Amherst Brewing

Arrived in the afternoon on a Friday. The place was quite busy. We got a booth towards the back. The lighting is very muted, so it took a few minutes to get use to the low level. The draft beer list had 12 Amherst beers to chose from. Ordered a flight of 4 beers, ranging in price from $3.25 - 2.25 for a 6 ounce tasting glass. The 3 IPAs were very good, the Pale Ale was OK. We ordered lunch, basic pub fare, but tasty and moderately priced. Amherst is the home of UMASS, and this had the vibe of a college town pub, on a large scale. Definitely worth a visit, and a good place to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a little while since I visited, and I need to go back soon. The selection of beers was quite decent, and they were tasty. Food was very good as well. Vibe was about what you would expect from a college town. Service was fast and friendly and they knew about the beers they were serving. Give them a try if you're in the area. It's a little ways off of I-91, but since you would have to go by Spirit Haus and Trader Joe's, might as well make a day trip of it.

 

This is a review of ABC now (Feb 2016) after it's totally changed from how it was for a couple years (2011 to 2015). I was a big fan of ABC in the original location and was bummed that they moved. It got so bad for a while that I'd given up on it. I honestly only went back to get some wings and watch a game after they merged with the Hangar. But...I was totally surprised and really pleased with how things have turned around. It's definitely worth checking out now, especially if there's a game on and you want a bite. It's a big space but they've changed it into a few individual 'spots' within that big space (main bar, restaurant seating, reserve beer-only tap room, pool/darts room). Good idea, good execution. ABC beer has always been good not great but they've upped their game a little now that they're more focused. The Honey Pilsner is better than it was a couple years ago and some new beers like the Vanilla Bean Porter are welcome additions. Perhaps the best addition, though, is that there are a lot more (good) guest taps on. They've had some good tap takeovers and when I was there this past weekend they still had some EBF kegs kicking around.

Awesome to see things turning around, happy to see that the Hanger has righted the ship with ABC.

 

 

Only giving it this high score because when I went I was given a "Black Wednesday 2015" menu. On it there was KBS, BCBS, Bomb!, Even More Jesus, W00t Stout, Vietnamese Coffee Speedway, Breakfast Exorcism,etc. What a surprise. Also, this place was completely scrapped and rebuilt. It's HUGE now, and has a really great atmosphere. Stop by here

 

 

 

 

Huge place, not laid-out particularly well, friendly staff...beer and food just ok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just moved to area and someone told me about this place. Huge interior with pretty decent beers on draft with some really good guest beers. The place is so big that a 100 people inside looks 1/4 full. Food was ok - bar food. Beer were decent enough that I'd go again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

big ass establishment one and a half miles from umass, where i was presenting at a conference and staying. its a big sprawling venue, long bar 50 yards long and bending, huge pool hall, this is a college bar on first impression, but not a divey one. the quality however, is a step above that, but only one step in my impression. almost 20 brews on, very impressive, with as many house as guest brews, and some rarities at that, with sierra nevada beer camp stuff, and gems from smuttynose and harpoon and all, very cool, especially for a traveler. a great great tap list. bartender too is awesome, local cat back and forth to nyc, good insight, not a beer guy per se, but a dope smoker and a classic. generous as anything with the freebies, and a genuinely fun place to hang for awhile overall. pretty college undergrads abound, but that's not the point here, as sweet as they look, this is about camaraderie. not brutally expensive for what you get, pulled pork chili is bangin, and overall a place worth visiting.

Have been to the old one a couple times, this review is on the new one on University Drive, a great new location

Atmosphere - I think that the new place lost a little bit of the homey feel of the old place. However, it is spacious, very clean and well decorated, beautiful bar and pool area.

Quality - High quality all around

Service - Very good, with a good knowledge of beers and foods

Selection - Mostly German food, not an "all encompassing" selection, but almost all would be able to find something they like

Food - food is always great, I think their German or Pub style food is best.

Value - Awesome Value, good prices on beer and nice meal prices for large portions.

Great place, if visiting Umass or in the area - you must go

I stopped in here on 04AUG12 with older daughter Caitlin after hitting the airshow at Westover. It was fairly easy to find in a mini-stripmall type of setting just out of the busy area of Amherst. Can tell it used to be a gym; not set up as a typical pub.

Through the sizable foyer and past the hostess stand towards the bar. There's a large, bright dining area to the right, fronting the building. The bar is more to the rear, with more dining and pool tables to the left. Save for the front dining area, the rest has low lighting and dark wood; still feels comfy, though. The bar is extensive, running long from front to back along the back right wall. It has one island-U protruding out near the start, then runs about 50' to the back. A nice dark-wooded bar has a well-placed curved front to lean on. There are a few bier towers, and the barback has lots of liquor, mirrors, and bier plaques. More bier posters and pics adorn the other walls as well. A large blackboard lists the current in-house brews as well as the guest offerings. They had about 9-10 ABC biers and another 10 or so guests. And they ran the gamut of styles, too: maibock, hefeweizen, IPA, imperial stout, rye bier... Sweet!

I had some samples of a few, but quaffed the Maibock in quantity. Caitlin had the hefe- and liked it well. Started with a great, big-ass German pretzel, then some wurst and chili for our main meals. Well made and very flavorful! Service was A-1! We were asked if we'd been in before. When replied no, the 'tender laid out the bier option styles and servings available. Didn't suck that she was hot, too!

Well worth the stop! We both lamented the fact that ABC was a bit of a drive from home... Oh well... Prosit!!

4.3/5 rDev +7.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

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