What are they drinking at Northeast Ohio’s night spots?

Northeast Ohio is a hotbed for bars and nightclubs, from Vermilion to downtown Cleveland to downtown Willoughby, from your local dive bar to your native brewery.

The drinks are flowing, the booze is pouring and the beer bottles are clinking. The patrons range in age from 21 and up, and at any given day, you can find a mix of crowds relaxing after a long day at work, or living it up in the night scene.

But one thing is consistently seen — beer.

While beer ranges from lager to IPA to malt, there’s almost a consistency with the top favored beers.

A social media survey of the locals found that Yuengling was the name brought up most from those who partake in the occasional (or perhaps more frequent) glass of beer. What’s most interesting about that, is that Yuengling wasn’t sold in Ohio until October 2011, less than six short years ago, according to their website. Furthermore, only 16 states sell Yuengling, with Ohio being 14th on the list.

According to their website, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. is America’s oldest brewery, founded in Pennsylvania in 1829 by German immigrant David Gottlob Yuengling. In fact, it is their proximity to Ohio that draws some local beerdrinkers to the brand.

“I just like the taste, and I like that it’s a local brewery,” said Alex Syrianoudis, 23, of Youngstown.

But for others, aside from that fresh hop taste, it was the variety available. The company sells seven different beers, including lager, Premium, Porter, Black & Tan, light lager, Lord Chesterfield Ale, and light beer. It’s that very clean, identifiable beer taste that draws in seasoned drinkers young and old.

The second most named beer among Northeast Ohioans ranked as a close call between Budweiser and Guinness, with Guinness pushing just a few notches past Bud.

“Guinness has been my favorite for a few reasons,” said Daniel Young, 33, of Mentor. “Guinness is a good import beer, because it basically tastes like a ‘real beer,’ and I love the Irish traditions and themes what with the Ren faires and what have you. I enjoy Irish and Celtic music and culture, and Guinness is obviously hand in hand with that.”

According to the Guinness website, Guinness’s founder, Arthur Guinness, was born in Ireland where he began to brew his ale. Then he traveled to England in the late 1700s hoping to advance his brew. In the early 1800s, his son, Arthur Guinness II, took over. Then in October 1817, a shipment of Guinness made it’s way across the Atlantic to South Carolina along with detailed instructions for brewing. Finally, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness took over and the company began exporting their product around the world. With deep roots in Irish culture, it’s no wonder, especially near St. Patrick’s Day, Guinness makes the top of the list.

Budweiser, on the other hand, hails from Germany just like Yuengling. According to their website, Adolphus Busch came to St. Louis in 1857. In the 1800s, St. Louis had a large German population, which gave Busch a lot of competition. But it was the hot St. Louis summers that helped Busch create a “palatable, crisp lager,” the one that is served in bars today.

Plenty of beers are brewed right here in Ohio, and Ohioans named their top favorites as Great Lakes, Fat Head’s and Jackie O’s. When throwing a party, Northeast Ohioans often will pick up a case of Great Lakes because of their seasonal flavors that can compliment any gathering nicely. But Fat Head’s has the popular “Bumble Berry,” a honey and blueberry flavored, refreshing ale called “most refreshing beer in America” by Brewing News Global Warming Open.

However, after surveying many locals at bars and on social media, one thing is clear.

There are a lot of beers out there, from local to imported, from ales to ciders to lagers.