True West Brewing Co

Nice having a tap room with a good vibe in the suburbs. This place started with a bang and has never had a chance to get caught up and catch its breath. Some of the good things:
-Like a high school party but with middle aged adults
-Lots of parking (though it gets so busy that sometimes its hard to find a spot)
-Friendly bar tenders, servers and greeters. Everyone seems to find a place to sit or stand, eventually and then all are welcomed. Good attitude by all who work there.
-Characters welcome - the best of suburbia seems to come here. Good conversation and open to mingling with other tables.
-Good variety of beer brewed on premises and bottled from others. Not the greatest quality but plenty good.
-Food is creative and fresh.

Problems:
-Noisy
-Sometimes they run out of certain menu items (I suppose a sign that they are doing good)
-A confusing welcoming experience but eventually you find a seat
-Back room tables feels like the annex - dark and forbidden. Bar area is your best bet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new kid in town, this place has been open about a year. An metal L-shaped bar with a horseshoe for more seating in the crook of the L. Lots of windows in the bar area, a bit dark in the restaurant area. Solid beers in a good variety of styles, although nothing that will blow you away. I recommend the Ruckus IPA. My last visit they also has a double IPA, smoked porter, a red, Belgian trappist, the requisite golden ale, and others. When they first opened it could get loud inside, but they added sound-calming ceiling panels. Plenty of parking on the street or in surrounding lots. Food is standard pub fare. Unfortunately the bartenders were a bit uninformed about the beer or what might be in the works. This is a no-no at a brewery. Another deterrent is the price; the beer is good, but not $7.50 a pint good. West Acton isn't Boston. If you are in the area, try it. Not sure it is worth traveling a distance.

 

 

 

Here is a brand new brew pub near downtown Acton that offers house-made beer along with some excellent microbrews. I recommend trying the on-premise stuff as it is interesting and creative.

When I came, it was all of 10 weeks old. There's a full menu (Massachusetts requires food to be served at any location offering alcohol). The bar is oddly shaped in an L-shaped room. There's outdoor seating if the weather cooperates.

The beer is better than most brew pubs. I like that they're working to take some chances. When I was here they had a Belgian Pale Ale, a Cream Ale, a Smoked Porter and a Saison. There regular beers include an IPA, a Brown Ale and a Golden Ale (which was tapped out when I was here).