You asked and Blue Heron Brewery has delivered: All-you-can-eat crab night is back!
By Ken McEntee
When Blue Heron Brewery customers called for crab, Ben Erjavec, executive chef and co-owner, went on a mission.
“It’s been brutal this year trying to source and get good crab at a reasonable price that people could enjoy without breaking the bank,” Ben revealed. “Persistence paid off and I was able to secure a quantity that we feel should hold us for a few months—and I will continue to work with our suppliers to keep more coming.”
The bottom line, Ben enthusiastically announces, is that Wednesday night all-you-can-eat crab legs is back at Blue Heron by popular demand.
“For $65 you can enjoy all the crab legs you want, a house salad and sides,” Ben says. “Supplemented with our refreshing light summer brews on our gorgeous outdoor patio, and Wednesday evenings have just gotten very exciting.” Reservations are highly recommended, he suggests.
“We have one of the best patios around with our views and having the sunset right there every night,” Ben says. “The patio has become so popular that we’ve had to add more tables.”
Ideal for relaxing evenings under the stars, is the newly introduced variety of summer beers by Mike Piazza, brewmaster and co-owner.
“One of last year’s favorites that is back this summer is our Crisp Lemony Zip—also known as CLZ—which is a pale Mexican lager with a hint of lemon,” Mike invites. “CLZ is targeted toward the time when you’re finished mowing the lawn, coming off the pontoon or just sitting by a fire. It’s your go-to for just relaxing and refreshing yourself all summer long.”
Another summertime go-to is Mike’s popular Hazy Wife, Hazy Life IPA.
“Hazy is a year-round offering, but in the summertime it’s just a monster for us,” Mike reveals. “It’s a light, easy drinking hazy IPA with a citrusy aroma and flavor. We also experimented with doing a lower gravity hazy this year and that one is called Personal Day. Hazy Wife is about 6% ABV (alcohol by volume), but Personal Day sits at about 4.5%. It’s what is called a session beer, which means that in a session when you consume a few beers, you’re able to function normally because of the relatively low alcohol content.
Another light summer offering is Yes, Hefe—a traditional German Hefeweizen.
“Hefeweizen has been a cool quencher for five centuries,” Mike emphasizes. “It’s a cloudy German wheat ale with a real soft body to it with hints of banana and clove.”
Fruit and Fire—Blue Heron’s house cream ale—offers a subtle burst of heat to top off a fruity experience, Mike says.
“We began experimenting with our cream ale two summers ago and came up with this, and it’s become a huge favorite,” he says. “We brewed cream ale with peach, mango and apricot, then we threw fresh habanero chilies at it. When you taste this beer you get the sweetness, aroma and flavor of the fruit right up front, which dissipates into the body of the beer. As you’re enjoying that, there’s a subtle late heat from the habanero that wipes your palate clean and gets you ready for the next sip.”
On weekends, you can sip away to an eclectic variety of mellow live music on the patio. Musicians play Fridays, from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, from noon to 4 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sundays, from 3 to 6 p.m.
You can learn more about Blue Heron by visiting BlueHeronMedina.com or by calling 330-870-BLUE (2583). Blue Heron is located at 3227 Blue Heron Trace, in Medina. You can get the latest updates on parties and entertainment at Facebook: @blueheronmedina.