Category Archives: BEER PUB

MORRIS TAP & GRILL

BEER PUB

 

Morris Tap & Grill

RANDOLPH, NEW JERSEY

Friendly teamwork seems to be the focus at Randolph’s MORRIS TAP & GRILL. An ambitious American gastropub opened during 2011 in a majestic natural stone edifice (run by a few motivated young restaurateurs), the roomy confines convey a refined splendor further defined by the rustic charm of its warm interior. Geared more towards family fun than previous tenant, Stone Fire Grill, this sylvan mid-Jersey watering hole contrasts its casual folksy dining with formal elegance.

Led by head chef, Eric LeVine, a gourmandizing Brooklyn-bred culinarist made famous as Food Network’s Chopped champion, Morris Tap & Grill is determined to conceive the greatest food and beer pairings for their ever-growing customer base. Working at his grandfather’s butcher shop at age eleven gave LeVine the primordial training he’d need to develop into one of the Garden State’s finest cooks, building a solid reputation at prestigious eateries such as Times Square’s Marriott Marquis, Harvard Club Of New York and Brooklyn’s River Cafe.

“I also owned catering companies and restaurants over the past eighteen years,” the confident LeVine informs. “Luckily, I wound up in Jersey. (General Manager) Mike DeSimone brought me in as a partner in January after I was at this stuffy private country club realizing I’d die there as an old fossil or move on and be creative and love what I do.”

Given a lot of space to devise various seafood, beef, poultry and game dishes, the enterprisingly modernistic cuisinist gained subsequent plaudits for the Baconeater – a deliciously hearty burger CBS-TV voted one of the state’s best. LeVine’s also made noise with lamb T-bone, filet mignon and roasted duck dinner items as well as an expansive Banquet Menu. Combining fabulous original dishes with appropriate craft beers became a major priority from the start.

“Beer gives so many different elements to the food,” LeVine declares as an MGMT tune sounds off in the background. “The challenge for me, since I can’t drink beer (due to allergies), is to rely on beer profiles given to me.”

Trusting his sixth sense and DeSimone’s palate to create imaginative pairings, the shrewd Culinary Institute of America grad combines just the right ingredients in a delectably complementary manner. The bulky Baconeater counters bacon-stripped caramelized onion sweetness with tangy bleu cheese bittering, heightening the spicy hop bittering of citric-bound Kane Overhead Double IPA.

“It’s like drinking a good wine. Sometimes the flavors build as you go along and the wine sits, developing on your palate,” the diligent LeVine divulges as one of his favorite artists, Bjork, emanates from the speakers.

Broken into three separate sections, Morris Tap features the family-oriented Lodge (a right side focal point extending to the orange lantern-adorned rear area), the sportsbar-derived Tap Room (with copper tin ceiling, opposing TV’s and tidy wood furnishings) and the upscale Tree Room (a specialized table-clothed banquet space with cozy fireplace). Burnished amber earth tones provide ample rusticity. Plus, the wonderful draught and bottle selection confirms the pub’s earnest commitment to craft beer, drawing an escalating congregation of beer geeks, connoisseurs and neoteric enthusiasts.

“Craft beer is crazy right now,” the Sparta-raised DeSimone admits. “And the owners are great people. I thought I fit in well here. It’s a worthwhile experience. I had worked with (newly hired) mixologist Andrew Longshore in Charlotte at Crave Dessert Bar. It was a martini lounge and dessert boutique with hookah pipes. We were right in the middle of Charlotte, where the service industry is everything.”

Though direct competition for handcrafted artisan brews in Morris County lacks right now, there’s a surging local buzz for inventive food contests. A Twitter account follower offered a seriously difficult Chop Box challenge to LeVine recently. Researching what items had never been used on Chopped, the valiant contestant brought python, ostrich sausage jerky, green rice and hops to commingle.

Then, there’s LeVine’s famous gummy worm incident on Chopped. In the final round, desserts were to include gummy bears, pistachio butter, corn melon and rice puffs. A sushi roll was to be made out of the ingredients, but the gummy worms never solidified so he made a lemonade nougat and wound up winning.

“We have a very cool kitchen bar. It has a private table with private server and special menu at a premium price,” he says while I down fruity cinnamon-toasted summer ale, Epic Sour Apple Saison. “You get to experience the kitchen without a filter. If there’s yelling and screaming and shit breaking, so be it. It’s part of the deal. There’s a bit of the entertainment factor.”

There are also a load of specials to attract tentative customers, such as Thursday’s endless happy hour, Wednesday’s half-price growler fills and affordable Sunday brunch (featuring bottomless Mimosas, Sangrias or Bloody Marys). The ever-changing tapped beer assortment could be bought in seven, ten or twelve-ounce servings, with the smallest seven-ounce size hopefully assuring skeptical purchasers to try variegated libations if the first one doesn’t quite suit their taste.

In May 2012, Morris Tap & Grill teamed up with Civilization of Beer founder, Sam Merritt, for a Cicerone Certification Class that educated interested beer geeks on flavor profiles, styles, history and proper storage. Expect many more of these profgrams.

As I sip coconut-centered digestif, Kona Koko Brown Ale (with its toasted almond, praline and vanilla notes caressing sharp hop spicing), Longshore joins me at the bar to promote Cooking With Class. It’ll gather curious brew hounds for uniquely exquisite beer and food pairings.

www.morristapandgrill.com

 

BACKYARD ALE HOUSE

BEER PUB,

Image result for backtard ale house pennsylvania

SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

In the heart of Scranton across from the Court House, BACKYARD ALE HOUSE came on the scene November ’08 and soon became Electric City’s premier beer bar. Offering an outrageously enormous 500 bottled beers as well as 20-plus rotating  taps, Backyard’s celebrates America’s proud microbrew generation in grand style. Its pristine tan frontage features Backyard’s brown-lettered insignia, windowed neon signs for the Keystone State’s most popular microbreweries (Stoudt’s/Troegs/Victory/Yards) and gorgeous earth-toned slate footing.

Upon entering the clean open space for the first time, June ’13, there resides a 15-stool left bar with two big screen TV’s, Backyard-etched central mirror, sundry taps and a large refrigerator (with awesome bottled selections). To the right are dining tables and along the middle beams several collectible beer bottles stand front to back. A newly installed kitchen serves pub fare such as burgers, wings and pizza.

Nick Lowe’s cold war anthem “So It Goes” blasts from the speakers as I settle into a beer crafted just down the highway, 3 Guys & A Beer’d Ladder Dive Rye IPA. Its reedy-hopped rye breading and orange-rotted dried fruiting picked up a grainier residue than most typical fruit-forward stylings.

Before getting a few takeout bottled beers from local breweries such as Old Forge, Susquehanna, Evil Twin and 3 Guys & A Beer, I grab a seat outside in the cement-floored open-air back deck. Overlooking City Hall, the red brick-sided space offers an 8-stool covered bar with three TV’s, several tables and chairs and a popcorn maker. On tap at the back bar are familiar Bud-Coors-Miller product as well as Guinness, Goose Island, Ommegang, Stegmaier and a few local indie draughts.

I dip into creamy eggshell-frothed Victory Uncle Teddy’s Bitter (with its orange-oiled lemon pit tartness and nutty respite) and vibrant fruit-candied Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA (where black-peppered hops and alcohol-burnt astringency contrast a bright grapefruit-orange-tangerine-peach tang).

Indoor and outdoor jukeboxes provide alternative and classic rock selections while live music plays Friday and Saturday evenings.

Sat at cement-floored awninged back patio at noon in October ’24 on a beautiful Sunday to try a few local Benny’s brews (Peanut Butter Lager and Birthday Cake Stout) plus New Trail Flannel Weather Imperial IPA, Ithaca Nitro Vanilla Porter and Sweetwater Blue (reviewed in Beer Index).

A favorite watering hole for local businessmen, post-collegiate imbibers and craft beer enthusiasts, Backyard’s perfectly centralized location attracts a diverse crowd to Scranton’s inner sanctum.

www.backyardalehouse.com

MONK’S CAFE

BEER PUB
 
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
 
One of Philly’s most prestigious underground hotspots remains Rittenhouse Square’s MONK’S CAFE BEER EMPORIUM. Owner Tom Peters keeps the tenacious local and visiting brewhounds enthralled with a wide selection of Belgian beers as well as American and international craft brews. Monk’s Beer Bible lists over 300 world class bottled selections and the daily Front and Back Bar draught menus have a mind-boggling selection worth exploring.   
 
Near the corner of 16th Street just inside the city’s downtown parameters, Monk’s Cafe provides a cozy intimacy perfectly in tune with the broad scope of not only craft beers but also fine wines. Its narrow interconnected rooms have a maze-like setup.
 
Entering thru a bright red door (covered by a Belgium-flagged yellow and red striped black canope), a few windowed tables offer a quaint lunch setting adjacent to the eight-seat front bar (where a rustic tap station houses five draughts listed on the nearby menu board). Past the three pews and two-seat tables (made of reclaimed oak furnishings from a choir loft) and down the hall, an Abbey St. Sixtus sign welcomes patron’s to the crown jewel, Monk’s sterling back bar.
 
With an eight-seat bar and left-walled tables, the Old World-styled backspace retains a rare elegance deepened by its artful decorum. A mirrored Monk’s Cafe insignia centers the bar, which houses top shelf booze, a segregated Delirium Tremens tap handle and twelve-draught tap station. Two gorgeous tapestries along the wall prove illustrious. One portrays 15th century wine making processing and the other’s a wool and silk woven ‘five senses’ reproduction. 
 
Peters, a proud entrepreneur, moved into Monk’s current space way back in 1997, just as the American public was truly discovering the variegated international beer landscape the market finally accepted full-on. A respected beer guru guiding a Philly landmark, Peters’ spent a few moments conversing on a sunny Memorial Day, 2013.
 
Though it’d be difficult to sample every untried beer currently on tap or bottled, two fabulous imperials, one an India Pale Ale, the other a sweet-toothed dark ale, capture my attention.
 
Gleaming tropical-fruited Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar Double IPA brought lovely sugar-caned peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit and mango tropicalia to grapefruit-peeled juniper hop bittering. 
 
Engaging mocha dessert treat, Evil Twin Naked Lunch In A Heavenly Copenhagen Resto, a full-bodied Imperial Stout, worked dark chocolate-spiced vanilla, anise, coconut, cookie dough and raisin bread illusions into its smoky confines. (Full reviews are in Beer Index).
 
Those hungry souls visiting Monk’s caliginous gastropub should try Red Light Mussels, Monk’s Burger, Rainbow Trout or Duck Salad Sandwich.  
 
Claiming to incorporate the ‘Soul of Belgium in the heart of Philadelphia,’ Monk’s appeal only widens as the craft beer market explodes. 
 

MAX’S TAPHOUSE

BEER PUB

Maryland: Max's Taphouse, Fells Point, Baltimore – A Good Beer Blog   Best Bars: Max's Taphouse - Drink Baltimore - The Best Happy Hours

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

On the corner of South Broadway in the Fells Point section, MAX’S TAPHOUSE earns the right to be labeled Baltimore’s Best Beer Bar. Boasting 140 rotating drafts, 5 hand-pumped cask stations, 18 TV’s, private rooms and a billiard table, this cozy Irish-styled pub specializes in hard-to-find one-off European beers, respected American micro and nano brews, plus an incredible bottled selection. An elongated wood bar to the right of the entrance gets packed quickly by enthusiastic craft beer imbibers.

On a Friday night in late April ’13, my wife and I grab one of the wooden community tables to quaff a few previously untried offerings. Loud classic rock (Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Woman” and Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”) blasts from the speakers as a large contingent of post-collegiate weekend warriors tip some cocktails while enjoying typical pub food.

For our 2-hour sojourn, I enjoy three different stouts in Charm City’s highly touted watering hole. But first, I grab Full Tilt Baltimore Pale Ale, a local flagship beer offering mild IPA-like pine-needled orange peel bittering to floral grapefruit, apple, peach and pear illusions above a caramel-toasted barleymalt base.

Representing Hawaii, Maui Aloha Baktun Belgian Stout was the least interesting of the stouts, getting a tad musty despite its nutty dark-roasted chocolate opening, bittersweet coffee bean salience, mild espresso dalliance  and sugary Belgian yeast influence. Better was Missouri-based Boulevard Coffee Ale, a distinct strong ale blending heavenly Ethiopian Sidamo coffee with dark-grain roasted barleymalts and oats-dried rye breading.

For dessert, Iceland’s remarkable Olvisholt Lava Smoked Stout proved to be uniquely balanced, plying peat-smoked German rauchbier grit to dark chocolate, roasted coffee and fudgy molasses illusions. (Full reviews are in Beer Index).

A friendly neighborhood saloon glorified by its long-time rep as a superior craft beer fortress, Max’s admirably preserves Baltimore’s historic boutique-bound maritime post.

www.maxs.com

 

FRISCO TAP & BREWHOUSE (PUSH BREWERY)

BEER PUB

   American Push Brewing Company at Frisco Taphouse

COLUMBIA, MARYLAND

In the light industrial section of Columbia (blocks from Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse and ten miles south of Baltimore), FRISCO TAP & BREWHOUSE rules the roost with its awesome fifty rotating taps, four on-site homemade beers by PUSH AMERICAN BREWING and amazing pub fare. 

A pristine sportsbar atmosphere, conducive to a cocktail lounge, makes Frisco a fine choice for any high-minded beer-drinkin’ jock. At the prominent U-shaped oak bar (where eight TV’s and a blackboard beer list are located) my wife and I grab stools for a lunchtime visit, April ’13.

Along the tan and maroon walls of the high ceiling interior are several canvassed banners representing top-notch craft brewers such as Stone, Troegs, Lagunitas and Southern Tier. Local offerings by Dogfish Head, DuClaw, Evolution, Flying Dog, Old Dominion and Union Craft crowd the current tapped selection while many more fine chocies are available on both tap and in refrigerated bottles.

Before getting to the appealing house beers, we’re struck by the solid food menu. Manhattan Clam Chowder, goat-cheesed Arugula Salad and olive-oiled Hummus (with pine nuts and parsley) are outstanding. Pizza, sandwiches, burritos, fajitas and meat-fish entrees all look appetizing.

As for Push American Brewing, although their beers get hidden beside the fertile selection of local, national and international fare, each one deserves a chance. Weirdly beige-hazed Push 72 & Sunny Spring Wheat brought dry champagne grapes, lemon-candied spritz and clove-coriander spicing to a lime-salted white wheat finish (recalling a German Berliner Weiss).

Sessionable Push Gate Drop Pale Ale layered citric rind bittering atop herbal perfumed hops. A bit bitterer,  Push Hebrew Knievel Red I2PA brightened its red and pink grapefruit juicing with spiced peach-pear-apple illusions.

Before completing my meal, I get a pint of Push/ Heavy Seas collaboration, Thick As Thieves Porter. Its roasted dark chocolate entry and soy-milked coffee bittering allowed ancillary cola nut, toffee, molasses, vanilla, blackberry and cookie dough illusions to prosper.       

www.friscogrille.com

THREE WISE MONKS

BEER PUB

    

GARFIELD, NEW JERSEY

On a corner of Outwater Lane in the industrial town of Garfield, New Jersey, lies rustic red-bricked beer haven, THREE WISE MONKS. Formerly an ‘old man bar’ with the snarky slogan ‘warm beers/ lousy food,’ the cozy saloon has gained the attention of local minions and seasoned conniosseurs alike since its March 2012 soft opening and May 18th Grand Opening a few months hence.

A family-run operation, Three Wise Monks recently acquired a new chef who will expand the food menu to include chicken and steak lollipops, shishkabob, and tacos to go alongside chicken quesadillas, Dubbel chicken wings, Monked Up Burger, plus the hummus and fish ‘n chip platters I enjoyed during my initial April ’13 visit. Brian and Adrianna Iarossi, two of the sibling proprietors, tend bar at the 4 PM opening as several regulars get greeted warmly and I imbibe a few previously untried brews. Some lucky person’s having a birthday party in the backroom (which contains a big screen TV, stone hearth and dartboard).

My friend Fred and I get comfortable at the 14-seat oak bar in the front, where 14 tap handles, 2 TV’s and several liquor shelves are situated. Near the cash register are several unused tap handles from various worthy microbrewers. Several monk figurines crowd the top shelves alongside colorful bottles of hard-to-find micros. Four 4-ounce samplers are available for those wanting to discover new suds.

As I speak with Brian, he breaks out an eight-year aged JW Lees Harvest Ale matured in sherry cask. The limited edition barleywine brought sugar-caned red cherry ripeness and candy apple-glazed red wining to syrupy molasses, caramel and butterscotch sweetness, proving to be a fine whiskey-malted slow sipper.

While Fred works on easygoing white-peppered, yellow-fruited, fungi yeast-soured Unibroue La Fin Du Mond, I break into lovely dark-spiced, dried fruited, floral wood-toned Speakeasy Betrayal Imperial Red.  

First up this weekday afternoon, Vicaris Winter (10 degrees) proves to be quite exhilirating. Its syrupy orange-bruised black cherry fruiting waves in and out of chocolate-caramel malts and toasted hop bittering. Before heading into the sunset, we share sessionable dry-hopped Smuttynose Paradox Short Batch #21, an experimental hop varietal with bright lemony grapefruit rind bittering leading the way.

The following Monday I revisit Three Wise Monks around 5 PM and Brian’s the sole bartender. Several beer aficionados begin to gather as we then share a few previously untried libations. Perhaps the best, Belgium’s Ichtegem Grand Cru, a Flanders Red Ale matured in oak barrels, layered Spanish Madeira wining atop sour raspberry vinaigrette, bubbly champagne, green grape, green apple and berry illusions.

Another fine offering, Boulder’s A Honey Of A Saison brought honeyed spices to lemony grape tartness with a sweet whiskey back. Dry lemon-seeded Captain Lawrence IPA worked lemon-seeded grapefruit rind souring into its rye-breaded spine. 

Bettering Leinenkugel’s cloying Summer Shandy by far, Samuel Adams Curious Traveler Shandy tasted like a Margarita with its lime-salted lemonade sugaring and Mead-like honey backdrop.

Three Wise Monks is a friendly family affair extending their love for craft beer to anyone sojourning the northern Jersey area. And the hand-picked bottled selection may be just as ambitious as the ever-changing tapped offerings. Talk about a convivial neighborhood joint where everybody knows your name. 

Following several more trips to friendly rustic dive, tried yummy fried pita with roasted pepper and garlic hummus dips alongside easygoing citric-hopped Victory Dirt Wolf Imperial IPA during January ’14 stead. Comfort food menu proved worthy. 

www.threewisemonks.com

 

PROLETARIAT

BEER PUB

Proletariat, New York  

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Just down the street from Hop Devil Grill in Manhattan’s East Village, diminutive dive bar, PROLETARIAT, boasts ‘rare, new and unusual beer’ as its prophetic slogan. An inconspicuous St. Mark’s Place hangout for crazed craft beer enthusiasts, Proletariat opened May 2012 to excited local fanfare.
 
A narrow joint with an elongated left side bar and one front windowed table, the rustic black-bricked interior walls (with bright paint-chipped clusters) resembles a ’50s ice cream parlor with its low-to-the-ground swivel stools, white-tiled ceiling and right-walled picture frame regalia. Four tap fountains contain twelve rotating draught handles and several hard-to-find beer bottles adorn the shelves.
 
On my initial April ’13 visit, Beverage Director Cory Bonfiglio efficiently tends bar as a packed house enjoys a well-rounded choice of beers going from light pilsner to rich mocha stout. As cool underground rock plays in the background, I dip into Louisville’s Against The Grain Hacksaaz Chuggin’ Pils, a dry-hopped rye-grained light body with orange-oiled herbal notions. Next, Long Island City’s Rockaway ESB upped the citric rye influence of the former pils for an upscale pale ale-like refresher given an English-styled earthen fungi musk.
 
As it starts to pour outside, several nearby customers decide to chow down on the limited, but fine, pub fare (such as Toasted Pretzels, Brined Potato Wedges, Grilled Cheese, Beer-Braised Brat and Reuben Burger). I reach for sessionable Manhattan-based Radiant Pig Jr. IPA, an easygoing charmer with lighter India Pale Ale-related stylistic illusions. Its polite piney grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and minor juniper snip contrasted tangy peach, mango, passionfruit, pineapple and melon tropicalia.
 
For a closer, lenten amber lager, Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier, proved how well German rauchbiers strike a chord with rangy palates. Its beechwood-smoked parlance, sweet cedar chipping and Band-aid wafted astringency pleasurably seeped into the tongue.
 
True to the free-spirited underground punk scene that once thrived on St. Mark’s Place, Proletariat offers an intriguing melange of super suds.
 
 

 

DAVE’S BAR & GRILL

BEER PUB

  

WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND
 
Inside an inconspicuous one-storey red brick edifice across from TF Green Airport on busy Post Road, DAVE’S BAR & GRILL competes favorably with nearby neighborhood joints, Shannon View Inn and Track 84. An affable beer-centric sportsbar, Dave’s is geared towards the local Blue Collar working crowd with its fine pub fare, multiple draught taps and casual atmosphere.
 
On St. Patrick’s Day ’13, my wife and I grab a table next to the sheet metal-based, granite-topped rectangular bar and grab a robust cornbeef and cabbage sandwich. Multiple TV’s regale the entire space while New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Red Sox and Celtics paraphernalia line the busy walls. A billiards table in the front and several centered booths are packed to the hilt with patrons dressed to the hilt with green Irish clothing, fake tattoos, face paint and top hats. While the large back bar features 60 craft, international and macro brew taps, the front side smaller bar contains a few more taps and TV’s.   
 
I settle into local Massachusetts libation, Pretty Things American Darling Pale Lager, a stylishly complex medium body crowding zesty lemon peel bittering next to dark floral perfumed hops and mineral-grained herbal notions.
 
A few weeks later, we reconvene late at night to try the sales-priced bottled version of Harpoon UFO Pumpkin Ale while watching Major League Baseball’s opening day showcase squaring off the Houston Astros with the Texas Rangers. Several craft brew enthusiasts imbibe Mayflower IPA, Narragansett Summer Ale and Newport Storm Hurricane Amber (indigenous New England offerings). We take advantage of the free popcorn before heading out.
 
Ate fish and chips plus Greek pizza during dinner time stopover, June ’13, trying sessionable ESB-like Red Hook Audible Ale (with its peated malt earthiness and honeyed lemon tea likeness) for first time.
 
Those looking to sample a few brews should check out the 5-ounce servings of any four draughts for a reasonable price.

SHANNON VIEW INN

BEER PUB

Shannon View Inn - Warwick, RI

WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND

Across TF Green Airport at a grayish Old Victorian edifice in the sprawling southern Rhode Island city of Warwick, SHANNON VIEW INN may be the best local party spot with its bustling sportsbar atmophere, capacious rectangular main bar, large outdoor patio and affordable pub menu (featuring ‘Create Your Own Burgers’). A fine craft beer establishment in the tradition of a loud Irish pub, a blackboard at the back door lists all the currently available tapped libations for the growing number of Warwick beer enthusiasts.

When my wife and I first pass Shannon View on the way to settling in at nearby Holiday Inn Express, there are four police cars with cherries flaring directing traffic to the widely attended St. Patty’s Day party (ad is at top right).  Lasting long into Sunday evening, we join the ceremonies just after six for a few twilight elixirs.

Loaded with celebratory St. Patty’s Day regalia, several outside booths and a large tent have been set up in the parking lot for greater access to food, brews and merchandise. Cool cover band, Those Guys, entertain the friendly local minions and everyone sings along to renditions of Bon Jovi’s cheesy anthem, “Living On A Prayer,” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s timeless ode, “Sweet Home Alabama.” For the occasion, they also break out a few traditional Irish tunes as we stand on one of the many picnic tables brought into the tent so everyone could avoid the unseasonably cold weather.

I get to try local Pawtucket offering, Foolproof Raincloud Porter, while enjoying the oncoming nightfall. Its murky black coffee-roasted smoked chocolate entry and dryest black licorice spell match the cloudy dark skies that’ve come upon us.

Besides the great local, national and international brew selection (Murphy’s Irish Stout is always available), Shannon’s Sunday brunch, 32-ounce Bloody Mary and Mimosa pitches and 5-ounce beer flights are recommended.

www.shannonviewinn.com

 

JULIAN’S RESTAURANT

BEER PUB

I Totally Lost Control at Julian's in Providence, RI | Dirtybeerguy.     

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

In the Federal Hill section just west of downtown Providence lies cozy cafe-styled neighborhood bar, JULIAN’S RESTAURANT, one of the most amazingly eclectic cocktail and food joints any hipster collegiate or beer geek could imagine. Its fabulous all-around vibe starts with its trendy New York-styled art gallery intimacy, creative menu offerings and ever-changing Belgo-American-dominated tapped-bottled selections. Perfect for a hearty brunch (Eggs Benedict and enormous French Toast are recommended) as well as dinner, dessert and homemade ice cream, Julian’s gets packed quickly.

 

Inside a historic red brick building on Broadway (listed in the National Register), its right side red-lettered EAT sign, glass-windowed frontage, maroon awning and 10-cent pony ride greet lucky patrons through the black door. In springtime, a few tables get set up for outside dining.

 

Established in 1994, Julian’s was an early morning breakfast hotspot before its passionate management decided to also become a respected craft beer bar around 2007. Julian’s Double Decker Omnibus (pictured above) is an entirely mobile restaurant used for special events and a traveling smoker makes catering easy for backyard barbecues.

 

Upon entering, Julian’s tight space features several dining tables and an open kitchen behind the 10-stool bar. Much of the colorful decor, such as the big Reagan’s Opium banner and Impressionist art, get credited to Nate Nadeau, a local artist friend. The admirable world cuisine retains a casual country comfort perfect for family-style dining.

On the Monday after St. Patty’s Day ’13, I stop by and grab a seat next to the tap stand for an eye-opener at 11 AM. Available to curious connoisseurs this day are several great Belgian brews, two of which have their own separate mounts (Huyghe’s Delirium Tremens and Van Steenberge’s Gulden Draak) and a few more equally impressive libations (Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux, Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Red, Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic and Dilewyns Vicaris Winter Ale).

Several local Northeast favorites such as Sixpoint 3Bean Stout, Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter and Grey Sail Leaning Chimney Porter sit alongside Britain’s JW Lees Harvest Ale 2011 and Michigan’s Founders All Day IPA. A cooler full of hard-to-find brews is stationed at the front of the bar.

I settle for a delightful newfangled Pawtucket-based dark ale, Bucket Brewery’s Thirteenth Original Maple Stout (with its dark chocolate and black coffee overtones given maple-sugared sinew and dried cocoa powdering). But alas, I’m curious to hit Warwick’s Track 84 (closed on St. Patty’s Day) before making the trip back to Jersey ahead of nightfall.

Within two weeks, I’m back at Julian’s for April Fool’s Day. And they’ve pulled off a great prank. As I walk in, all the tap heads have Bud, Coors and Miller handles. I’m shocked until the waitress tells me it’s a joke. I settle in with a delicious fruit-hopped Goose Island Imperial IPA, salmon poached egg and Monster French Toast (shared with my wife). The brunch time college crowd fills the place up by 11 AM and most of the local students settle into Bloody Marys instead of beers.

During October ’13, took wife and youngest kids to this increasingly popular Providence pub for tasty front-porch 9 AM breakfast. I settle for the excellent Du Buccaneer Omelet (smoked salmon, red onion and capers) while the family splits Jedi Mind Trick Omelet (baby spinach, mushroom, red onions, Swiss cheese) and powder-sugared pancakes.

A small breeze hangs in the autumn air as I quaff a few tremendous and contrasting one-off brews. Exquisite collaborative affair, 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter, drapes honeyed chocolate malts atop calendula-flowered jasmine and syrupy maple. Wonderful red zinfandel-aged Hofstetten Zymatore Granitebock layered its red-wined sweetness with buttery Chardonnay and cherry-soured oaken vanilla.

Beer enthusiasts should look forward to Julian’s exquisite Beer Pairing Dinners in warmer months.

RATTLE N HUM

BEER PUB
 
 
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
 
Reminiscent of a roadhouse-styled Irish sports pub, RATTLE N HUM opened for business, July 2008, and quickly became one of New York City’s premier beer-centric bars. A narrow wood-paneled, black-walled dive at a 33rd Street boutique spot with flashy banners, painted brewery insignias, strewn tap handles and other beer-related paraphernalia, Rattle N Hum is the brainchild of respected beer impresario (and original owner) Patrick Donagher. A bright green, yellow and red sign boasting Rattle N Hum New York City welcomes thirsty patrons at the wooden entrance.
 
Finally getting to visit this highly regarded beer haven for Happy Hour (11 AM to 7 PM weekdays) on a slushy Thursday afternoon in March ’13, I was thoroughly impressed with the magnitude of passion and commitment towards developing craft beer appreciation. Daringly parading the nifty slogan “No Crap Beer On Tap,” this relished hotspot features 40 draughts, 2 hand-pulled casks and 120-plus bottled selections. On the back of the beer menu is a thorough event listing and worthwhile ‘how to taste beer’ section. Flights of four 4-ounce beers for $10 allow customers to sample new brews they might not otherwise experience.
 
Sitting across the right side 15-seat bar (with four TV’s and large chalkboard listing tapped selections), my wife and I settle into the largest booth before the place gets really crowded. Several businessmen grab the front benches while a few couples sit at the rear and side community tables. Behind our heads along the wall are several hand-painted beer insignias promoting Founders, Speakeasy, Lagunitas, Boulder and BrewDog. On the rear wall, a map of the United States contains several flags denoting where today’s current tapped beers originated.
 
As Etta James’ eternal lovestruck ballad “At Last” plays in the background, I dive into two previously untried libations (Singlecut Billy Full Stack IPA and Bronx Black Pale Ale) while my wife sips Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss (reviews in Beer Index). We split the enormous Taco Tower appetizer and hope to try artisanal cheeses, quesidillas and sandwich wraps at a future date.
 
On top of the nearly religious dedication to well-crafted beers, there’s a certain intimacy prevailing over this big town Beer Mecca. Tourists, beer enthusiasts and NYC’s notorious bridge and tunnel crowd all find a home at Rattle N Hum. Just get there early ’cause it does get filled ’round dinnertime and weekend evenings.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CAPITAL ALEHOUSE – RICHMOND

BEER PUB
 
mike may
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
 
Right along Main Street in downtown Richmond, CAPITAL ALEHOUSE may be the city’s best beer pub. With franchised Virginia locations in Innsbrook, Midlothian, Fredericksburg and Harrisonburg, the statewide chain does a great job promoting a host of exceptional newfangled indigenous brews. 
 
Entering thru the brown wood-paneled front door to a narrow bar space on a snowy February ’13 evening, the crowded public house clearly deserves some credit for expanding the horizon of young beer-centric Virginians. Thirty taps plus two coolers filled with handcrafted beer provide a wide stylistic variety for any and all beer enthusiasts.
 
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, Capital Alehouse not only serves some of the best Virginia-made beers, but also hosts many local musicians in its right side Music Hall. In the main area, several booths oppose the elongated 40-seat walnut bar (which utilizes two ice rails to keep frosty mugs cold). Downstairs, a gameroom with 16 taps and 2 casks keeps sports-minded patrons busy. 
 
I had the Capital Cobb Salad (with big chunks of ham and chicken and a side of bleu cheese) to go alongside five pints of previously untried brews while seated at the front corner of the bar. Cool Blues music played continuously in the background while I conversed with Frank, whose band the Lost Satellites, recently played here. Several people nearby recommended Prince Edward Mussels as well as the specialty burgers and sandwiches.
 
For openers, the moderate-bodied fare, including Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager, Wild Wolf Hunny Blond and Wild Wolf Alpha Pale Ale, proved highly sessionable, if not completely special.
 
Better were the rich bourbon barreled ales, such as the oak-charred, berry-soured, chocolate-fudged Blue Mountain Dark Hollow Imperial Stout and dark-roasted coffee-fronted Williamsburg Alewerks Bourbon Porter (full reviews at Beer Index).