The Bar Towel

A quick update from Bartowel's newest East Coast correspondent. :-) If you like Stillwell, you need to check out their 2nd bar in the North End (The Stillwell Freehouse, on Agricola). It's got a really nice retro pub feel inside, with plenty of booths and other nooks and crannies to settle in for an...

Apparently Barley Days is going to try.

http://www.countylive.ca/premier-ford-e ... he-county/

So this opened today. Passed by after work. Nice open space, high ceilings, three discrete bars. Upstairs is a bit more cozy, pool table and carpet. Didn't check to see what the downstairs space looks like. In line with the rest of the Western Invasion -- friendly, polished service. Kudos for puttin...

Saw the construction hoarding in the PATH with their 'step into a proper pub' slogan today.

In the former Far Niente / Four / Soul of the Vine space.

It's taken over the old Planet Hollywood / Baton Rouge space next to the 'Dome. Chain of sports bars from out west. Probably not high on the list for most BT folks, but a few data points about their draught list: - Of the 40 taps: 18 craft, 6 captive, 16 macro. - Notably, they craft taps aren't all ...

Swung by last night. A few thoughts: - Place was quite busy when I showed up around 7:00 (mostly the post-Jays game rush). - Service was solid and managed to keep up with the crowd. - They had run out of the Four Star, the cask bitter and the Marzen (the Marzen came back later in the evening). - Tri...

So I've visited twice now. A few random thoughts: 1. Two distinct crowds: the expected Financial District after-work crowd during the week (peak obnoxion and long lines on Thursday), and a decidedly younger crowd on Saturdays. 2. Tap list is solid. Will be interesting if they can maintain a good rot...

Must be close to opening -- they were doing staff interviews today when I walked by. From what I could see through the windows: - 1st floor / streetside -- looks like they combined a few smaller spaces together (used to be a newsstand and the UPS Store there) - 2nd floor -- seems more open than the ...

So walked down the Esplanade last night: - fencing in front of the space still has Bier Markt logos everywhere -- something like 'under renos -- reopening Spring 2017' - no Goose Island signage anywhere - the space at the corner of Esplanade & Church (was this the old Fionn MacCool's?) is full o...

Open tonight.

Food is Italian bar snacks -- quite tasty!

Rough tap breakdown right now: 3 "regular", 4 ciders, 1 Cantillon lambic, 5 Oxbow, the rest (13) are Ontario and Quebec (about half are saisons).

Some notes on places I hit on a recent Portland trip: Old Town Pizza & Brewing (226 NW Davis) 6-8 of their own beers on tap. Cool old building with an upstairs loft space. Pizzas were outstanding. Bailey's Taproom (213 SW Broadway) Awesome selection of 25 taps. Some great bottles too. The tap li...

Some notes on downtown Austin beer bars from places I hit on a recent trip: Handlebar (121 E 5th St) 18 taps, as well as a decent bottle selection (mostly tallboys and bombers). Cool vibe: a lively dive bar downstairs, rooftop deck upstairs. Waller Creek Pub House (603 Sabine St) East of the 6th Str...

Funnily enough I was just reading this while out in Portland this week: http://www.westword.com/restaurants/ab-inbevs-craft-brewery-team-fighting-back-against-charges-they-sold-out-8233345 I guess the question is: do you think that these acquired breweries are being 'weaponized' by AB et al? IMO mos...

On Mt Pleasant (where The Longest Yard used to be). Opened last week. Dropped in on my way home from work and was surprised at the tap selection (below). Nice addition to the area -- other than the Granite and the Wallace, this part of town has been a little thin. --- Boshkung North Country GLB Pomp...

Few more quick notes from a recent trip: 1. Beerhaus -- in the new Park development by the T-Mobile Arena. Solid selection of ~20 taps and ~30 bottles. Good representation of local craft as well. Prices were in line with other places on the Strip. Didn't try the food -- it's order at the counter. As...