With the introduction of its now wildly popular day parties, Saturdays at Blue Heron Brewery have never been more fun

By Ken McEntee

You needn’t wait until the evening stars emerge to begin your weekend festivities.

At least not as long as Blue Heron Brewery’s popular patio is popping with its Saturday afternoon day parties.

“We have live music from noon to 4 on the patio overlooking the spectacular Austin Badger Park,” says Ben Erjavec, executive chef and co-owner. “We have arguably the best patio in Northeast Ohio. And you can get lunch and a drink for $12. You would pay more than that for lunch at a fast-food drive-thru. A cold beer, a bite to eat and live music is an ideal way to spend a summer day with friends and family.”

Contrasting that fast-food burger in a bag, Blue Heron’s $12 day party fare includes your choice of Ben’s half-pound Blue Heron burger or a crispy Panko-crusted marinated chicken sandwich, served with homemade chips. Or you might opt for a Romaine wedge salad or a Mediterranean orzo bowl with feta, sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and fresh basil tossed in lemon-oregano vinaigrette. Both of those are served with grilled chicken, and all four $12 lunch specials come with a house draft or a glass of wine.

“Our live music is different every week, with everything from island vibes to classic rock to one-man acoustic acts,” Ben says.

After the day party is over, you may want to hang around for the Saturday evening act, which entertains from 5-9 p.m. The patio also offers live music on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Whether you choose to dine on the patio or inside the brew pub, Ben has rolled out some tasty fare for the summer.

“We’ve added some house smoked ribs that have been hugely popular,” he says. “We added a smoked pork belly mac-n-cheese and a couple different tuna dishes, like a seared ahi tuna appetizer with yakisoba noodles with fresh vegetables tossed in a ginger soy glaze.”

All of Blue Heron’s food is made from scratch, Ben promises.

“That’s one of areas where we stand out,” he says. “Our ground beef, for example, comes from a local farmer. Not only are our herbs and produce all fresh, we grow some of it ourselves at the Sprouts of Peace Community Garden.”

Part of the fun of enjoying craft beers at Blue Heron Brewery is sampling the new and creative concoctions of Mike Piazza, brew master and co-owner of the establishment. This summer, Mike has tapped into Version 3 of his ongoing rotating Pale Project.

“In the Pale Project, Josiah (Beha, brewer) and I get creative experimenting with different blends and ingredients in India and American pale ales,” Mike explains.

“We still have some Version 2 on tap, so people are able to sample both and let us know which one they like best. It’s a lot of fun.”

Back by popular demand, Blue Heron is offering all-you-can-eat crab legs on Wednesday evenings.

“Although everything in the world is going up in price, our Wednesday night crab legs are still $65,” Ben says. “They are served with salad, hush puppies and fresh seasonal side dishes. I did everything I could do to secure crab at a price where we don’t have to raise our price. Wednesday nights are very popular, so reservations are highly recommended to ensure that you can get a seat.”

Blue Heron is located at 3227 Blue Heron Trace in Medina. You can learn more about Blue Heron Brewery by visiting BlueHeronMedina.com or by calling 330-870-BLUE (2583). You can keep up with Blue Heron’s events and entertainment schedule on Facebook @BlueHeronMedina.