Category Archives: BEER PUB

FLYING SAUCER DRAUGHT EMPORIUM

Image result for flying saucer DRAUGHT st . louisSee the source image

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

It’s hard to find fault with forward-thinking FLYING SAUCER DRAUGHT EMPORIUM, despite the fact such large-scale beer pub endeavors merely scratch the surface promoting local independent brewers’ true obsession crafting off-center hybrids, hard-to-find limited editions, daringly ambitious seasonals and obscure one-offs. While bigger beerpub chains such as Yard House and World Of Beer offer hundreds of great microbrew choices, there’s barely any specialty brews amongst the obvious best-selling fare. Ultimately, this standard predictability led to the future demise of Bud-Coors-Miller, three boring macrobrewers scrambling to find a cool niche while selling watered-down versions of timid mainstream recipes to vapid sycophantic dilettantes.

Originating in Fort Worth, Texas, during 1995, the mighty Flying Saucer now operates 16 locations scattered through Missouri, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and the Lone Star State as of my April Fools Day 2016 sojourn.

Taking up the entire first floor space and large outdoor deck of a red brick downtown Industrial edifice within walking distance of Busch Stadium (home to the historic St. Louis Cardinals), this vibrant craft beer mecca sports exquisite wood tone elegance, high-ceilinged exposed ducts and prominent recessed columns. The 20-stool central bar services multiple interior tables and the open-air deck. The copper-topped bar matches the acrylic penny-medallion keg taps (featuring 1oo draughts). Silver plates adorn the walls alongside cool Chimay, Petrus, Duvel and 4 Hands souvenir saucers. 100-plus bottled beers and a fine liquor selection also get scattered across an exhausting menu boasting “famous make your own pizzas” and good pub food.

Image result for flying saucer DRAUGHT st . louis

Stopping by lunchtime on a crisp springtime jaunt thru the Gateway to the West, my friend Dennis and I quaff nine previously untried libations (reviewed fully in Beer Index). From Missouri came Modern Arkham’s Finest Stout, O’Fallon King Louie Toffee Stout and Charleville Down With OGP English Porter. Illinois offered Excel Flash Bang Wheat Ale and Old Bakery Porter. Kansas brought forth Tallgrass Wooden Rooster Tripel and Tallgrass Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat Cream Stout while Colorado kicked in New Belgium Blackberry Barleywine and California tossed off Ballast Point Victory At Sea – Peppermint. This veritable cornucopia of stylistic intrigue cannot, at this time, be matched by Flying Saucer’s larger competitors.

Perfect for local businessmen, die-hard Cardinals fans and curious beer seekers, Flying Saucer seems to have all corners covered as a truly iconic large-scale American beer pub.

www.beerknurd.com/locations/stlouisflyingsaucer

 

 

 

END OF ELM

Image result for END OF ELM  Image result for END OF ELM

MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

In a red-bricked, white-windowed corner spot across the street from Morristown’s railway. END OF ELM has operated as a cocktail-lounged gastropub since 2013. Featuring 24-plus brass-handled tap lines while specializing in unique cocktails and upscale food, this quaint one-room tavern brings low key elegance to this mid-Jersey county seat.

On my initial February ’16 stopover, my wife and I grab a seat at the windowed front corner booth to sample four diverse brews, including Magnify Low Visibility IPA, Rodenbach Caractere Rouge, Founders Nitro Rubeaus and Stone Bitter Chocolate Stout (reviewed in Beer Index).

Creative lunch menu brought forth distinctively innovative items such as Grilled Artichoke Bruscetta (with Almond Romesco-sauced fennel), Charred Jersey Beets, Lamb Burger and sticky-riced Sashimi Tuna Pizza.

As for its exquisite architectural design, the sage green interior spotlights a 10-seat copper-topped banquet table, eight 4-seat tables and a few side and back booths. Traditional walnut decor adds a tasteful backdrop to the granite-topped 14-set bar while railroad-tied pillars connect slotted flat scrap wood at the front right side, an artful exhibit complementing the train station.

A comfortable neighborhood pub with a friendly attitude, warm atmosphere and charming ambiance, End Of Elm will impress sophisticated beer snobs as well as casual cocktail enthusiasts and may be the best gastropub Morristown has to offer.

www.endofelm.com

BREW CITY GRILL

Image result for BREW CITY GRILL WORCESTER  Image result for BREW CITY GRILL WORCESTER

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

In an old brick building on a bustling corner of Worcester’s rustic downtown, BREW CITY GRILL slowly became a local craft beer haven after a decade in business selling macros. Just down the street from Wormtown Brewery, this glorified sportsbar served local families, businessmen and brewhounds alike on my initial January ’16 noon time visit on a cold Sunday.

A 15-stool right side bar with front tables and one private booth features decorative street lamps, 40-plus tap handles, fine wines, unique cocktails and several bottled-canned beers. Multiple TV’s fill the bar and left side 20-table dining area (where a brew kettle mural and wallpapered locomotive adorn the walls). The food menu includes reasonable pub fare and my wife and I order bourbon wings, potato skins, hummus (with feta and olives) while watching the Patriots and Jets football games.

Beginning with two cask conditioned ales, Berkshire Mint Chip Drayman’s Porter and Rapscallion Stout, I then quaff terrific Maui Coconut Porter and slyly hybridized Mystic Three Cranes Saison with Cranberry. (All reviewed in Beer Index).

A congenial hotspot in New England’s second largest metropolis, BCG boasts a respectable Massachusetts craft beer selection any outsider would appreciate.

BROADWAY DIVE

Image result for broadway diveImage result for broadway dive

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Re-creating a cozily bohemian Prohibition Era speakeasy, affluent Upper West Side pub, BROADWAY DIVE, is tucked into a busy commercial street just up the hill from midtown Manhattan. Its mauve-marooned exterior and rustic wood interior give this narrow beer-centric tavern a friendly neighborhood feel.

Packed to the hilt with incongruent graffiti and paraphernalia, mounted animals (deer, bear, trout, bass), multiple TV’s, koi fish aquarium and 20-plus tap handles (specializing in respected Belgian ales, local elixirs and national craft beer), its tremendous refrigerated bottle-can selection consumes much of the left wall opposite the 20-seat wooden bar area. And a few marble-topped community tables serve people across the bar.

Part of the “Dive Bar” triumvirate that includes the original Amsterdam Avenue site and Columbus Avenue’s Dive 75, these seminal landmarks are a must for all New York City-bound beer enthusiasts.

My wife and I grab seats at the bar just a few days prior to Christmas, 2015, to consume one high profile sampler tray (Sloop Sauer Peach Berliner Weisse; Barrier’s Uncle Lee’s Christmas Ale; Barrier Lights Out Stout; Evil Twin Christmas Eve In A NYC Hotel Imperial Stout) plus a pint of Thirsty Dog Bourbon-aged Wulver and Ayinger Weiss. We consume chili, hummus and a knish while downing world class brews.

For those requiring privacy, two small loft areas overlooking the bar offer adequate intimacy.

divebarnyc.com

PLANK PIZZA

SADDLE BROOK, NEW JERSEY

In a pale green-bricked, beige-topped freestanding building just off Market Street in the quaint town of Saddle Brook, PLANK PIZZA BEER PARLOR specializes in thin-crusted sourdough flatbread pizzas while being “purveyors of artisanal ales.” Its classic West Coast brewhouse feel is reinforced by the well-rounded draught selections (listed on a USB-imaged computer screen above the white-tiled tap handles), 300-plus refrigerated beer bottles-cans and roomy interior.

Open July 2015, Plank Pizza’s reclaimed wood and metal furnishings surround a centralized rectangular bar and its high ceilings support keg fixtures, two TV carousels and exposed ducts. A staired mezzanine and cement-floored side deck provide additional seating capacity. During “Hoppy Hour” (3 to 6 PM weekdays) bottled beers for outside consumption are sold at a discount.

The food menu runs the gamut from ricotta-cheesed Bacon White pizza to Alfredo-sauced French Onion And Pepper pizza and mozzarella-cheesed Bacon Clam pizza while appetizers include sourdough pretzel sticks, jalapeno-pickled tater tots, avocado egg rolls and cajun wings.

I found eight previously untried brews on the tap menu (reviewed fully in Beer Index) ranging from local limited edition ales such as Jersey’s Brix City Wet Hop Pale Ale and Kane Deep Rooted Imperial IPA to California’s 21st Amendment He Said Tripel and Hop Concept Lemon & Grassy as well as Washington’s Elysian Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale. Hybridized West Coast dynamo, Stone Chai Spiced Imperial Stout, Georgia’s  Sweetwater Hash Brown and Missouri’s Schlafly Tasmanian IPA completed the score.

Perfect for beer aficionados, pizza lovers and dining families, Plank’s pristine industrial rusticity provides the perfect casual setting for sundry individuals.

ppcbp.com

ONE MILE HOUSE

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Named after a historic 19th century Lower East Side granite mile marker in Manhattan’s Bowery, ONE MILE HOUSE (opened for business 2012) serves inventive pub fare and creative cocktails as well as awesome local, national and international craft beer. A Prohibition Era-styled watering hole with custom wood decor, hanging pendant lights, silver tin-tiled ceiling, mauve-walled city portraits and black velvet window curtains, its overall rusticity creates the reliable Old World ambience.

In early August ’15, I grab a seat at the two-roomed wraparound bar to sample eight previously untried brews that range from California’s Telegraph Flotsam Lager to Ireland’s White Hag Black Boar Imperial Stout with New York City-based Third Rail Bodega Pale Ale, Transmitter Golden Ale, Barrier Red Button Imperial Red Ale and Finback Gose finding middle ground alongside Ithaca Cranbretty and East-West collaboration Other Half/ Bunker Boogie Board Stuntz Kolsch (all reviewed in Beer Index).

The exquisite wood-mantled leftside bar houses several hanging silver mugs, select spirits and 20-plus taps. Behind the bar area, a caliginous one-booth backroom counters a cozy dining area while the spacious back porch (with five wood tables and one community table plus beer-related Allagash, Dogfish Head, Green Harbor, Sixpoint and Smuttynose signposts) offers the perfect Big City summertime retreat.

The imaginative culinary experience provided by the David Burke kitchen utilizes locally-sourced ingredients for “burgers and things” like creative hot dogs and flatbreads as well as juicy steaks and crisp salads to fill the one-page pub menu. A few inventive Double Dogs get consumed during my initial visit – The Elvis Dog (with peanut butter and bacon) and Dallas Dog (Texas chili with onions and mustard).

Before heading out to my Central Park High Times Bonghitters softball game versus friendly rivals, Wall Street Journal, the well-rounded beer assortment gets quaffed while Zimmy from dance punk band, Tooth Aches, makes interesting conversation. Several teachers, musicians and craftsmen stop by for a drink as dinnertime rolls around.

A trusty neighborhood tavern with dichotomous old-world charm contrasting quality new-world food and beverages, One Mile House draws local working-class minions from various eclectic downtown communities such as the Bowery, Little Italy, Chinatown and Canal Street.

www.onemilehousenyc.com

EDDIE’S ROADHOUSE

Eddies Road House (Warwick) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

WARWICK, NEW YORK

Filled with Old World charm and nestled in the hilly rural refuge of Warwick 30 miles northwest of New York City, EDDIE’S ROADHOUSE TAVERN & GRILLE may be a hike for city slickers, but it’s definitely worth the trip. Between town fairs, open-air concerts, cool fishing spots, blueberry fields and the annual Applefest, Warwick’s a busy countryside community with a four-screen drive-in theatre to boot. And when the quaint brown and tan-fronted Roadhouse opened in November, 2010, the diminutive Main Street gastropub quickly became a travel destination.

A rustic hardwood-floored saloon with exposed ceiling ducts and framed black and white portraits (of Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler and Jack Nicholson), its fabulous upscale pub fare (appetizers, burgers, steaks, chicken and ribs) suits the swiftly rotating draught selections. At the red brick-walled left side bar are twenty stools, sixteen tap handles and choice spirits. Two windowed and three right side corian-topped tables comfortably seat lunch and dinner patrons.

During my initial August 2015 jaunt, Eddie’s gets packed by 5:30 on a sunshiny Saturday evening. Along with two newfound brews, my wife and I share the big, beefy Roadhouse Burger (with mushrooms) and On The Flat (a rewarding flat-breaded app with eggplant, hummus and olive tapenade dips).

Owner Eddie Cullari stops by before the crowd rushes in to offer some background.

“I grew up on Ballantine IPA in the ’60s. So i got used to the richer, heavier beers and when that IPA alcohol bite went away, I really got into serious beers,” he shares before adding, “Drinking craft was a no-brainer. Friends would buy a 6-pack for $4 in the past and they couldn’t understand why I’d pay $4 for one swing-topped import.”

Though previously untried Lost Nation Mosaic IPA, Against The Grain Jacque Trappe and Clown Shoes Crasher In The Rye Imperial Stout were gone by my arrival, two fruitful summertime brews got quaffed instead. Soft grapefruit rind-embittered passionfruit-derived Avery Liliko’i Kepolo and briskly citric-hopped Other Half Forever Ever IPA were damn near perfect stylistic representatives (check Beer Index for full reviews).

www.eddiesroadhouse.com

Just down the street from Eddie’s Roadhouse, CRAFT BEER CELLAR opened October 15, 2014. Its earth-toned stone front, brick red interior, exposed pipes, high ceiling, clean shelves and Brooklyn Brewery banner give the place a certain lucidity. Twenty tap handles fill growlers to go and a serious-minded bottle and can selection (of rarities and well-selected American and international fare) will please any beer enthusiast.

DRAUGHT INDUSTRIES

Draught Industries - Takeout & Delivery - 202 Photos & 127 Reviews -  Gastropubs - 394 Main St, Beacon, NY - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number -  Yelp

BEACON, NEW YORK

Utilizing a state-of-the-art Flux Capacitor to adjust pressure and provide the proper carbolic gas blend (and to compensate for damaged kegs), Beacon’s diminutive Main Street pub, DRAUGHT INDUSTRIES, is strictly a mod-styled beer joint (with specialty wines). Opened September 2014, this narrow red brick-walled room retains a quaint feel as its 20-seat community table and 20-seat bar (with 20 stainless steel beer taps, 2 wine taps and 2 casks) allow for ample drinking space. A blackboard lists the quickly revolving selections (mostly sixtels of rare and hard-to-find brews) and beautiful wormwood outlines the front and back door area while the black tin ceiling tile and exposed pipes recall Old World sophistication.

Originally owned and operated by Nick Forlano, Draught Industries is the highly regarded centerpiece of Beacon’s trendy craft beer universe. A few local startup breweries are readied to go as I visit June ’15.

During my 2-hour stay, I go for three fantastic hybridized ales. Olde Saratoga Death Wish Coffee IPA spread smoky dark-roasted black coffee across orange-peeled pineapple and grapefruit tang while tropical Olde Saratoga Coconut IPA brought toasted coconut shavings to sharp-hopped pineapple, grapefruit and orange bittering. Better still, Westbrook Mexican Cake made for an exemplary dessert treat with its chocolate-spiced vanilla bean influence, persistent habanero peppering and cinnamon stick sweetness.(Complete reviews at Beer Index).

At the moment, only kettle chips and a draught platter (with olive-oiled provolone cheese, sour pickles, salami and bread flats) are available to snack on.

In 2020, revisited Draught Industries on a few occasions with wife and dog after exploring Hudson River walking trails. Met up with current owner, Greg Colon, then had lunch and beer samples. Fine Mexican food menu included yummy fish tacos, ensaladas and quesadillas.

POUR HOUSE

NYACK, NEW YORK

Making no bones about their American heritage, Nyack’s POUR HOUSE prides itself on unwavered nationality as ubiquitous United States flags, Americana food and stateside beers welcome local denizens and curious travelers. Based in a historic bohemian community just up the hill from the Hudson River and 20 miles northwest of the Big Apple, this amiably cozy two-room sportsbar features TV’s at every conceivable corner, 20 tap handles and 100 bottled beers (mixing well-known craft offerings alongside several reliable macrobrews).

Founded in 2010, Pour House soon became the #1 sportsbar and grill serving ‘innovative entrees,’ burgers, pizzas and salads to go with its well-chosen brews, creative cocktails and lively spirits. Its windowed blue awning frontage, hardwood floors, acoustic ceiling tiles, potted plants and stooled tables fill the interior alongside the 20-seat bar.  

My wife and I first visit Pour House for Monday dinner in early June, 2015. As we enter, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s celebratory “Sweet Home Alabama” is playing. Upon leaving, the Southern rockers’ cheeky barroom tale, “Gimme Three Steps,” blares from the jukebox. In between, Creedence Clearwater Revival, ZZ Top and several classic rock gems receive airtime.

Though I was already well acquainted with the tapped beer selections, the refrigerator near the checkout register provided the previously untried Full Sail Original Amber Ale, a brisk citrus-hopped medium body with pale-malted yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering. Loaded Fries with cheddar-cheesed bacon and scallions made for a filling appetizer while Pastrami Reuben and Cheesesteak hoagie also sufficed.

Whether serving friends, family or business associates, Pour House will satisfy hunger and thirst with blue-collared workmanlike efficiency.  

www.nyackpourhouse.com

NEW YORK WING FACTORY

New York Wing Factory - Wings Joint in Fort Lee

FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY

Just across the George Washington Bridge across from the Whiteman Park Plaza in Fort Lee, New Jersey, NEW YORK WING FACTORY gained high praise since opening, January ’14. The red-bricked roadhouse sportsbar serves as a unique gastropub featuring battered and double-fried Factory Wings and impressive Korean-styled dishes alongside a light Americana menu and some of the finest quickly-rotated draught and bottled beers in the area.

Rustic wood fixtures, exposed pipes, hanging fans and spotlights fill the large one-room open space with TV’s at every angle. The rustic hardwood bar (with 20-plus seats) stationed alongside the back wall gets served by the open kitchen near the entrance and two blackboards list the bottled selections (including several limited edition elixirs such as Brooklyn Hand & Seal Bourbon Barleywine, Bruery Rueuze Oak-barreled Lambic and Lagunitas Gnarlywine).

On my initial two-hour March ’15 weekday visit, several dining tables fill up in the mid-afternoon while the bar meshes local businessmen with serious beer geeks. Wings, pizzas, tacos, burgers and salads top the Americana items. Korean fare includes Kimchi Kroquetas (rice-balled mozzarella with marina and scallions) and the delicious Pickle Jar (jalapeno-radish-carrot-tomatillo). I grab a half-dozen hickory barbecue wings while the guys nearby chew on hotter versions (Jalapeno BBQ, Salt & Pepper and Angry).

A few previously untried Belgian-styled Stone ‘Stochasticity’ brews get quaffed alongside the sweet wings. Stone Quadrotriticale brought treacle rye breading to raw-honeyed dried fruiting while Stone Hibiscusicity pushed the envelope with its floral hibiscus tea likeness overriding the sour-doughed lemony hop spritz.

On second visit during April ’15 at noon, several post-grunge artists (Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Offspring) play in the background while I munch on Salt & Pepper Wings and down a few previously untried IPA’s (Angry Erik Hop-N-Awe/ 902 Heaven Hell or Hoboken) and saisons (Ommegang Calypso Hennepin/ Bolero Snort Tabull) alongside a witbier (Free Will Mango Wheat), cream ale (Carton Pumpkin Scobeyville Wood) and mocha ale (Boulevard Chocolate Ale).

www.nywingfactory.com

BURGER LOFT

See the source image

NEW CITY, NEW YORK

Perched just off the main drag in Rockland County’s affluent county seat, New City (just an hour north of NYC) got a lot cooler when BURGER LOFT went ‘craft’ three years ago. On my March 15 stopover, the pristine beer pub celebrated Long Island brewery, Barrier, dedicating all 12 stainless steel tap lines to the superfine suds.

Inside a colonial-styled, red-bricked mini mall, Burger Loft is not only a fine burger joint, but also a damn fine beer-centric hideaway and roomy sportsbar (with several widescreenTV’s).  Its wide windows shine sunlight on the tile floor of the wood-furnished pale blue interior. Right side dining’s fine for family and friends while the two 15-seat wood counters at the bar spread across the entire left side. Made of maple, oak and zebra wood, the sturdily thick counter tops stretch far and wide, allowing many brewhounds to converge in one spot and still have plenty of room to rove.

All weekend long, Barrier Brewing’s been featured. And on this early springtime jaunt, I quaffed a lofty eight new Barrier offerings that would’ve easily satisfied even the most hardened connoisseurs. Served in lofty 5.5 ounce samplers, each well designed elixir hit its mark, especially my initial libation, Barrier Icculus Kolsch, a tantalizing light-bodied pilsner with a spritzy lemony orange splash and doughy cracker backup that’s as crisply clean as it gets.

Though Barrier Simple California Common Lager couldn’t compete, its phenol citric astringency proved smooth (if soapy). Barrier Delicioulus Extra Pale Ale  meshed perfumed citric hops with tropical fruiting while the even better Belgian 1 Pale Ale brought sour lemon-candied orange and pineapple tang to delicate banana-clove spicing.

As usual, India Pale Ale’s dominated the menu. Evil Giant IPA let rye malts deepen the stylish white-peppered, pine-needled grapefruit bittering while spruce-tipped Atypical IPA showcased lemony grapefruit. Soft-toned Money IPA placed orange-rotted yellow grapefruit bittering atop yellow wood tones. Best bet: sweet fruit-juiced Daddy Warbucks Double IPA, a sunny tropical-fruited beauty with honeyed malts and piney herbal respite.

For dessert, Morticia Russian Imperial Stout brought lusty dark-roasted smoked mocha malting to bourbon-tinged dark fruiting. (Full reviews in Beer Index).

In between beers, my wife and I chomped on a ciabatta-breaded Turkey Club (with avocado, bacon and tomato) while watching the Sweet Sixteen tournament. Burgers, Fish Tacos and Mac  & Cheese lead the American-styled pub menu.

On future endeavors during May and June 2017, discovered Burger Loft’s District 96 brews – currently crafted next door. Delectable fare seemingly inspired by highly recognized microbrewery, Hill Farmstead, the tight range of beers so far includes several India Pale Ales, pale ales and one kolsch (reviewed separately).

theburgerloft.com

 

 

 

KEG & KESTREL

keg_kestrel

SUFFERN, NEW YORK

Right across from the railroad station in the bustling village of Suffern lied KEG & KESTREL, a Greek-related restaurant and beer pub refurbished and re-established as a craft bar during September ’14. Owned by the Roussos family since 2011, its cool beer-centric transition came with an updated food menu featuring both genuine Greek dishes (gyros, lamb shank, sauvlaki, falafels) and traditional American pub fare (burgers, seafood, salads).

However, by 2016, it was closed for business. The rest of the review follows:

Inside a snug mahogany den with olden 15-seat bar, twin private booths and opposing dining area, this rustic saloon features 14 bronze-stationed tap handles, copious liquor selections, two TV’s, one Touchtone jukebox, a whiteboard beer menu and elegant wood decor. Along the maroon walls are promotional Flying Dog, Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, Bells and Troegs banners.

Upon my initial visit in late March ’15, the diminutive bar fills up with mostly twenty-something denizens while Red Hot Chili Peppers. Offspring, Green Day and Nirvana play on the back-walled jukebox. My wife and I order the robust Ale House Burger, busy Greek Pizza (with feta-cheesed gyro meat and kalamata olives) and Trata Piato & Tzatziki (fried eggplant, zucchini chips and yogurt sauce with cucumber, dill and parsley) alongside two previously untried libations. Stuffed grape leaves with rice and lemon is also recommended.

Bar manager Patrick Reynar serves the newly discovered New York-based suds as we munch on dinner. Broken Bow Chinook IPA’s easygoing wood-dried floral citrus serenade contrasted Southern Tier 2Xpresso Stout’s coffee-sugared espresso theme. The next evening, I quaff Roscoe Trout Town Amber, a pleasurable mainstream moderation with laid-back orange-apple fruiting, spicy hop respite and leafy earthiness.

An increasingly popular Rockland County hangout drawing rush hour train commuters, curious brewhounds and young folk alike, Keg & Kestrel’s casual intimacy (and convenient 4 to 6 PM Happy Hour) keeps ’em coming. Along with Craft House, one mile east up Lafayette Avenue, Suffern now has two exciting microbrew options.

www.kegandkestrel.com