David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Fat Head's massive new brewery, taproom and production facility is ready for its close-up.

The project, four years in the making, finally opens to paying customers on Monday, Aug. 20 at 17450 Engle Lake Drive.

"There's a sense of relief for sure. We've been doing this for quite a long time and had some setbacks," Fat Head's founder Glenn Benigni says. "I'm a little anxious and nervous."

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Just days before the grand opening, crews were busy putting the finishing touches on the parking lot, while they continued to make progress on the patio. Inside, the tables and chairs in the beer hall and restaurant are all in place. Signs detailing the brewing process are hung on the walls along the self-guided tour route.

"For the most part, it's all ready," Benigni says, noting the patio won't open for another month.

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The 75,000-square feet complex is huge, boasting a retail store, barrel-aging room that doubles as an event space, and production facility capable of producing 65,000 barrels of beer anually.

"Our inspiration to come here first and foremost was as a production brewery so we had enough beer to get on the shelves," Benigni says. "Once we started to design the space, we wanted to create more of a destination brewery with a little bit of a German beer hall theme but still Fat Head's."

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The open dining room and bar area has an industrial vibe, with plenty of wood finishes and metal accents. Patrons will find 20 of the 30 beer taps pouring Fat Head brews including their signature Head Hunter IPA and Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale.

Diners familiar with the menu at Fat Head's location in North Olmsted will find many of their favorites at the new restaurant, from the famously humongous sandwiches (dubbed "headwiches") to the smoked wings. The Middleburg Heights location, however, takes advantage of an on-site smoker and offers a more barbecue-focused experience.

"There's a smoked pork chop, ribs, smoked half chicken," Benigni says. "On Sundays, we're going to start doing a whole hog which we're going to smoke overnight and basically have a pig roast."

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In between beers or while waiting for a table, customers can shop in the retail store for Fat Head branded apparel, crowlers, growlers and, of course, beer. Or they can take the self-guided tour and learn about every step of the brewing process and get a glimpse of the impressive production facility.

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"We have a state-of-the-art German brewhouse, new bottling line, new kegging line and we're getting a new canning line eventually," Benigni boasts. "The technology there is really going to take our beer to the next level."

While Fat Head's brewhouses in North Olmsted and Canton will continue to make their own beer on premises, all of the beer for retail and distribution will be produced at the new facility.

"We're shooting for the first full year of 2019 to be about 38,000 barrels," Benigni says. "With the tanks we have and the brewhouse we have, we have the capacity to reach 65,000, but it's going to be awhile before we hit that."

For now, Fat Head's is focused on opening day.

"We have such a great crew here that have been through a lot trying to get this up and running," Benigni says. "First and foremost, our employees and the people around the culture of Fat Head's makes this place special."

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Fat Head's Middleburg Heights opens Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. with the first customers being let in at 11 a.m. Regular hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sunday.