Who loves a retro beer? I know I do. There’s just something about bringing back a classic beer that tickles my fancy. Beer is more than just a beverage, more than a culinary experience, it’s history, too, and I love that aspect of it. Retro beers are all about bringing back a piece of that history, and so I was glad indeed when Dave Coulter sent me a can of P.O.C. Craft Pilsener. P.O.C. stands for Pride of Cleveland of course, and the brand dates all the way back to 1907 when it was first brewed and sold in Cleveland. There is an excellent synopsis of the brand and brewery detailed from Carl H. Miller’s book Breweries of Cleveland, and you can read it here.  

Perhaps the most successful of the retro beers has been Narragansett Lager, and sales of that beer have allowed Narragansett to build a new brewery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Others include Rheingold, Chattanooga Imperial Pilsener, Pabst Old Tankard, Primo Island Lager and perhaps the best, Ballantine India Pale Ale.

P.O.C. Craft Pilsener is contract-brewed at the Hopview Brewing Company in Madison, Ohio. They don’t have a webpage, but on they do have a Facebook account where they say:

Hop View Brewing Co. is a full time Contract / Partner Brewery located in Madison Ohio, with capability to keg, bottle, or can your beers, or develop beer recipes based on your goals.

Amusingly, when I removed the plastic wrapper label from my can of P.O.C. for scanning purposes, I was surprised to find the can of another Hopview contracted brand underneath.

Pride of Cleveland Craft Pilsener has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume.

Pride of Cleveland (P.O.C.) Craft Pilsener pours to a bright golden color with a thick fizzy head and a crisp biscuity malt nose. Taking a sip, I get that same crisp biscuit malt in the palate infused with grassy hops and a finish that is long, solidly bitter and dry. Clean of esters and adjuncts, this is a pilsner Cleveland can truly be proud of. Cleveland Rocks! And it’s beer ain’t bad, either.

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