"cleveland cavaliers" news and stories

When NBA phenom LeBron "The King" James made his televised decision to depart the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, he left northern Ohio's fans with a bitter taste in their mouths.

To blunt the pain of James' departure, Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing has fittingly released Quitness, a beer "as bitter as the mood of Cleveland."

Quitness (a take on James' "Witness" campaign for Nike) is a dry-hopped, cask-conditioned India pale ale that Great Lakes released on Wednesday, July 14, at the brewpub. Three hours later, all 30 gallons of the beer were gone, with nothing left but rave reviews: "It was very floral, didn't hit your tongue very hard and actually wasn't bitter at all until the aftertaste," Beer Advocate member abraxel wrote. "It was downright delicious!"

While Great Lakes re-released Quitness on Saturday, and may do so again in the future, don't expect this to hit bottles anytime soon. Heck, I doubt this is even a brand-new beer.

More after the jump...

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

If all goes well for the Cleveland Cavaliers, sweeping their way through the NBA Playoffs, they'll only have four more games in the Rock-'n'-Roll Capital this season, giving both local and out-of-town fans a chance to drop into one of 14 outposts of the Winking Lizard Tavern.

Sports fans and the craft-craving crowd don't always see eye to eye. "This is the Midwest," partner John Lane says, "Unlike cities like Portland and Seattle where you can't find a yellow beer, [some people here] just want to quaff a big one."

But Lane realizes the importance of having a great craft selection too, with Stone Levitation Ale sidling right up alongside Bud Light. Mass-market brews are the biggest sellers, but Lane strives to get special selections on tap at all Lizard lounges with recent events from craft brewers like Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada. So though Lane jokes that he "wishes the Cavs would lose one or two to extend the season," (careful, buddy) patrons know great suds will be on tap all year long.

Find yesterday's complete draft list from the Winking Lizard Tavern's Gateway District location after the jump.