Saw some anticipation for this place, but nothing since they opened. I checked it out last night. Here’s some initial impressions. Tap list right now is interesting. Everything is on the lower ABV side, almost taking a page from Notch. They have a zwickel lager, a grisette, a Belgian table beer, a hazy pale ale, WC IPA, and hazy IPA. Website tap list is outdated already, lol. All their current beers are collaborations with other local breweries. Fairly unusual selection. I enjoyed the lower abv, as I could have a few full pours and not worry about it. They are getting a lot of flavor for the abv. The grisette was good, nice Belgian spice with some crisp hops. The zwickel was light, but still had some character to it. I also enjoyed the WC IPA. It is only 5.4% which is more in the pale ale range, but the flavor did taste like an IPA. A lot of bitterness, some pine and floral. Reminded me a bit of something from Sierra Nevada, but very fresh tasting and heavier bodied. It’s nice they have a full kitchen, although the options are a bit limited. Mostly some apps and snacks, grilled cheese, and sausages. The bratwurst was legit, nice brioche bun as well. Kim chi fritters were tasty, and so was the Kim chi queso which didn’t taste like Kim chi at all, just your standard queso with black beans. The food definitely has a “we make everything from scratch” vibe, and is a cut above your average bar food. The space has the typical industrial taproom feel. The furnishings and decorations are nice, and I like their glassware. One funny thing is that both my buddy and I tried to go in through the back because the front windows still look frosted over and you can’t tell it’s the taproom from the front. Overall I thought it was a good spot, and it will be interesting to see how their tap list evolves.
I remember reading somewhere that the reason their beers to start were all collabs is because they were still waiting on some piece of brew equipment and couldn't brew onsite yet, so they brewed elsewhere for now. They're an 8 minute walk from my work so I hope to visit soon. But their beer prices posted on the website look higher than I was hoping.
Yeah, I was also a bit disappointed with the price points. Tried all of their hoppy offerings last week when I was in and they were all average to pretty good. Two finished very sweet, think it was the ones brewed with Night Shift and CBC. The IPA brewed with Remnant, Okie Dokie, was the best offering. I only had chowder and some fries (think they were Cheeto dusted) and thought the food was kinda bland overall. I had really high hopes since I’ve lived in Brighton for 7 years and was pumped to have a local brewery. I’ll keep giving them a shot, particularly after they start brewing their own stuff in house. But initial impression was “meh”.
Considering the location, it could be cheaper, but almost everyone around town is slinging 7 and 8 dollar drafts these days. I thought the beers were pretty good to very good. The grisette in particular was really nice. Reminded me of Mystic Table Beer.
I'm excited to check this place out after pestering about when they were going to open these past couple years. They both did some cool stuff when they were at CBC and I'm glad that Jonathan is bringing back wing night at Brato. Once Notch's new place opens up, it'll be fun to get a brewery crawl going through the city. Heck, probably could set up a pretty good one now.
