Bold Dog Beer Co

It's not much of an assuming building (as if many truly are, even I understand that function should dominate over flowery form), but inside is an intgeresting idea - a new one to me, at the very least: Before heading up the ramp, you give your credit/debit information to the cashier, who gives you a card. This card you use at the various kiosks (rather, wall portions with taps attached, just to give the proper visual) to pay for the pours you provide yourself. Yup, you can pour as much or as little as you want. Not sure why everywhere doesn't charge this way (you don't need the self-serve, just really flexible menus and/or bartenders), especially to cater to the manic tickers amongst us, myself primus inter those particular pares. Up the ramp, you get the main space, across the way from the brewing equipment, which houses the various breweries' kiosk walls and a BBQ joint for some food. The Bold Dog station was right in front of the kitchen on the way in, so I figured I'd land there first. Most of the offerings had been available in cans in my local shops, but a few of them sounded new and interesting. The tripel was solid, if nothing special, and one of the hazies was fine. Accompanying the suds are some board games and whatnot. As much as you serve yourself, you also bus your own tables (something that should be more common, just sayin'). Everything was actually pretty nice as far as atmosphere goes, mostly due to the fact that the space isn't as, well, spacious as one might assume, given the circumstances. It just feels like something of a cozy gaming hall that happens to have some beers a-flowin'. Not much in the way of comment on the staff, though the cashier and attendant (for lack of a better term for the gentleman who showed me how things worked, it being my first visit) were rather genial and helpful. Though I dig the DBY concept and all, I wouldn't really count Bold Dog as one of the destination breweries housed within. They're fine and all, but they need to step things up a bit in order for me to take notice and/or recommend them to anyone.

Bold Dog is an original partner the District Brew Yards brewery collaborative. This place is new and state-of-the-art, stop at the front desk and head up the ramp, inside there's a Bold Dog brewery kiosk to the right with 8 rotating beers, cans to go up front, and some assorted swag in the front also. It really doesn't seem fair to judge a brewery based on a handful of beers at a kiosk, but here we are. The Bold Dog kiosk had a dog motif, a framed portrait of a bulldog in aviator sunglasses, a Chicago flag with wooden dog heads in place of stars, and "Bold Dog" spelled out in all caps.

Their beers were mostly mediocre, dumped out a couple, but that's the beauty of the self-pour concept. The highlight for me was an IPL called Sunday Night Couch Cuddles. I tried 7 of the 8 beers they had: Divinations coffee stout, a DDH IPA, IPL, Weizenbock, Schwarzbier, and a west coast DIPA. Of the 4 breweries at DBY, I was least impressed by Bold Dog.

The self-pour concept for a brewery was kind of impersonal, it left me wanting some kind of interaction with brewery staff. Hopefully they will host events in the future where you can talk to someone from the brewery.