Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. works to defrost winter with dancing, beer and food

by Janet Podolak · Published January 29, 2025 · Updated January 31, 2025

‘We had a lot to learn,’ says owner Bobby Ehasz, who opened the Willoughby business in 2024. ‘We saw the gaps and worked hard to correct them.’

Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. owner Bobby Ehasz taps a barrel of its Christmas ale, Big Christmas, at the Downtown Willoughby brewery and restaurant, which took over the space once occupied by Willoughby Brewing Co. The ale’s popularity has kept it on the menu. (Courtesy of Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co.)

Bobby Ehasz is trying to shake things up at his Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. in Downtown Willoughby to jolt folks out of their cabin fever. He’s discovered that January and February are difficult for those in the restaurant business.

“People here seem to want to lock their doors and stay inside in the winter,” said Ehasz, the retired U.S. Air Force officer who moved here from southern Arizona with his family so his wife could complete her doctorate at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University.

Northeast Ohio restaurants typically see a downturn in business once the holidays are over. With its many storms and sub-zero temperatures, this cold and snowy winter hasn’t been an exception.

But Tricky Tortoise, the restaurant that opened in the spring in the former Willoughby Brewing Co. space, is a 20,000-square-foot space with lots of options for its customers, whether they come to eat, drink, dance or enjoy the camaraderie of friends.

Willoughby Brewing had been closed for three years when Ehasz and a partner bought and painstakingly rehabbed the 1897 brick trolley car repair facility for the interurban railroad. Now it includes three bars and two dining areas. One, in front near the entrance, has a large fireplace, stage and a pair of dance floors, while the other is an indoor-outdoor space enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass garage doors that open to let the outdoors in on nice days.

Since opening seven months ago, Ehasz and his team have redesigned the menu, expanded its happy hour and brought in big-name bands for dancing on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights.

“We had a lot to learn,” he said. “We saw the gaps and worked hard to correct them.”

Dancing is the focus on Tuesdays, when bands bring the two dance floors to life. And now people can enjoy Wednesday-night trivia, comedy and music.

“For dry January,” he said, “we’ve added nonalcoholic mocktails and beers.”

But he wants folks to think beer when they hear the name Tricky Tortoise.

“We now have our taps in 14 other places and have just returned from Brewsology (Beer Fest) at (Cleveland’s Great Lakes) Science Center, where we acquired many new fans,” said Ehasz.

That event on Jan. 25 featured 40 breweries and cideries during an after-hours brew fest at the downtown attraction.

“We were new to a lot of beer lovers who wanted to taste for themselves how our beers are different from those they know from Thirsty Dog (Brewing Co.) and Fat Head’s (Brewery).”

Tricky Tortoise’s pizzas, all priced at $10 on Wednesday afternoons, include a gluten-free cauliflower crust available on all pizzas. Ideal for vegetarians, who have the option of the Four Cheese and Veggie pies, the crusts become popular with many visitors to the restaurant.

On Wednesday evenings, bottles of wine are half-priced.

The Tricky T. Nachos appetizer, with cheese, onions, black olives and banana peppers, is a popular choice for snacking by groups who come to Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. in Willoughby for dancing. (Janet Podolak)

Reservations are being accepted for the Valentine’s Day Date Night Dinner for Two, to be served from 3 to 9 p.m. on Feb 14. The $49.95 special includes a choice between a salad and French onion soup, a choice among three entrees and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.

But beer is the forte of Tricky Tortoise, and its head brewer, Caleb Brown, has excelled in adding some extraordinary selections of IPAs, lagers and seltzers to its mix, Ehasz said.

“Caleb strikes the perfect balance between tradition and innovation,” he said.

A rotating selection of guest taps is a feature at Tricky Tortoise’s bars. Current offerings include Abraxas, an imperial stout from Perennial Artisan Ales.

Tricky Tortoise’s crowlers — 32-ounce aluminum cans of beer — were a hit over the holidays at two for $20.

“Our Christmas ale was also a big hit, so we have kept it on for the time being,” said Ehasz, referring to the beer called Big Christmas.

The name is an homage to Cleveland Guardians player Jhonkensy Noel and his game-tying home run against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

“I was watching the game when that happened and heard him called ‘Big Christmas,’” Ehasz said. “I turned to my wife and said, ‘That’s a great name for our Christmas ale.’”

Built around 100 pounds of bourbon barrel-aged honey and served in glasses rimmed with sugar, the ale blends cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and mace.

The menu’s section of Shareables seems to be a hit with those gathering for dancing — a popular pastime on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, when most bands play from 8 to 11 p.m. Polished wood dance floors make it easy on the feet. Ehasz’s desire to preserve a Brazilian rosewood dance floor led him to an hours-long drive to Indiana to replace the needed wood slats.

Dancers rock to music from a Grateful Dead cover band at Willoughby’s Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co., where a pair of wooden dance floors make it easy on the feet. (Janet Podolak)

Other evenings feature comedy acts on the spacious stage and Paint N Sip sessions with Stella’s Art Gallery, a Willoughby studio that guides attendees through the creation of a take-home wine glass as they sip their own wines.

Here’s a look at some of what to expect in coming weeks: 7 p.m. Jan. 31 — Mightnight Bearhug; 8 to 11 p.m. Feb. 1 — Cleveland’s Rock Bar; 8 to 11 p.m. Feb 21 — Comedy night, featuring 10 comedians, followed by DJ with dancing music ($30 ticket includes one drink); 8 to 11 p.m. Feb. 8 — 1988 (1980s rock tribute); 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 14 — Danny Christian (modern acoustic); 8 to 11 p.m Feb 15 — Back in the Day (high-energy rock); 8 to 11 p.m. Feb. 22 — The Smokey Blue Band; 7 to 10 p.m. Feb 28 — Graham Miller (one-man cover band).