I hate to say that sometimes it may be the company you keep on a suds seeking trip that makes-or-breaks a visit to a beer destination.
Having just been to Portland, without any beergeeks I might add, I was left scratching my head after visiting Belmont Station.
Eleven of us descended on Portland this past week and on Saturday ten of the guys bought tickets to the "Barfly Bus Mystery Bar Tour" of the city to visit a "variety of bars, clubs, lounges, and [their] favorite - dives!"
Uh... no thanks!
I must explain that I don’t get out too much anymore. Not out of my house and definitely not out of my city of Victoria, B.C. I’ve become a family man. And I’m alright with that. But I’m not going to let some amateurs show me the sad underbelly of a famed beer town on a frat-style bus experience in a city I haven’t re-visited in 20 years.
Due to the upstanding members of RateBeer, I have "better" plans for my night and I recruited one of my friends, Brennan, as my wingman.
The two of us first headed to The Horse Brass - a decent little neighbourhood pub with some nice history, old English decor and an okay kitchen. Traveling north up a nearby street we arrived at Belmont Station: famed east, west and all over North America. We entered through the bottle shop and took a quick peek around. "They have 1,000 unique beers here?" said my friend. "Supposedly."
The bottle shop had some interesting stuff but nothing *I had to get* so we moved into the bar. There was a party of five people at one of the tables snacking on nachos and having a good time, two regulars on their stools at the bar, and two at a small table up front. Nobody was obnoxious and it was largely subdued --- except for the bar’s server who was visually having a bad night. I don’t know what got to her prior to our arrival but she was obviously pissed about the world or life in general and it radiated outwards.
I took a look at the drinks menu and asked her a few questions only to receive curt responses. I had hoped to have brought my friend Brennan to a beer mecca that he’d be raving about to the remaining crew... but I was now wondering if he was wishing he’d booked on the bus tour. This was place was something "sad".
There was little ambiance both visually and socially.
As I mentioned in my review, I very much would like to come back with a beergeek and give this place another go as I suspect I found it on an “off night” with a server who’d reached her limit… but man, was it ever off. I truly felt bad for my friend as he was hoping to live something on par with what our ten mates were enduring on the bus --- and I think he’d have preferred being with the gang as they were sending us pics of the two bachelorette parties traveling with them --- instead of the stinky tour I’d pulled together: The Horse Brass, Belmont Station and Cascade brewing. The saving grace was Sassy’s which was fun, visually appealing and they had a decent enough tap list to keep us both happy. |
The moral of the story, choose a friend who can appreciate that  |
I really don’t think it matters who I’d been with... Belmont wasn’t anything stellar. |
I’m glad you entered a place review though, that’s much appreciated. The owners and staff are much more likely to read that (and make changes?) than just a forum post.
I enjoyed it, but it’s been a few years... |
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Sorry to hear that Todd. I find Belmont a tickers heaven, may not always have really good beer but definitely has a great choice. As to the bartender, she is always like that. If you have been there a few times she is pretty easy to navigate.
Also Belmont shines with interesting tap take overs and events, if you were there for neither there are usually better places to sit and hang out like Beer Mongers or Apex. |
That sucks Todd. I enjoyed Belmont Station, but I was with Ferris, so it never really matters where we go, we always seem to have fun. I think that certain things like ambiance and quality of service can be forgiven when spirits are high, but on the flip side, can be amplified when you already are struggling to create a fun vibe. Not defending Belmont here at all-- you definitely are entitled to your opinion, and it certainly sounds justified. I agree with Ferris that it’s too bad you missed Apex, I think it’s a better place to sit all night and try a ton of stuff, and with a larger bar area and communal seating area, it probably would have been easier to meet some friendly locals. |
Oddly enough, Horse Brass was terrible for me, I’d never return, it was filthy to boot, but I loved Belmont Station |
When I went to Belmont Station the selection and layout was horrible and the staff were crap. The shelves were horribly stocked. It was like they opened a case and randomly put all 12 bottles in random locations. Barely has 300 different beers in stock. Sorely disappointed. The tasting room side was fine.
Love Brassneck. Reminded me of a nice city pub. Great Scotch eggs. |
