YellowBelly Brewery & Public House

 

This feels like a local hangout. The bar keep even mentioned she was missing many of her regulates due to it being Labor Day weekend. The bar, tables, and chairs have all seen better days. It seems to add to the charm.

The beers, alas, do not live up to the vibe. First, there are only seven or eight of them on tap. Most were drinkable but also unremarkable. Generally, the darker the beer the better.

I didn't try the food but I also didn't see anyone eating anything.

Didn't try the food. Only four beers on. Service warm and friendly - correction - came back and tried the Irish Red - good - and the YellowBelly Burger - amazing!

 

 

 

This place has completely changed over the past year, the burgers in particular are awesome! As well all their beer is brewed on site, Would recommend the Fighting Irish Red Ale! One of my favorite pubs.

They do really nice pairings with their beers. Selection of what they have is great. It's good food and beer. Not necessarily variety, but you're getting something good no matter what you order. Considering they are expanding production, this is going to get even better. Very fair prices. Check out the happy hour. Recommend any day of the week.

 

 

 

 

Great find in a city that doesn't offer much to the beer enthusiast who appreciates quality over wuantity. They have four main beers: an american wheat, stout, pale ale, irish red and a seasonal. They are all excellent interpretations of their respective style. A true gem for the beer geek looking to get back to their roots of great craft breweries. Great service! I asked them what yeast they used and they actually called the brewmaster. They also gave me the brewmasters sheet that they distribute to the staff. It is right on the corner of George street and Water street. Can't wait to come back!

A and I visited here while on our tour of the Atlantic Provinces. We really took a shine to this place. The staff made us feel very welcome especially the bartender, who was attempting to get out of work so he could drive a few hours to a concert with some friends. But even though he was obviously chomping at the bit to leave, we never felt that he was anything but professional. The brews on tap were well done and tasty, my only issue with the place was that they cannot cook your burgers the way you want it, they have to be well-done. I am pretty sure this is a national or provincial law but still, really I can;t have a medium rare burger, I'm a grown up for crying out loud! Anyway enough griping.

If you find your way to St Johns (and you should its a beautiful place) then go to Yellow Belly.

One of the best features of this place is the beautiful historic building in which it's built. From the street you can see in through the windows and check out their brewing tanks and equipment. The architecture is gorgeous and it really blends old and new. But for a restaurant you don't want one of the main attractions to be the architecture!
The food here is good, don't get me wrong (duck and emmental pizza? mmm...) But the prices and portions leave something to be desired. After eating said pizza i went out to George street for a second dinner.
The beers here are the main attraction. The Fighting Irish Amber Ale and the St. John's Stout are particularly good. They are also sold in growlers on the lower level.
Yellow Belly is a must to check out for any beer enthusiast in St. John's, but you're best served to go during the day and sit at the bar rather than go for the full dining out experience.

Well, 2 years after Derek's initial review, I'm pleased to say that the Yellowbelly is still around and appears to be doing well.

I was in St. John's last month and dropped in for a pint, followed by lunch and a round of samplers. The building looks great. I entered and sat at the bottom floor bar. The beer was tasteful and fresh. I later moved to a table and was joined for lunch. Our food was very good but a little on the pricey side. Apparently their menu and food has gotten better since the opening. The full pint of pale and subsequent round of samplers were all decent. None are going to blow you away, but they are good well made representations of the style.

I spoke to a number of my local friends about the brew-house and they all indicated that it gets a solid amount of traffic and that the food is considered above average. You could tell that it had surpassed their expectations - and with good reason. The NF market is not known for being to open to new ideas, and an establishment that serves only house beers (seriously, you can't get a bottle of blue star there), is daring.

If you are in St. John's and looking for fresh, local beer, I would put this at the top of your list. You can buy growlers at the brewpub and I heard (but did not verify) that some of the NSLC's are selling them as well.

Apparently this place was 5 years in the making, beginning with the restoration of a beautiful old building on the corner of George & Water. Our telephone book advertised "Opening July 2006".

Well, it's July 2008 and it's finally open!

They received their occupancy license on July 9, then they finally opened to the public when they received their liquor license in the afternoon of the 10th. I was fortunate to be in town & have dinner on their opening night.

The historic building is beautifully finished and provides all the atmosphere I need.

They currently have 3 of their own brews on-tap, with a few macro's by-the-bottle. Their American Wheat is probably the best I've tried, the Irish Red is spot on, and their Pale Ale is sort of a British-American hybrid in style. Newfoundland doesn't have many craft brews, so this place should be any Advocate's first destination.

The food isn't your typical pub-grub. I had a nice Siccilian flatbread, while my wife had a watermelon salad & portobello burger.

Service was great & I chatted with one of the owners as he happily wondered during opening night. The waitress wasn't entirely familiar with their brews, but it was opening night.

Definitely some of the best beer you'll find on the Rock. I hope this place does well.

Slainte!