Brewer's Fork

 

 

 

 

Vibe: Hipster-rustic, a theme hopefully that's nearly at the end of its term. Worn wood & metal, exposed brick, etc. 1 small TV (turned off while Olympics were on), eclectic music. Ho hum, right out of the beer bar playbook. Nobody smiling very much, but many people talking about beer and trying to show what experts they are.

Quality: Pizza and beer tasted fine, though both of very small size. Trillium IPA was 10 oz (short-poured at 8 oz) for $10, 6 inch or so sausage pizza was $15. Don't come here expecting value.

Service: Really not shocked any more, but service at self proclaimed high end beer-centered places is generally lousy. This place is no exception. Not much in the way of pleasantries, smiles, or timeliness. Staff acts like they are doing you a favor here.

Selection: Well curated selection of local/regional and national beers. High prices.

I guess I really can't blame this place for what it is - a by-product of the modern uppity beergeek culture. If that's your thing, then by all means visit. But really this place isn't for me.

This place is a couple blocks off the Freedom Trail in Charlestown. If you are a beer loving tourist, I highly recommend making the small detour to visit this place.

Once you find this place, you'll note the rustic look from the exposed brick walls and wood ceiling. In the back corner is a wood burning oven for the pizza made from scratch. I had one and recognized the whole mozzarella and fresh dough they use. There's outdoor seating and the overall vibe is easy going and casual. Looking out of the front windows is a nice city park.

The service is attentive but not fawning. There are 30 beers on tap and none of them are macro. I was able to find nearly ten beers I hadn't had before. (With 4,000+ reviews, that is becoming increasingly difficult to do, particularly in Boston).

I can tell this has become a popular local choice. I would go so far as to to see it as Charlestown version of Lord Hobo. Worth a visit, perhaps many.

 

Cool place with a lot of hard to find beers. Went here for brunch and it was nice and heavy food....perfect for a hangover . I meant to steal some glassware, so I will need to come back again with a big bag

 

 

Really good vibe from this place and the pizzas were amazing. Excellent rotating beer selection. Only down side was the price. Beers ranging from $7.50 - 12 on draft. Other than that, I would live at this place.

I live in Charlestown, and this place is exactly what the neighborhood has been waiting for. They took a run down dry cleaners and completely transformed it into a cool dining space with a large bar and a mix of booths, tables, and communal high tops complete with subtle lighting and exposed wood and brick everywhere. We arrived at 5PM on a Saturday, and were lucky that we did. Within 15 minutes there were people clamoring to get in, so get here early! The bar was full, so we opted for the communal high top with swivel stools.

The first thing we went to was the beer list, which was an all-star list of locals (Trillium, Jack's Abby), craft (Lost Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin, Alpine), and rare euros (Alvinne, De Dolle, Cuvee Des Jacobins). All in all, it is a very well manicured tap list, well balanced with various styles represented. The beer list does a great job at describing the beers, and the tap list is also listed on the blackboard behind the bar. The highlight for me had to be the Trillium Night and Day, a coffee stout that was out of this world and was of course tapped by the end of the night. It is important to note that the Brewer's Fork will be only one of like 4 bars to carry Trillium on tap in the city.

The vibe is fun, and while they have two tv's on the wall behind the bar, they were turned off which I liked. Not sure how they will be used in the future. Didn't get a chance to fully check out the bar as it was packed and 2-3 deep through out the night. Hopefully they will stay busy, just not mobbed as people get a chance to check out the latest hotspot in town.

The food was all brick oven created. They serve about 8 different types of personal pizzas. Since we were a large group, we had 3 and loved them all. Boston is a pretty serious pizza city, so the 5/5 rating does not come lightly. Starting with the dough, which was pretty spectacular, the cheese is amazing, and the toppings are all fresh and delicious. We also had some small plates, which were all very good.

For only being their second night open, the operation seemed to be running smoothly. I live literally down the street, so I am sure that I will be a regular. I am positive that as time goes by, this place will probably get 5's across the board. The only categories I did not give them 5s in was the Selection (I want to see what else comes on tap the next couple of months before I give them the tick up to 5) and the Service; the service was great, our waitress was very friendly and attentive, but she was obviously new to the beer scene and I want to see how they train up their staff as time goes on. I also want the chance to chat with their bartender the next time I'm in.

For now, after seeing what they accomplished with the space, the food, and what they are striving for with their beer selection, I can safely say that I will put it out there as being on par with Lord Hobo and the Publick House as Boston's top alehouse.