The Bar Towel

Rob Creighton wrote:

boney wrote:I've also met some teal douche bags as well.

Sounds fashionable

Ha. I hate those jerks with fat thumbs the most.

boney wrote:

Rob Creighton wrote:

boney wrote:I've also met some teal douche bags as well.

Sounds fashionable

Ha. I hate those jerks with fat thumbs the most.

I'm more of a mauve type of guy myself (oblique reference to Withnail and I, actually I still have NO idea what Uncle Monty was going on about there.. but funny as hell movie.)

As of Sunday they had on a Berliner Weiss with peaches and a new batch of Space Invader (all Citra Pale).

kona wrote:As of Sunday they had on a Berliner Weiss with peaches and a new batch of Space Invader (all Citra Pale).

Had the berliner yesterday, and it's a great summer beer.

First time at the brewhouse and I loved it. The lakeside patio may potentially be the best in the city. Taps weren't exotic as I hoped they would be, but there were a couple adventure brews on plus fracture, so that's enough to do me! Asides from that, the core lineup is readily available at the lcbo or many bars in the city.

When they first opened, I liked the beer and the service at the bar, but the table service and the food was awful. I gave it a second try and then swore off ever going there for more than a beer.

This summer I was invited there for dinner twice by clients and chose to go a third time. Basically, they've got their act together. Service was very good and the food was surprisingly good. Well past the freezer-to-fryer crap of the early days.

As for the Harbourfront D-bag crowd, they are a welcome break from my Yonge and Eglinton neighbors.

^ hey can't make assumptions about the Sperry Topsider-wearing folks with the $80,000 diamond Rolexes, because you never know they might be cool people!

Your three-visit experience is the archetypal Toronto story, ie. I don't know how many places like Grand Electric just open up and have ALL their shit together from the word go. Even Bar Hop needed a few tweaks according to devotees (very few tweaks, apparently - some TO places need extensive tweakage and end up pretty gosh darn good, eg. when Ceili Cottage and Bellwoods improved their food menus quite a lot.)

And good ta know Amsterdam's on track! See you in the sun sipping suds by the surf, sucker...

I really like the space (cavernous though it is). I wish they had more one offs or brewpub-only beers on tap on a regular basis, because the core Amsterdam lineup is not that inspiring to me.

The food has gotten better and is now pretty decent. Usually we just order a bunch of the pretzels though which are always fantastic

A wrote:I really like the space (cavernous though it is). I wish they had more one offs or brewpub-only beers on tap on a regular basis, because the core Amsterdam lineup is not that inspiring to me.

The food has gotten better and is now pretty decent. Usually we just order a bunch of the pretzels though which are always fantastic

Do they not normally have a number of one-off or seasonal options? Every time I've gone at least half the taps were non-core things.

But then I tend to go when they're doing a craft release of some sort, so...

squeaky wrote:

A wrote:I really like the space (cavernous though it is). I wish they had more one offs or brewpub-only beers on tap on a regular basis, because the core Amsterdam lineup is not that inspiring to me.

The food has gotten better and is now pretty decent. Usually we just order a bunch of the pretzels though which are always fantastic

Do they not normally have a number of one-off or seasonal options? Every time I've gone at least half the taps were non-core things.

we went yesterday. hostess said they had "everything on tap except Fracture".

we found a seat at 1 of the 3 bars. the place was very busy, as expected.
bartender greets us and I ask "which of the one-offs do you still have on tap?" It's hard to know what's still pouring, since the menu has the "to be poured on" dates. I assumed/hoped that one or two of the one-offs were on tap.

"Nothing," she said. "They all disappear within a day of being tapped." Different from what the hostess told us.
"So what do you have on tap?" my wife asks.
Bartender points to the beer in the middle of the menu. So, downtown brown, 416, Boneshaker and 3 or so others. Incredibly meh list and it's what you'd find at most Amsterdam-tapped bars.
We thanked her and wandered off.

atomeyes wrote:

squeaky wrote:

A wrote:I really like the space (cavernous though it is). I wish they had more one offs or brewpub-only beers on tap on a regular basis, because the core Amsterdam lineup is not that inspiring to me.

The food has gotten better and is now pretty decent. Usually we just order a bunch of the pretzels though which are always fantastic

Do they not normally have a number of one-off or seasonal options? Every time I've gone at least half the taps were non-core things.

we went yesterday. hostess said they had "everything on tap except Fracture".

we found a seat at 1 of the 3 bars. the place was very busy, as expected.
bartender greets us and I ask "which of the one-offs do you still have on tap?" It's hard to know what's still pouring, since the menu has the "to be poured on" dates. I assumed/hoped that one or two of the one-offs were on tap.

"Nothing," she said. "They all disappear within a day of being tapped." Different from what the hostess told us.
"So what do you have on tap?" my wife asks.
Bartender points to the beer in the middle of the menu. So, downtown brown, 416, Boneshaker and 3 or so others. Incredibly meh list and it's what you'd find at most Amsterdam-tapped bars.
We thanked her and wandered off.

I like the brewhouse a lot, but I often get the same response when asking for the seasonals and one-offs. The menu makes them look so abundant (listing upcoming and past beers for the season) and then any hope of trying them is crushed when the waitstaff come around and tell you that there is maybe one one-off left and the rest are just core brands.

I find the best way to try the brewhouse one-offs is actually to use their secret "fourth bar" which, while a little ways away, has the one-offs more frequently than the other three. How do you get to this fourth bar? Just go to Bar Hop. I've had more of the brewhouse one-offs there than at the brewhouse (excluding at events like Tempest Day, which had a great selection!).

atomeyes wrote:

squeaky wrote:

A wrote:I really like the space (cavernous though it is). I wish they had more one offs or brewpub-only beers on tap on a regular basis, because the core Amsterdam lineup is not that inspiring to me.

The food has gotten better and is now pretty decent. Usually we just order a bunch of the pretzels though which are always fantastic

Do they not normally have a number of one-off or seasonal options? Every time I've gone at least half the taps were non-core things.

we went yesterday. hostess said they had "everything on tap except Fracture".

we found a seat at 1 of the 3 bars. the place was very busy, as expected.
bartender greets us and I ask "which of the one-offs do you still have on tap?" It's hard to know what's still pouring, since the menu has the "to be poured on" dates. I assumed/hoped that one or two of the one-offs were on tap.

"Nothing," she said. "They all disappear within a day of being tapped." Different from what the hostess told us.
"So what do you have on tap?" my wife asks.
Bartender points to the beer in the middle of the menu. So, downtown brown, 416, Boneshaker and 3 or so others. Incredibly meh list and it's what you'd find at most Amsterdam-tapped bars.
We thanked her and wandered off.

You have to look behind the glass into the brew house. The chalk board lists which one off are pouring, and knows better than all the wait staff....

I was there on Saturday afternoon around 3pm for my first visit. I was impressed by the space and the food was decent enough - but was very dissapointed by the beer offerings. Only core lineup was available - not one of the "adventure brews" were available. All in all pretty disapointing. If I wanted Big Wheel I could have just gone to Stratengers.

For me the lack of non-core lineup beers is the primary reason for not going there very often despite living a mere 15 minute walk away.

What makes your brewpub special if I can get most of your lineup at the LCBO/TBS and many bars? Or perhaps we're any afterthought and the focus is on the general public instead?

lister wrote:What makes your brewpub special if I can get most of your lineup at the LCBO/TBS and many bars?

I take it the location and patio are what they are mostly selling; I would not call it a real Brew Pub model so much as a Sports Bar, and maybe that pays the obscenely high rent.