Black Frog Brewery has closed its taproom inside Cleveland's MidTown Collaboration Center, and owner Chris Harris is stepping away from the beer business entirely after a decade behind the kettle. Taking over the space at 1974 E. 66th St. is Chef Tiwanna Scott-Williams, whose Pearl's Kitchen will convert the address into a new concept called Pearl's Kitchen and Taproom.
The closure caps a fast rise and quick exit for Black Frog in Cleveland. As reported by Cleveland Scene, Black Frog opened its second location at the MidTown Collaboration Center alongside Pearl's Kitchen and The Sixty6, operating there while its original brewery remained based in the Toledo area. That original taproom, located in Holland, Ohio, shut down in March after 10 years in business, with Harris citing health concerns and a broader slowdown across the craft beer industry, according to WTOL.
Harris built Black Frog from a home garage operation into a brand with more than 40 original beers, nearly all built around a honey malt base that gave his lineup its signature golden color and flavor, WTOL reports. He opened his first brick-and-mortar taproom in Holland in late 2016, and the station notes he perfected those honey malt recipes long before the business ever had a storefront.
A Milestone Brewery's Short Cleveland Run
Black Frog had only been open in Cleveland since May 2025, when its MidTown expansion made it the city's first Black-owned brewery, following its run as Northwest Ohio's first Black-owned brewery dating back to October 2016, per the Black Frog Brewery website. The MidTown Collaboration Center itself is a relatively new fixture in the neighborhood, a $32 million, 100,000-square-foot facility completed in early 2025 by the Cleveland Foundation to link Downtown Cleveland with University Circle through Cleveland's historic Hough neighborhood, according to Cleveland Magazine. The center mixes academic and corporate office space with hospitality venues, and Cleveland Magazine reported that the taproom, food concept, and music venue included there came directly out of community engagement sessions in which Hough and Midtown residents asked for accessible neighborhood gathering spots, with foundation officials pointing to a historic lack of music and hospitality options nearby.
Cleveland Scene reports that Harris made the decision to retire, ending the Cleveland chapter of a brand he built from scratch. The liquor license for the MidTown space has since been transferred to Scott-Williams, the outlet notes, clearing the way for Pearl's Kitchen and Taproom to open in the same address without an extended vacancy.
Pearl's Kitchen Expands Its Cleveland Footprint
Scott-Williams is no stranger to scaling a food business across Cleveland institutions. Before founding PearlFlower Catering, she spent 10 years as a registered cardiothoracic surgical nurse in the city, according to Cleveland Magazine, a career she left full-time after winning the Core City Cleveland Impact program in 2018. She named her umbrella brand PearlFlower in memory of her grandmothers, Pearline Scott and Delores Flowers, the magazine reported in 2021.
Beyond the MidTown location, Scott-Williams already runs Pearl's Kitchen outposts on the main concourse at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and inside Case Western Reserve University's Tinkham Veale University Center, per Pearl's Kitchen. She first entered the FieldHouse through its Launch Test Kitchen program in 2018. Cleveland Scene reports that Scott-Williams said she is extremely excited about the expansion into the former Black Frog space.
Cocktails, a Curated Beer List, and Eventually Her Own Brew
According to Cleveland Scene, Scott-Williams plans to introduce a new cocktail menu, a curated beer list, and a new food menu built for guests seated at the bar as Pearl's Kitchen and Taproom takes shape. She has also brought on Chef Carlos Singleton, who has worked at nearly a half dozen local craft breweries around Cleveland and maintains close ties with many of the city's brewers and brewery owners, the outlet reports.
Longer term, Scott-Williams told Cleveland Scene she plans to roll out her own line of Pearl's beer and begin brewing at some point in the future, though no timeline has been set. She said she is looking forward to getting her feet wet in the world of beer. The outlet reports the space will undergo a transition period over the next few weeks, with an official launch event planned before the end of 2026.
A Broader Squeeze on Craft Brewers
Black Frog's exit lands amid a documented contraction across the craft beer industry. The Ohio Craft Brewers Association found that 2025 marked the first year that craft brewery closures outpaced new openings statewide, a trend it attributed to rising operating costs and shifting consumer habits, as Hoodline previously reported on the closure of 77 Brew House in Navarre. Ohio entered 2026 with 433 operating craft breweries, according to that same coverage.
The pressure isn't confined to Ohio. Nationwide, the Brewers Association reported that 2024 was the first year since 2005 that U.S. brewery closures outnumbered openings, with 529 closures against 430 new openings, as total craft beer volume sales dropped nearly 4% that year. Black Frog's departure also removes one of a small number of Black-owned breweries nationally; the National Black Brewers Association estimates that fewer than 1% of U.S. craft breweries are Black-owned, representing roughly 86 Black-owned beer brands as of 2024. The trade group formed in 2023 to support career growth and capital access for Black brewing professionals.
