Thoughts on Black Back Pub WB, VT

Wow just wow

 

Man, this really blows!

 

Ugh, I hated to read all of this. Was my favorite stop in town

 

So, I guess this as good as place as any, does anyone know what the hours are? I went over to grab lunch, they were closed, and there were no hours posted outside, nor online.

 

Every day I drove by last week, the sign prominently said 'Open for Lunch'. There is another establishment in town I won't name that is open 'when he feels like it'. The food is good but the thought of getting some rarely crosses our minds... sucks to drive down and find it closed. This is beginning to sound like a death spiral for a pub I loved dearly.

 

Too bad Black Back was my favorite, I like Pig too, so I won't suffer much, quite sure HF will pop up at the other places in town in better volume if BB isn't getting any. Looking for an Oct trip for a few days.

 

First Chester Pizza & southern VT cut-off from HF...now blackback is no longer what it used to be...oh the humanity [/hyperbole] Life will go on...but it is a damn shame...Blackback was my favorite of the fab four waterbury watering holes.

 

Sad to hear this. I did think the pours were a bit short already in the first place, and didn't always get the best service from the bartender. But it was still a unique place with some good memories had. I guess this makes the "which bar to visit" conundrum when I pass through Waterbury a bit easier now.

If those HF kegs aren't being sent to BB anymore, we'll take'm down here in Mass. Thanks.

 

I was there at the end of July and I think they had Edward and Everett on, whereas The Reservoir had about 7 or 8 different HF beers. I noticed bubbles clinging to the sides of the HF stem glass from my Edward, and clean glassware for the others that my friends had. Didn't get any food, but then, I didn't like the food when I went in previous years either. I didn't consider any of the pours to be short. I also noticed that it was the least crowded (by far) of the three. The Res was my favorite of the three bars this past year. Good selection and atmosphere without the crowd at Pro Pig.

 

my understanding is that black back was always shaun's personal favorite bar in the waterbury area hence the exceptional hf offerings. maybe he just didn't hit it off with the new owner or care for the direction they're taking it in.

 

I stopped going to BB a couple years ago after every time I'd order something I would get pours from dirty lines or a glass of yeast slurry.

 

Food at this other place must be served right out of the dumpster then.

 

Is it possible HF's expansion has hurt the Blackbacks supply? The Whetstone in Brattleboro says it has slowed a bit.

 

Their website seems down. The places recent BA reviews haven't seem to suffer much.

 

I was there in July 2013 and had a great experience; very nice bartender & great beer selection (beer all tasted fresh too). I was back in Waterbury in May 2014 for the Hill Farmstead tap takeover and could not get in (well, did not want to wait in line). Ironically later that afternoon at the Reservoir I was speaking to a girl who claimed her parents owned it and she was complaining that all of the lines around Waterbury that morning were interfering with her morning jog. I apologized on behalf of all of us for trying to spend all of our money in one little town!

Went back in last week (Aug 2014) and noticed that there were not any HF's except a collaboration. Started with a Sip of Sunshine and the pour was clearly short (but it was delicious!). Then I got a Heady on draft and it tasted old (or the line was dirty)! Hopefully they can work through the kinks.

 

My wife and I appreciate the forum and take to heart every point made. We have only owned The Blackback Pub for 4 months and we acknowledge and own our initial mistakes. We also celebrate our accomplishments, which we believe wholeheartedly will be the foundation for the continued success of The Blackback Pub.

In our quest to move forward we have made numerous behind the scenes improvements such as staff training, newly outfitted professional kitchen, new individually regulated beer lines, Air Conditioning, internet and wifi, new beer coolers, proper beer glasses along with a change of our glass cleaning solution. We have expanded our food menu and brought in a chef who prepares meals using the best local ingredients. We have 22 beers priced $6.00, $7.00 and one at $8.00 which is a 23 oz German beer. You will find that we did throw a coat of paint on the walls, we did make a menu change but the Blackback as you know it is still in tact. We embrace the challenge and continue to strive to make your experience at the Blackback a positive one.

 

Thanks for the response, and it is good to see the focus on improvements and owning some initial mistakes.

Can you elaborate on whether Blackback will have Hill Farmstead in the future?

 

Stopped in for the first time on Saturday and was a bit disappointed by the tap list, but we did not in any way have the negative experiences that others are reporting. The bartender was knowledgeable and very pleasant, the vibe nice and chill, and the place seemed pretty clean. In another locale, and without the high expectations going in, we would have been completely satisfied with the experience. That said, we ended up at the Res for dinner. Our favorite stop of the weekend by far, though we unfortunately did not make it to Blue Stone.

 

Great to see you posting! Please know that we want the Blackback to remain as one of the pillars of the Waterbury beer scene. Can you elaborate or address the concerns that many of us have expressed regarding Hill Farmstead? As others have noted, BB had a reputation for often having the largest selection of Shaun's beers anywhere. Now, none except the colab. Anything you can offer on this? Best...

 

Given how sensitive and selective HF is, there is little upside to answering this question directly on the forum other than to say they'd like more HF taps in the future.