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4
Beer Reviews from
diane catanzaro
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| Average
Rating |
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Good
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Good
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Awesome!
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| Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Establishment:
B.A. Brewmeister, Virginia Beach, VA
B.A. Brewmeister has been closed for some time now. It has not re-opened elsewhere. The owners now own St. George's Brewing in Hampton, Virginia, which is a microbrewery (not a brewpub). They make a porter, pale ale, and golden ale which are very nice and available in the region at various bars and retail outlets. |
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(01/17/2003) |
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| Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Good
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So So
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Awesome!
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Establishment:
Bier Garden, Portsmouth, VA
The beer selection is unmatched anywhere in the region for quality and quantity. It is truly stupendous. The number of draft Belgians/European beers is greater than I've seen anywhere except in Europe. Ditto for the bottled selection...second only to what I have seen at the Brickskeller in DC. Hard to find stuff, too. The service is, to put it kindly, European. By this I mean that it can a take 5 minutes to get the server to visit your table, then another 5 minutes to get a beer menu. Then another 5-10 minutes for the server to return for your order. Then they are out of the bottle you decided on (choose several backups in case they are out of the one you select....they do not have everything on the beer menu....). Then 5 minutes for the server to return. Then it takes a solid 10 minutes for your beer to come. And this is not only when it is busy. I love this place, but you could die of thirst!! So my advice is when you first get there, walk to the bar (or send representatives) to order your first round. The draft selection is on a chalkboard in the barroom. And/or grab a beer menu lying around. This will get you started, then you can ponder the second round while enjoying a nice Belgian or German ale. Important: order your second round while you still have a half glass of your first round left. Otherwise, you may get parched between rounds. This is a lovely family-run place. They could probably sell twice as much beer with faster service, but it is run at a more leisurely....like I said, European style-pace. The Bier Garden is a great, great place for beer. In nicer weather the outdoor patio is wonderful. Definitely worth a trip from almost anywhere! |
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(01/17/2003) |
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| Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Establishment:
Tap House Brewery, Virginia Beach, VA
The Taphouse in VA Beach is closed. The Taphouse Grill in Ghent, located in Norfolk, is still going strong. |
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(04/09/2000) |
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| Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
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Great
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Great
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Good
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Great
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Great
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Establishment:
Taphouse at Ghent, Norfolk, VA
The Taphouse in Ghent has best draft micro selection in Norfolk and the region (with exception of Hilltop Brewing in VA Beach, which has a great beer selection). The selection of great micros is not as extensive as most of us beer nuts would like, but as I said it is one of the two best in the region. While offerings change, they typically have on draft Tupper's Hop Pocket, something from Dominion Brewing, Paulaner Hefe-Weiss, Rock Creek Porter, Legend Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Patowmack Cask Conditioned Ale, something from Brooklyn Brewing (like the chocolate stout), something from Harpoon (rotating the IPA, Octoberfest, and Winter Warmer seasonally), Guiness on the nitrogen pump, etc. They also have what I consider less adventuresome offerings, such as Abita Purple Haze, Rolling Rock, and Nathan's Blond. The bottled selection is small, but they have some good items like Aventinus, Delerium Tremens, etc. The outdoor patio is a big plus in nice weather. This is a small unpretentious place, but well regarded among locals. The dining room is non-smoking, the bar room has a smoking section. The atmosphere is somewhat funky and casual. The bathrooms may scare your mom. There is a smoky pool room in the back. There is often live music after 10 pm on Saturday nights, which can make meaningful conversation difficult. The food is very reasonably priced, and includes pizzas, falafel, quesadilla, nachos, a pasta of the day, and several vegetarian and vegan offerings. The Taphouse is a short walk from various shops, antiques galleries, other restaurants, the Naro Theater, etc. in the Ghent section. |
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(04/09/2000) |
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