The Bar Towel

My one experience was pretty good. We made a reservation so there was no wait, the beer was great and the food was quite good. No complaints.

Blankboy wrote: My one experience was pretty good. We made a reservation so there was no wait, the beer was great and the food was quite good. No complaints.

+1. Also hit up the retail store on Sunday and was quite impressed with the selection and hours (11-11 everyday including holidays). Grabbed a mixed sixer of Fracture and Boneshaker (~$14) and a bomber of Goedenavond and left a happy man.

groulxsome wrote:The overall beer selection was still showing the place's newness. The Kuyt table beer was not on, neither was the smoked porter. See the below list. Without those two it was just standard Amsterdam adventure stuff, without the extras of a brewbup. Some of these are really great, but I was hoping for a few new brands given the grandeur of the whole place.

one comment regarding that: the very first brew at the pub was just 10 days ago (on the 29th), so they haven't had a chance to build up that typical "brewpub rarities" type lineup yet. it'll come with time, and sooner rather than later.

my server was nice enough to point out that not everything listed on the big menu was on tap (more of a rotating list) and explained which were/weren't on. Iain has been brewing everything at the production facility on top of the usual insanity of starting up a brewpub. fun times!

grub wrote:

groulxsome wrote:The overall beer selection was still showing the place's newness. The Kuyt table beer was not on, neither was the smoked porter. See the below list. Without those two it was just standard Amsterdam adventure stuff, without the extras of a brewbup. Some of these are really great, but I was hoping for a few new brands given the grandeur of the whole place.

one comment regarding that: the very first brew at the pub was just 10 days ago (on the 29th), so they haven't had a chance to build up that typical "brewpub rarities" type lineup yet. it'll come with time, and sooner rather than later.

my server was nice enough to point out that not everything listed on the big menu was on tap (more of a rotating list) and explained which were/weren't on. Iain has been brewing everything at the production facility on top of the usual insanity of starting up a brewpub. fun times!

Oh, sure. I didn't mean it as a complaint, it is to be expected with the "newness" and because they have so many already established brands (which are great). Because of that it's a little different experence than the typical first trip to a brewpub, where there are often lots of new things because that's all they do.

My server was also very good about explaining what was on and what was not. Again, I had originally intended to give them a month or so to work out the kinks, but circumstances pulled me in sooner! Overall, excepting the wait, it was great and I can see how its going to be really great in the fall and into next summer.

groulxsome wrote:Oh, sure. I didn't mean it as a complaint, it is to be expected with the "newness" and because they have so many already established brands (which are great). Because of that it's a little different experence than the typical first trip to a brewpub, where there are often lots of new things because that's all they do.

yep, i'm sure most folks expect a brewpub to have lots of unique stuff on right from day 1, so i figured i'd point out the reason. they definitely wanted to do that, but when the delays started to mount they had to just get the doors open with whatever could be made at the production facility. i'm sure it won't take long before Iain has all sorts of tasty stuff for us

grub wrote: i'm sure it won't take long before Iain has all sorts of tasty stuff for us

Restaurant issues aside, the retail store is already proving its worth. Opened the Rye Peppercorn Saison tonight and found it really enjoyable. As I said in my review...

"I'll admit it: I snickered at the thought of a Saison aged in Cabernet Franc barrels. And one brewed with rye and peppercorns to boot? You've got to be kidding me! What were they thinking? Turns out, however, my foot fits nicely into my mouth. It takes a very skilled hand to make this work as well as it did. My hat is tipped to the man responsible for this lovely offering."

Reminds me of a lot of the stuff I tried in Oregon; haven't had many barrel-aged this good from Canadian brewers. This is a really nice offering and, combined with how good the Fracture is drinking, makes me very optimistic about all upcoming offerings.

biegaman wrote:Reminds me of a lot of the stuff I tried in Oregon; haven't had many barrel-aged this good from Canadian brewers. This is a really nice offering and, combined with how good the Fracture is drinking, makes me very optimistic about all upcoming offerings.

Oh I think Americans f--k up lots of beers with their own barrel-aging ineptitude, America Boy. Though I'm glad Oregeon was an impressive experience!

I must give huge credit to Nickel Brook for *both*BA versions of Bolshevik Bastard RIS - the Kentucky Bastard and Winey Bastard (Jack Daniels and Pinot Noir) - each very good examples of expressive barrel flavor that doesn't override and spoil what it rather enhances.

Belgian wrote:I must give huge credit to Nickel Brook for *both*BA versions of Bolshevik Bastard RIS - the Kentucky Bastard and Winey Bastard (Jack Daniels and Pinot Noir) - each very good examples of expressive barrel flavor that doesn't override and spoil what it rather enhances.

Absolutely! You're right. Amsterdam is not the first Ontario brewer to have success with barrels. As well as Nickelbrook, great offerings this year alone from Great Lakes and Bellwoods come immediately to mind. And you're correct also in pointing out that there are undoubtedly a ton of borderline undrinkable hot messes of American barrel-aged beers out there too. It's because of those that, for me, the bloom came off the barrel-aging rose quite quickly. Balance and integration are tough things to manage. Just impressed with the few barrel-aged offerings I've had from Amsterdam lately, wanted to send out some kudos.

went last night.

the good: their pizza isn't bad. it is decent to good.
muskoka chairs facing Toronto Island? yes please!
no wait for a table at 9 PM on a Tuesday night.

the bad:
hostesses seem very lost. unsure if tables are available, generally look lost.
they were out of: Maverick and Gose, DeWallen, cask beer and one other beer.
the music is just...awful. i feel like i'm at a bat mitzvah.
the vibe, which may also be due to the music, is cold and strange. if it wasn't for iain's offerings, there really is no reason for me to go there.
salt - they seem to like salt. when i was there 3 weeks ago, i had the burger and was bloody thirsty for the rest of the day. had the pizza last night and split a bottle of Goedmorgen. woke up so bloody thirsty and feeling almost hung over.

it is tough to find a reason to continue to go back, which is a shame. will be interesting to see what's done come wintertime when tourist #s drop and beergeek #s should increase.

Expensive, mediocre food. Poor atmosphere. Expensive specialty bottles. Poor availability of beer. Never going back.