POG Brewing Company | Cleveland, MO
Beer Trip: POG Brewing Company in Cleveland, Missouri
POG Brewing Company (pronounced with a long “O”) gets its namesake from the military term POG, or “Person Other than Grunt” - meaning anyone who isn’t a boots-on-the-ground soldier. The owners of the brewery are veterans themselves (and POGs!) and it’s clear they breathe the military lifestyle right into the facility. It was definitely worth the drive to check out for an afternoon.
A chilly yet sunshiney day in Cleveland, MO!
The Brewery
While not far from Kansas City, POG is located in what seems like the middle of no where. Only a 40-minute drive, you wind through several 2-lane roads before you find it sitting just on the outskirts of Cleveland, Missouri (a town with a population of 648)! The metal building sits on a nice chunk of ground where they host different events and have fire pits spaced throughout for the warmer months.
Military and American memorabilia are a major theme throughout!
The indoor area has plenty of Army green along with several pieces of military memorabilia on the walls. If you look closely enough you will see lots of artwork featuring dogs, too - and we found out that the entire place is dog friendly!
Nice indoor fireplace for a winter day
Merchandise behind the bar
The Beer
6 ounce samplers were a great option here!
POG rivals any brewery in the Kansas City area when it comes to a beer selection, with a whopping 17 different taps to choose from. We were told that they actually keep 16 out of the 17 on tap year round and only swap out one as a seasonal. The big thing that separates POG from most breweries is the amount of dark beers that they brew. They had stouts, porters, and browns - and even many of their wheat beers were brewed as darker Dunkelweizens. They still had a few lighter ones, though, including a Helles, Kolsch, and Lager. If you can’t tell by now, a vast majority of their brews are German style - always a favorite.
Much like the brewery itself, the beers are also named with a military theme (including the Voluntold and the Zero Dark 30…9). With all options available, we opted to go with their 6 ounce pours to maximize our experience. A few happened to stand out from the rest with one of them being the High & Tight. This American porter was just a bit bitter, but had a nice chocolate taste that mixed together quite well. The other unique tap was the Lickey Chewy. If you are into butterscotch, then this one is for you - it packs a rich punch and tastes exactly like butterscotch candy! While we found it to be a bit heavy, the smaller 6-ounce sample was just right.
Light and dark, POG has them both!
Cheers to another brewery for Warren!
Food, Merch, & More
The apricot cheese dip and homemade tortilla chips were absolutely delicious!
In addition to solid beer, POG has an excellent kitchen featuring tacos, pizza, Hawaiian chicken, ribs, and some delicious looking desserts. We visited during the middle of the afternoon and highly recommend the apricot cheese dip served with homemade chips!
In addition to beer, they serve wine and cocktails for those who aren’t a fan of craft beer. The merchandise options are spread out behind the bar and include shirts, hats, and various glassware.
Fun dog portraits throughout
