Hops Grillhouse & Brewery

Bless their little beer filled hearts for trying. Hops only offers their five mediocre brews to choose from. The first time I went I got their sampler with their seasonal Lumberjack Oatmeal Stout. Now I know I read the article in BA magazine (vol 2 issue 4, pg 20) about how I need to quit my bitching about how cold a beer is served but honestly does a porter need to be served in a glass that gives my hand frostbite just looking at it? All the beers pretty much tasted the same: light and a watery with minimal flavor but I gave them all a try just for shits and giggles. The food is decent for a reasonable price but damn them for tempting me with those honey glazed croissants. Why can't they make a beer that tastes like one of those?

If McDonald's was going to open a microbrewery it would be just like this place. A whooping 5 beers to choose from. Light, lighter, amber, and a wantabee porter. Oh and the seasonal Honey Bock, which tasted neither like honey or a bock.

Food was decent, but nothing to make you come back since the beer is boring at best.

Seriously this place makes Chili's seem less cookie cutter. I feal sorry for the brewer, because it would steal my sole to brew those beers day after day.

Value: Prices are very good, food prices not surprisingly along the lines of Chili's, Applebee's, TGIF, etc.

I think this is quite possibly the last unreviewed Hops on the planet. That's sad, because it's really a good spot. A real nice atmosphere to the place, though it's starting to get a tad run down with age. The pork chop they served me up, however, was quite possibly the best I've ever had, and the waitress I got, being a fellow University of Florida student (the restaurant is just down the street from campus) was extra friendly.

If beer didn't come into this, I'd give them a near perfect review. Unfortunately, there's a couple problems.

As friendly as the waitress was, she wasn't very helpful with the beers. I asked about one of their lagers, and she said it was a bit heavy for her tastes. Let me say this again: the girl who works in a brewery couldn't handle her beer.

No problem, I sure can, so I ordered a couple rounds. One of the ales smelled exactly like molten copper. Now, to their credit, this DID prove the giant copper pots in the middle of the restaurant aren't just for show....on the other hand, it rendered the beer almost undrinkable.

Even so, the chop almost made up for it, it was so good. A decent restaurant, and one I'll probably come back to sometime.