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Closed. Another one bites the dust. Pretty soon we'll be down to one brew pub in the Capital District. It's a shame.
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Timothy J. O'Connor,
Troy, NY
(09/17/2005) |
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The big house is a great place to find great deals on food and drink at the same time any night of the week. A great unknown about this place is their tuesday special of three dollar dinners (burgers, salads, pizza, chicken dinner, wraps, and weekly speicals) makes it a great trip. The homemade beers are 2 dollars a pint on this night also. Making it a great combo package. Even though the inside can sometimes seem very dark a nice summer night outside makes up for it. Onle problem is the waitresses seem to disapear sometimes.
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James,
Clifton Park, NY
(01/12/2005) |
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A reply for the last gent. Brown's is going to be doing the beer for the Big House. Other than the equipment leaving, there will be little change other than the first floor being expanded into what was the kettle area. It will make more room for the bands at least.
This marriage between Brown’s (nee Troy Brew Pub) might produce a nice synergy, but it will be a wait and see. As for your upcoming soirée, I would not worry. The management there (probably Steve the manager) will take good care of you. There is no intention of closing by no means. If they (the new conglomerate) plan on eliminating certain beers and/or making them “seasonal's,” I will then have a problem, albeit a small one.
One last note – the brewers and owners of both Brown’s and the Big House are the best. They’ve proven themselves over the long haul. It’s not for us on the other side of the bar to make decisions for them. While me thinks they might listen to their customers just a wee bit once and a while, I will continue to patronize their establishments and I wish them all the best. For the Gentleman in Florida, I hope I’m lucky enough to be there the night of your party – I promise to buy a round!
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Timothy J. O'Connor,
Troy, NY
(07/08/2004) |
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Is the big house closing are they remodeling or doing repairs as they take out all of the brewing equiptment? I'm supposed to have my rehearsal dinner there in August, is it worth it?
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL
(07/08/2004) |
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The Big House is no longer brewing their own beer. The equipment is being dismantled this week and is being moved to Hoosick Falls to be merged with equipment from Brown's Brewing Company.
Your going to need a score card for this, but the Tap Room at Brown's (nee Troy Brew Pub) is going to be managed by the folks from the Big House. The Beer you will soon be drinking at the Big House is going to be brewed by Brown's.
This ought to be good . . .
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Timothy J. O'Connor,
Troy, NY
(07/07/2004) |
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This place has changed quite a bit over the years. I am very disappointed in the menu. The beer is still very good and the service outstanding. I met a portly blonde haired bartender who looked to be in his mid forties, nice man. He was very up to speed on his product and very customer friendly. He seemed to know most of them on a first name basis, which gave the place a "cheers" like feeling to it which was nice. He refered to one gentlemen who came in as a "Duche Bag," that seemed kind of odd!!! All and all nice place check it out.
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Ray Rossi,
New Haven, CT
(06/12/2004) |
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This place is a Friday happy-hour staple as they always have a decent band (many times excellent) and for free, along with happy-hour drink prices. By 5:30 the place is filling up and you sometimes have to elbow your way into the bar. The bar staff is on their toes and you rarely have to wait for a beer (good job Steve managing). And if you sit at a table the waitresses are fast and efficient. Oh, the beer. I usually stick with the Cherry Raspberry Wheat - a nice combination and especially nice as a wheat. There is a once-a-year Red on right now that’s a little bland but still drinkable. And their pale rates up there with the best of them, but there are better in the Capital District. You never see the brewers which is my only bitch with the place. It would be nice if they came around once in a while and got some feedback about their beers. Tuesday and Saturday nights there are a dozen or so menu items that are half-price. So if your down to your last few bucks you can still get a decent sandwich and a few beers for under $20! This is a brew-pub with a brew-pub menu (and a good one). Don’t expect Chez-Pierre’s and then complain about it afterwards.
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Timothy J. O'Connor,
Troy, NY
(04/03/2004) |
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My first impression was that this was a dying, down and dirty, beer joint, but it was only a facade caused by the extreme lack of repairs and scrubbing. Actually the food and beer were very good, but in a really gritty setting. The menu is typical pub food, but what I chose was very good, so I would not be reluctant to order anything. They had 9 beers on tap; quite a good array. I tried 6: The Wheat was very strongly berry-flavored but not weizen-like at all; almost like a wine-cooler. The Amber was pleasant and mild, not very exciting; a good beer for with food (like iced tea). The Pale Ale was extra hoppy (the barman said that they had recently decided to kick up the hops in all their beers; I like a lot of hops, but I'm not sure it is a good idea to do it to all beers.) So the PA tasted like an IPA, and was great. The IPA was somewhat over the top: so much hops that it had sort of an aromatic glow; I couldn't taste malt at all, it was overwhelmed. The Stout was sweetish but very smoky; kinda pleasant. The Porter had the body the Stout lacked: good bitterness with the flavor of the really toasted malt coming through without any smoky taste.
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Doug Seeley,
High Bridge, NJ
(03/03/2004) |
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I have been to the Big House before several years ago, and let me tell you this place has changed. The menu completely blows now, and the place is more like a nightclub than a brewery.The beer selection was fantastic though and the service was excellent. I was served by a bartender named Jay who seemed to know his stuff when it came to beer. He said that he had worked there for a while so I would imagine you could catch him if you check this placeout. The one that struck me about Jay is that he was hardly tall enough to look over the bar! kinda wierd but interesting to watch!
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Ron Jacobs,
colonie, NY
(02/24/2004) |
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Lousy
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So So
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Friendly service can't make up for tasteless beer. The jail theme is kind of fun though.
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Ben,
New Haven, CT
(11/20/2003) |
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Good
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So So
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N/A
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So So
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Beer flavor profile is unbalanced:
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JT,
Middletown, NY
(02/24/2003) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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N/A
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Awesome!
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Great
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Dave Barrington,
Guilederland, NY
(02/02/2003) |
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Lousy
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Lousy
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So So
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Lousy
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Lousy
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Albany, NY
(01/02/2003) |
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Awesome!
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The beer is good so is the food, but one thing that struck me was the service. I rate restaurants and pubs for a local magazine in the capital district so I've had my share of servers some better than others. It was early on a Tuesday afternoon and Me and some friends were looking for a quick bite to eat. We decided to give the Big House a try, However when we arrived it looked as though the building was still being set up for business. Unaware that they only opened for dinner some rude lady with a hair cut that looked like she electicuted herself to get it to stand up claimed to be the manager , and that they were closed. Usually I wouldn't mind, but I was really hungry. So after listening to this manager babble for a few minutes, the bartender comes from around the bar and told us he would be more than happy to take care of us. It was like a breath of fresh air had entered the room. Dashing good looks and an amazing sense of humor, the laughs rolled like thunder. It was a magnificent time. I was upset to learn that this bartender was leaving for an unknown amount of time he said"to protect our way of life." I assumed he must be in the service or some kind of humanitarian. All in all service was outstanding Thank you Big House especially your bar staff.
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David Kosic,
Troy, NY
(07/27/2002) |
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I was impressed by the beer and the environment. I have traveled all over the world due to my employment, and I have stopped at many micro breweries. I must tell you besides all of the beer selections the service was outstanding. This bartender that everyone kept referring to as "Lefty" was perhaps one of if not the friendliest and most knowledgeable bartender I had ever met. So if you get the chance to go to downtown Albany, stop in at the Big House and say hi to "Lefty" Im sure you'll enjoy it.
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Mike Fontain,
Wooster, MA
(06/23/2002) |
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If you want to enjoy a beer here, don't try coming in on a Friday or Saturday night. It's too crowded and is more of a club than a brewpub. They can brew. Some beers are great, others so so. Try samples and find one you like.
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Rick Lyke,
Clifton Park, NY
(06/14/2002) |
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This was a weird experience. My wife and I went here at around 8:00 pm on a Saturday...started out on the first floor near the bar and got decent service in a fairly regular feeling brewpub. I had the Pale Ale followed by the IPA. They were good but there was not a big distinction between the two...nice hoppiness on the IPA though. My wife had the Vice Weiss, which was very good. A big variety of styles makes it easy for someone to find a favorite. After we were there for around an hour or so things started to change in the environment, though. College kids started streaming in the doors, drinking the bottled standard swill. Music changed to dance and we were in the middle of an entirely different place! I'd visit this place again, but not on a weekend night! It's a shame the crowd isn't there to appreciate the nicely made house brews...
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steve,
somerset, NJ
(04/29/2002) |
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First, I visited Big House just as it opened for the day. I understand it's often crowded, but I experienced none of that. Second, we did have a problem with our glassware: they evidently weren't rinsed too well, and that screwed up the aroma of the beer quite a bit. When we got fresh glasses, the beers did much better! I really liked the Irish Red, which smelled and tasted like the best Bass Ale I've ever had. Plenty of hop flavor in the Bonnie & Clyde IPA, and a very nice graham-roast malt finish on the Porter. Brewer Drew Schmidt also dug out a sample of porter he's been aging in a Jack Daniel barrel that was quite thick, rich, and delicious, with a huge vanilla nose. Real good Stout with real ale character that walked the line twixt Irish Dry and American export-type. Finally, the barleywine was huge, with tons of head and a lot of hop flavor and not much bitterness, thanks to use of lots of low-alpha hops.
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Lew Bryson,
Newtown, PA
(04/15/2002) |
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...Very interesting most of the reviews for the Big House, are either "Lousy" or "Awesome". Makes one wonder if this place is just inconsistent, or are these raving reviews written by employees of this place...(???)
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Gus,
Stratford, CT
(08/30/2001) |
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So So
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The beer leaves a lot to be desired,except for the alt bier..decent! The food reminded me of a casual sort of ordinary fare.I will check back sometime again to see if it's changed.
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Antimo Possumata,
Schenectady, NY
(10/08/2000) |
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Great
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Great
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I sure have to disagree with the previous review - they make pretty good beer. I especially liked their Alt (clean and balanced) and their Vice Weiss (cloudy, sweet, and clove-y). I also liked the Pale Ale and the IPA but would have liked them better separately as I suffered some style confusion as the pale ale, described as English-styled, struck me more as an American pale ale (or even an IPA) and the IPA seemed more a Best Bitter or slightly light ESB. Overall, quite good, drinkable beers and a good pizza to go with them.
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Brupilgrim (Ralph S Sturgen),
Easthampton, MA
(08/08/2000) |
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Lousy
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N/A
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So So
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IPA tasted like someone dropped mouthwash into it. Wheat beer was absolutely bland.
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Bill,
Boston, MA
(07/11/2000) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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My friends and family threw a surprise 30th birthday party for me in May using the private party room at the Big House. There could not have been a better place! The food was excellent and the service superb. Helen was attentive and energetic while maintaining a very pleasant and friendly manner to everyone. My party was perfect. From what I understand the price was right too. I strongly recommend this place--especially for a private function.
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Tammy,
Albany, NY
(06/08/2000) |
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Food was pretty good. But the service was horrible. The food did not come out all together and the waitress was quite slow.
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James Eliash,
Clifton, NJ
(05/14/2000) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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What a great experience. The Pale Ale and Stout was excellent, as was the food and service.
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Brian,
St. Louis, MO
(03/21/2000) |
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