78 AMBIANCE 5/5 SERVICE 9/10 SELECTION 10/15 FOOD N/A VALUE 8/10 OVERALL 15/20 after4ever (213) Brier, Washington | June 28, 2012 It’s brand-spanking new and it looks like it walked out of a would-be brewer’s dream. Everything’s custom, everything’s shiny and clean and fresh off the truck, and everything’s nice and welcoming. It’s as close to perfect as an ambitious little brewery can be. The beers are tasty and the people are super nice. Whether it stays a neighborhood brewery or makes a bigger regional splash, the next few years will tell. But either way it’s a great place to stop for a pint when you’re on the island. And who isn’t on the island from time to time?
You head down Sportsman’s Club Road, and you’re already having fun--so far you’re only reading the street signs. It’s past the church and in the new little retail park on the hill. Virtually every space here is leased, so I imagine there’s a nice hustle and bustle during the week. You walk in to a clean, bright, high-ceilinged place with a shiny (literally, shiny) bar back and a few highboys scattered around. The brewroom is functionally a part of the taproom area--you can see brite tanks and conical fermenters a few feet past the bar.
There’s a staircase to a loft upstairs. The loft is like a living room--tables and chairs, overstuffed reading chairs with side tables, flat screen, board games. It’s a great place to relax and hang out with either friends, a book, backgammon, Risk, sports on TV, or all of the above. Just one bathroom downstairs and another up.
The beers rotate fairly regularly, and range from american ales (IPAs, stouts, porters, ambers, pales, etc.) to belgian abbey and farmhouse styles, to a variety of lagers. They tend toward a balanced approach in their recipes, with a few big beasts lurking here and there. They grow some of their own hops, and will start experimenting with special ingredients before long.
I can’t wait to watch this place grow and progress now that they’re ready for people to come through the door. Good people and good beer always deserve recognition. |