The owners have taken over a historical location, the Peerless Mill Inn, and given it new life. The exposed beams and what seem to be original stone floor added to the ambiance of an old pub. Actually, I'm quite certain a lot of the fixtures were original. It was a bit dark in there but that's okay. Do you need to see what you're drinking? They have a nice large space and other rooms to accommodate over spill on busy nights.
There are a couple TV's at the bar and what John deemed to be "good music" playing unobtrusively in the background. At 3:00 pm on a Saturday, we were served right away but in the hour plus that we were there, a rotation of about 20 patrons passed through.
Since it was our first time, we wanted to try everything. The barkeep (owner? brewer? either way - he was very knowledgeable and friendly) went over all their offerings and poured us two flights. They currently have seven varieties on tap to enjoy in the taproom or take in growlers to go.
Not in the order of the photo above, we tried: Blonde, Hefeweizen, Irish Red, IPA, Winter Warmer, Oatmeal Stout and Milk Stout.
All the beers were clean and drinkable but there were some definite standouts. The Blonde was a good, lighter beer with crisp flavors. The Hefeweizen was a favorite of John's (I liked it too) and would be very nice in the spring and heading into summer. I was really impressed by the Irish Red. I like Irish style brews all right but often forget about them. This Red had a little something extra going on that I really dug. John liked it better than Great Lakes' Irish (but you did not hear that from me).
The IPA, of course, was my least favorite but John declared it decent. The Winter Warmer was a bit of a disappointment for me. Too hoppy and not wintry enough. It reminded us of Revolution's Fistmas which I hated. I'm sure hop lovers think this one is just fine. Although, we were told that one was on its way out and nearly tapped.
Not surprisingly, the Oatmeal and Milk Stouts were the winners for me. The Oatmeal had a smooth richness to it and was everything I hope for in an oatmeal stout. The Milk Stout offered up a creamy sweetness that I always love. In fact, I had a pint of that after the tasting. What? I wasn't the driver.
Tastings were $1.50/each and the pints were between $4-$5 each. Not bad at all. They don't serve food but we were given pretzels, which I appreciated. You can order from any number of local restaurants and they'll deliver as well, or you're free to bring in your own snacks too.
We are so glad we ventured out to this joint and will definitely return. We can't wait to bring fellow beer lovers who might visit us to try it out for themselves. It's also one of the closest breweries to our house. We like proximity. If you're in the area, or even if you're not, check this place out. It's worth a pint of your time.
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