Bites Nearby: Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery

We have stuck to Mentor at Bites Nearby and written about a small number of the city's restaurants, cafes and eateries.

But there is a particular spot about 20 minutes away in Chardon that has been important to me for the past year: Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery, 205 Main St., on the north side of Chardon Square. Owners Mike and Donna Nedrow are good people who have brewed beer at home for 15 years before opening this public house in March 2010. Mike, a pilot, and Donna, a nurse, knew a lot about beer, but have been learning the restaurant business each day.

"We have created BrewWorks in the manner of the traditional pub," Mike says. "The brewery and pub has been central to communities since at least the middle ages, maybe all the way back to Biblical times."  

The BrewWorks is said to be first brewery in Geauga County since Prohibition. And that's what the Nedrows tell reporters when they're selling the joint — but it's also just a great place to stop in to talk and meet locals, including the down-to-earth owners themselves and two regulars who sometimes jam on an acoustic guitar in the full bar upstairs. (They're doubling as our wedding musicians next month.)

The bar has six available taps, all of BrewWorks beer, like Honey Kolsch, Saison D'Elle, Ironworker IPA, and the "Pride of Geauga Maple Porter," a beer described as "maple-chocolate goodness in a glass."

The Working Man's Pale Ale won a silver medal in a national home brewers competition in Oakland, CA.

There is a dinner and lunch menu with daily and weekly specials. The menu has been updated and changed a few times, now reflecting more of the fare you'd expect in a pub: grilled bratwurst with mashed potatoes ($7.25); fish & chips ($7.75) and fantail shrimp ($7.25). But every day there are specials, too, and those always include a special wrap and fresh vegetable, usually organic.

At dinner, the Shepherd's pie is ground beef and vegetables made with house pale ale and topped with garlic mashed potatoes ($10.95). There are varieties of steak, seafood, pasta, stir fry, sandwiches, burgers, salads and more. Live music and an open mic nights fill up the weekends.

Find the menu and entertainment schedule at www.chardonbrewworks.com. For its wine, the BrewWorks serves South River Vineyard from Geneva.

Community is important to the Nedrows, who live in Hambden Township. They are strong supporters of many local organizations and events. While there are plenty of places to eat and drink in Mentor, it'll be worth the drive for that Geauga County personal touch.  

Tell 'em Ward sent ya.