Winking Lizard ~ Ohio : Peninsula

Small regional restaurant & taproom - my location of choice: 1615 Main St, Peninsula, OH 44264

The Winking Lizard is a genuine national treasure (though not sure to which nation they pledge allegiance: maybe Belgium, or Deutschland, possibly the Czech Republic?). One of my favorite taproom format restaurants, I knew I loved them when I discovered their midsummer special was a Belgian Trappist Ale called Orval - ON TAP - paired with a cheeseburger special featuring Orval cheese (yes, from the very same Trappist monastery about 45 minutes from Luxembourg). They stole my heart, or maybe my stomach - and a chunk of my liver.

Noteworthy feature of the Peninsula location: it is located just off the Cuyahoga River in the heart of the eponymous national park between Akron and Cleveland. The river - once known for catching fire in the 60s and 70s (to be fair, pretty sure the Maumee in Toledo bears the same claim) is now pristine, clear as a bell, and fields canoe and kayak enthusiasts along with fishermen. There is a Boston Qualifier marathon that runs on the Tow Path through the park the first or second weekend in October every year. Magical place!

One of the other great features of the bar is the beer tour of the world (something like, "Around the World in 80 Beers" if memory serves). With the number - and ABV - of taps they field, it can take a while to get through them. At one time the prize for doing so was a leather bomber jacket with their logo on the breast. Pretty sure that has devolved into a free cardboard beer coaster (ed: lol).

Last interesting nugget: all the locations I visited featured an actual winking lizard (get your mind out of that gutter!) Here's a pilfered image of the Peninsula lizard:

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