink*Cleveland: #BRF15

Great Lakes Burning River Fest Giveaway

I was invited for a sneak peak of the Great Lakes Burning River Fest. We headed to the Beer Symposium for a taste of what Cleveland's iconic brewery has in store for us this year.

They have this super cool wall right when you walk in. Those are all beer bottles as the background. Katrina and I put Mr. H to work as our photographer.

We started off sampling some of our favorite beers and snacked on a tasty assortment of cheese, sausages and their famous pretzel bites.

I was really excited to try the new collaboration between Bertman's Original and Great Lakes - the Dortmunder Beer Mustard. It was delicious! Grainier than the original with a nice kick, it's available at their store - as well as another tasty gem: Eliot Ness Fig Apple Jam. Yes, you need to try both. Trust me.

We learned about Great Lakes Brewing Company, their facilities and the history of the Burning River Fest.

We even had a surprise visitor - Pat Conway himself! He is one of the owners of Great Lakes and his passion is contagious. He shared stories and made each of us reflect on what we can do as a city and as individuals to keep Cleveland clean and green.

And I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a selfie...

Afterwards, Adam took us on a tour of the brewery. If you haven't gone on one or attended their Beer School, you really should. Not only do you learn about the Great Lakes beer, you also get a lesson in Cleveland history. And did I mention beer samples?

Another highlight of the night was getting to try the newest year-round Great Lakes brew before it is released to the public ~ Steady Rollin' Session IPA. Single hopped and full of citrus, it's a great beer to debut at #BRF15. It reminds me a lot of their Chillwave but it has a lower ABV so it's an easy drinker.

If you want to visit the fest and get your hands on some of this newcomer, you can enter to win tickets here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In addition to tasting this newest addition to the Great Lakes line up, the fest includes:

Over 18 bands and musicians on two stages bringing funk, blues, rock, and more to the shore

Food trucks

Fresh, all-natural local food and chef demonstrations from Anna in the Raw, Jeff Jarrett, John Selick and more, plus handcrafted beer by Great Lakes Brewing Company

The most spectacular night time views of Cleveland from a wonderful greenspace right in the heart of Cleveland’s industry

A ceremonial lighting of floating pyres intended to commemorate the efforts to clean up our waterways since the burning of the Cuyahoga

NEO Cycle bike valet

Find out about the Burning River Foundation here.

Contest ends Tuesday at midnight. Please be sure to complete all steps as directed to receive credit for your entries. Good luck!

*Disclosure: I was invited to the preview party and given passes for the

Burning River Fest. I was also given two passes to give away.

As always, thoughts expressed are my own. *