Being in the media has its advantages. Case in point: getting to check out the menu and beers at SanTan Brewing Company in Chandler. For this event, SanTan wanted to highlight beer pairings and the normal menu without any specials, but also showed off the backroom where the brewing is actually done. Unlike other breweries I’ve been to, we were encouraged to bring a beer along for the tour, and that beer was the StrataBlaster IPA, part of the brewery’s pilot series and a great place to start.

SanTan founder Anthony Canecchia (a Four Peaks “defector”) stands between the tanks that started it all for SanTan, which were acquired from the DuClaw Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. SanTan just celebrated its 10th anniversary, making it seem a bit old in the world of craft brewing, but the DuClaw tanks show that craft and micro brewing have been around long before the recent trend.

The MoonJuice IPA was paired with a salad, so whatever on that. But the IPA was tasty, being brewed not with the more well-known Cascade or Bavarian hops, but with Galaxy and Nelson-Sauvin hops originating from Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You could say it’s out of this world, but considering how grounded (in a good way) the IPA tasted, I’ll just say it’s from the other end of the world.

The HefeWeizen was paired with the Pesto Chicken Pizza. And while the pizza is not exactly unvegan-friendly – featuring mushrooms and spinach, I could appreciate the core of the pie – namely the crust and pesto sauce. I’m also not generally a hefe fan, but the Arizona heat seems to be pushing me in that direction. Despite looking the contrary, SanTan’s hefe is not filtered, but the cloudiness simply settles out in the brewing process, leaving a crisp, if not overly exciting hefe. Full disclosure, I haven’t had an exciting hefe in a very long time.

The Devil’s Ale is probably the best-known of SanTan’s beers, if for no other reason than the fact that the Arizona State Sun Devils make their home not far from Chandler and have pretty much adopted the beer as their own. It’s a very drinkable American Pale Ale and pairs so well with the carnitas enchiladas that I got to thinking they should rebrand it as Cerveza del Diablo to start getting it into all the local Mexican restaurants.

Ah, the Winter Warmer. It’s a beer that probably has no place in the Phoenix area due to the lack of a concept of winter, yet just felt right at SanTan. It was borne out of necessity due to the Great Hop Shortage of 2008, which was actually a thing, but has become a favorite of local SanTan drinkers, drawing a line annually when it taps. Like any good winter warmer, the beer evolves as it warms, leaving you with a very different final few sips than the first few – in a good way. The winter warmer is always served with the house made ginger snap cookies that some people like to throw into their beers for an added touch. But not me, I was perfectly happy to switch off between bites and sips, enjoying every last drop and morsel.

If you want to be the second (because we were the first) to try out the 2017 Winter Warmer, SanTan is hosting a vertical tasting on November 15th, giving you the chance to go back in time to 2014, 2015 and 2016 and taste the difference that a few seasons of winter warmers can make.

Or, you could show up on November 20th for the official tapping, but then you’d be the third group to try out the 2017 Winter Warmer and while getting the bronze medal might still get you on the Olympics Podium, you’ll always know you could have done better.

Just like last fall, Los Angeles Magazine decided the world needed Burgers, Bourbon + Beer and thus brought some purveyors of these delicious “B” digestibles to the Victorian in Santa Monica to determine who could win the Burger Battle. Many of the players from the previous edition had changed, and those who hadn’t changed up their burgers anyway, so I dove headfirst into the burgers, with a quick can of beer from Golden Road to lubricate my senses. Highlights below!

Kuawa Crunch – Pono Kitchen + Bar

Special beef, special cheddar, spicy guava rum sauce and potato chips (plus the unnecessary lettuce and cole slaw) made the Kuawa Crunch a fantastic burger. It might have even stood a chance as the best burger of the night if it hadn’t been for the lettuce and slaw.

Citizen Burger – Citizen Beverly Hills

Citizen’s take on the cili cheese burger included pimento cheese and pickled cabbage on a brioche bun. Unfortunately, some hidden mustard derailed this burger’s chances, but I will say that pimento cheese on a burger was a great decision and one I hope other burgers will follow.

The Basement Tavern Burger – The Basement Tavern

I can’t help but wonder how much better this burger would have been if it were still warm, as the wagyu beef, candied bacon, brie and garlic sherry aioli all worked well, especially when I took the onions off. Alas, I will never know…

The Cannibal Burger – The Cannibal Beer & Butcher

My big winner was this burger, which was made from 60 day dry aged beef, stilton bleu cheese and harissa mayo. Simple, satisfying and perfectly executed.

I also want to give a shout out to the burger from Erven, which is Vegan. It uses a Beyond Burger Patty, fake cheese and some veggies that I had no interest in. As of now it doesn’t compare to a real beef burger, but I am glad to live in a world that is working to make meat substitutes that actually taste like meat. Perhaps one day I could even swap out a burger for something like the Beyond Burger on occasion and not feel like I’m missing out on too much. Some day…

Until then, that wraps up another Burgers, Bourbon + Beer!

The great thing about this whole Unvegan Hero/Unvegan Villain thing is that there are so many opportunities to praise Detroit/Michigan athletes and knock down their rivals. But when I found out a little something about Jeff Francoer, I knew I had to give a rival his due.

Francoeur plays for the Kansas City Royals, who happen to be in the same division as my Detroit Tigers. But while we are division rivals, the Royals haven’t been relevant in as long as I can remember. Plus, KC is home to some of the best BBQ in the world, so it gets a few points there. Anyway, this is more about Francoeur, who has brought unvegan delights into baseball in a most interesting way.

It began last year, when visiting Oakland, that “Francoeur tossed a ball wrapped in a $100 bill into the elevated bleacher seats above his outfield spot, instructing fans to use it to buy bacon or beer,” according to the Washington Post. This day became known as bacon Tuesday.

This year he gave the section their own personal pizzas (hopefully without veggies). Veggies or no, these gestures have made Francoeur a popular man in Oakland, despite the fact that he comes from the opposing team.

As for me, if he were playing against my team, I would have a hard time choosing between bacon and a W. I guess I would just hope that losing a game wouldn’t stop Francoeur from making baseball a much more fun and delicious game to watch.

So for your staunch support of bacon, pizza and beer, Jeff Francoeur, you are a true Unvegan Hero!

(via The Washington Post and @dvdheyman)

First off, no, there is no such thing as unlimited libation at Golden Road Brewing. But I just couldn’t resist making the painfully obvious Grateful Dead reference. Especially because there was nothing at all Grateful Dead about the brewery. As one of the few microbreweries in LA, Golden Road resides in a sketchy part of Glendale and is kind of personifies a blend of collar and hipster, at least in decor and architecture. The food menu tries to bridge that gap as well, but leans heavier on the latter than the former, with a frightening number of vegan menu items and a couple of sandwiches to scare any blue collar visitors back to the smelting plant.

Yet, despite the scary parts of the menu, I was excited to try out the brewery. I started with a glass of “Either Side of the Hill,” an amber beer (methinks) that tasted pretty nice. To go with the beer, my dining companion had ordered one of their giant Bavarian-style pretzels, which came with spicy Dijon mustard. For an extra buck, I added pimento cheese dip to the mix. On the menu, the pretzel was listed as vegan. I had previously thought that all pretzels were vegan until I was reminded of lard, and as soon as I realized that, the pretzel went downhill in my mind. Rather than a complaint, though, this is a testament to the fact that I didn’t realize anything was missing until I was told. Nonetheless, while lard would have improved the pretzel, it was also over salted and a bit dry (perhaps due to the lard). The pimento dip really came through, though, and made the pretzel pretty awesome.

We followed up the pretzel by splitting two sandwiches. The first was the Sloppy Joseph, made with stout-braised beef short ribs, fried shallots and house made BBQ sauce. Like I said…not exactly your blue collar sandwich, but certainly fit for an unvegan. In truth, they probably could have called this the Joseph or simply their BBQ Short Rib sandwich, as there was nothing sloppy about this sandwich. Yet, it made up for the misnomer by being delicious. The meat was tender and juicy, while the fried shallots added a bit of crunch to the sandwich without any intrusive flavor. I was quite happy with it and looked forward to our second sandwich.

But the excitement soon faded. We had ordered the Duck Confit sandwich, which was said to come with cranberry orange compote and herbed goat cheese, but Golden Road had decided to destroy this unvegan delight by stuffing two salads worth of lettuce in the roll. It made for a really uncomfortable situation that killed about five minutes of my life as I removed all unwanted visitors from my sandwich. By the time I was done, I really hoped this sandwich was worth it. Sadly, it was not. The duck had been pounded and rolled into an texture-less blob of meat that made Taco Bell ground beef feel like a filet mignon. There was flavor in there, but really not enough to justify the $12 price tag.

So while the menu was not ideal, I do hold out hope that Golden Road can see the light or at least light the way for more microbreweries to come. Their hipster-blue collar blend came together well with the Sloppy Joseph, but that and pretzel don’t make a menu worth returning for. Especially with all the terrible vegan dishes. I like what they are going for with beer and wish them the best with food, but if I go back it will be for a drink and not an eat.

Ever walk into a “pizza parlor” that actually functions as more of a full-on Italian restaurant? Or how about a “Japanese place” that only serves sushi? We are constantly being misled into restaurants that either offer a lot more than expected or a lot less. And then there is Hinano Cafe in Venice, which only a crackhead would consider to be a cafe. You see, Hinano is pretty much the definition of a dive bar. Sawdust coats the floor, there are maybe five real tables and the two guys behind the bar take turns dishing out beer or flipping burgers on the lone griddle in the middle of the bar.

We arrived about five minutes before the end of happy hour and walked up to the bar to order. Since the bar was called Hinano, it only seemed right to order Hinano Beer, which comes from Tahiti. I’m not sure whether the bar is named for the beer, vice-versa or if it is just a happy coincidence, but perhaps it is best to leave such questions in the realm of the chicken or the egg. As my buddy and I tried to order our beers, we were quickly met with a bad attitude as the bartender yelled, “Just tell me what kind of beers you want.” We were under the impression that we had been telling him what beers we wanted, but apparently this wasn’t the case. We repeated our orders and when he came back it was time to order food.

Food at Hinano, by the way, consists of anything that can be easily made on a griddle. And I mean easy, as they don’t even dive into the realm of teriyaki chicken. But I was here for one thing only – a burger. Hinano kind of has a reputation for their burgers, which are not only cheap, but supposedly damn good. Their cheeseburgers run the same price as regular hamburgers and anything can have bacon, hot links or chili added for an additional charge. They can also be stacked into a double for the same price as adding bacon. They usually come with smorgasbord of toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions, but I wanted none of these. I ordered myself a double cheeseburger with bacon, plain. In no time, my burger and a bag of chips were brought out to me. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they don’t have a deep fryer, so Hinano is a no-French fry zone. Instead, every burger comes with Fritos, Doritos or Lay’s. And you don’t seem to get a choice of chips, as my friend requested Lay’s and wound up with a bag of Fritos.

But back to my burger.

It was sitting on a paper tray basking in its own beauty, which I suddenly realized a pickle was getting way frisky with my bun. By the time I arrived on the scene, he bun had been impregnated with the juices of the pickle and a huge chunk could not be salvaged. Damn you, pickle!

With partial bun removal behind me, I went to work on the burger, which was quite good. It was plenty juicy, what remained of the bun held its own and the American cheese had been melted to perfection. The bacon was at a fast food thickness and probably not worth the upgrade price, but still a nice addition. Sometimes nothing can quite beat a simple bacon cheeseburger prepared on a griddle in the middle of a dive bar. Yet, while I enjoyed the burger, I couldn’t help but think that similar burgers exist in diners across the country. I know I’ve had my fair share of burgers like this one, but it’s probably the setting and the price that makes people fall in love with their burgers and brings them back for more, moreso than the burgers themselves.

For my part, I thought that while the dive atmosphere was great, I’ve had better, less pretentious service at places like Father’s Office, which thrives on an air of superiority (although the Hinano burger definitely tastes better). If you need a change of pace, by all means, Hinano is going to give you that, but as you eat your burger you might want to ask yourself whether you like the burger or just like the idea of eating a simple burger in a dive setting. If this were truly a cafe, I just don’t think the burger would taste so good.

Two of the things I love most in this world are beer and my belly. No, I don’t have a beer belly…much, but when a gastropub in Koreatown called Beer Belly opened up, I figured I had to try it out. I was meeting a group of people, and arrived to find the place packed. And this was not a big place. Like about 8 tables and a few bar stools big, and all of them were loaded. Plus, it was first come, first served, so we got to hang around the tables like vultures surrounding a wounded gazelle. It was the tail end of happy hour, though, so I ordered a beer and hoped a table would clear out soon. Fast forward thirty minutes and we’re still waiting when a woman working the place asks if we’re waiting for a table. Uh, no, lady, we’re just standing here awkwardly for the hell of it. She then proceeded to ask us if we wanted to be on the list. This “list” was new to us, and apparently also new to her, as she told us she had just started it. Well, at least we wouldn’t have to stand awkwardly any longer.

About 20 minutes later, we were finally seated and got right down to ordering food. The menu looked nothing short of spectacular, so we decided to order a bunch of things to ensure everyone could get a good taste for the place. By the time we were done, we felt like we had ordered the entire menu, then we waited for our food. But the waiting game wasn’t hard, for a few reasons. The first reason was that Beer Belly had set up a sweet jukebox for the 21st century. By that I mean you could download the Remote app for your iPhone, log into their wireless network and choose songs from their list to play over their speakers. It was genius in that customers set the tone of the restaurant, but the tone can’t be too terrible because Beer Belly chooses the songs to make available in the first place. Of course, this assumes Beer Belly chooses good songs in the first place, and they did.

The waiting game also wasn’t hard because just a few minutes after ordering, our first order came through – Buttermilk Fried Chicken. These were certainly a delight and came with a roasted fennel aioli for dipping. The combination was great, and the seasonings on the chicken were spot-on. The only minor gripe I had was that some of the chicken had been left frying a bit too long and were a bit burnt. Fortunately, though, the chicken remained moist and the seasonings outweighed the taste of burning.

Next up were the Duck Fat Fries, which we upgraded to DeathbyDuck (Duck Confit) for an additional 2 bucks. These were an amazing choice and quite possibly some of the best fries I’ve ever had. I mean it. While they were doused in duck fat, they tasted light and were perfectly crispy on the outside. They came with a raspberry mustard sauce, which managed to meld perfectly with the fries. The confit was a nice addition, but a bit to minute to merit the $2 upgrade, especially because the fries alone were so unveganly awesome. Had I stopped at the fries, I would have left perfectly happy, but more goodness was yet to come.

And by more goodness I mean the Beer Belly Grilled Cheese. Those of the lactose intolerance beware…this double-decker stack of grilled cheeses was loaded with cheddar, asiago, gruyere, goat cheese, applewood bacon and then lightly drizzled with maple syrup. I don’t know how they did it, but I’m pretty sure Beer Belly perfected the grilled cheese sandwich. Of course, white bread with Kraft singles will always have a place in my heart, but this grilled cheese will always have a place in my belly. It sounds like too much cheese, which I have actually experienced before, but Beer Belly managed to apply the most perfect balance of ingredients that a grilled cheese has ever seen. And just when you think it might be getting too salty, a smack of maple syrup brings you back up for air – and another bite!

The final major dish I experienced was the Pork Belly Chips. What were they? Exactly what they sound like: thin strips of pork belly that have been breaded and fried to a near-crisp. They were served with a forgettable dipping sauce, but fortunately someone had ordered the Grilled Broccoli, which was served with homemade Mondo Cream Ale cheese whiz. It was the first time in my life I’d ever been thankful for broccoli, because the pork belly chips tasted like little slices of pig heaven when dipped in that cheese whiz.

I also tried a bite of the Pub House Mac n’ Cheese, which was a pretty big disappointment. While the cheese and mac themselves were good, they paled in comparison to the grilled cheese. And even worse, the mac was loaded with carrots, onions and peas. These have no place in a mac and cheese, and certainly no place in my mouth. It tried to redeem itself with a slice of short rib on top, but failed.

So Beer Belly was awesome. Yes, despite the wait and despite a couple of under-performing dishes, Beer Belly truly shined. But do I need to go back? Yes, I really do. If I’m in the area again, I will certainly return to Beer Belly, but I could also see myself making the trek on a random evening that calls for amazing fries and grilled cheese. Those alone are worth it, and the other dishes aren’t too shabby either.

In my continuing quest to find the perfect beer for every occasion, I happened Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve. Further research has taught me that Henry Weinhard’s has a history even older than my beloved Leinenkugel’s. I also learned that the beer is affectionately called Henry’s (as though you could call a beer anything not affectionate). Described as a Classic Northwest Lager on the label, I hoped the Private Reserve would be good for the situation I was in – namely, I wanted good beer, but I was pretty full for dinner. I had no desire for a Coors Light-esque beer, but don’t get me wrong, I know the Silver Bullet has its place. At $9.99 for a twelve pack, Henry’s was definitely worth a try.

When I popped the first bottle open and took a sip, I found a pretty tasty beer. It was definitely a light-tasting lager, with a nice, crisp hint of bitterness. Although I have no actual connection to the Northwest, specifically the state of Oregon that Henry’s comes from, I found myself really connecting with Private Reserve. It was a little too heavy for me to pick up any sort of drunk off of the beer, but I could definitely kick back on a rainy day, watch a classic film and drink these guys into oblivion.

Two summers ago, I went to Bridge’s Bar in Lake Nebagamon after years of drinking dirt cheap pitchers of Leinenkugel’s there. But upon arrival, I found that the Leinie’s was missing. It was just about the scariest moment of my life. As I wallowed in sorrow, a friend brought a pitcher of beer to me excitedly. “They have Spotted Cow,” he proclaimed. I was unswayed, but he poured me a glass and I drank it because it sounded better than the Bud Light that was also on tap. My disappointment disappeared and I vowed never to return to Wisconsin again without drinking some Spotted Cow.

Anyone from Wisconsin knows Spotted Cow. Born in the small New Glarus Brewing Co., the beer only leaves Wisconsin if a lucky traveler smuggles it out. This makes Spotted Cow even more prized than my precious Leinie’s.

But why is Spotted Cow so amazing? According to the website, “Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise. Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you’re in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow.”

Just reading that makes me wish I was back in Wisconsin right now, sipping on some Spotted Cow. Some beers are seasonal and some beers are situational, but Spotted cow is the type of beer I could pop open any day of the week and any time of the year and be happy. There’s a hint of sweetness that sets it apart from any bitter beers, but it is subtle and does not distract from it’s classic beery taste. It also has a bit of a creamy texture to it that is not often found in a beer. A plain ale, minus any flavor, might as well feel like carbonated water when it hits the mouth, but Spotted Cow lets your taste buds and your sense of touch know that something special is happening inside your mouth.

Plus, I can picture myself eating anything with this beer. Sure, I’ve only really tested it on pizza fries, cheese curds, burgers and bratwurst, but a beer like this can only enhance a meal, not harm it.

So although I was saddened at the loss of Leinie’s at Bridge’s, things weren’t all bad. I doubt Spotted Cow will ever fully replace Honey Weiss as my favorite beer, but it does a damn good job of trying.

Well, someone finally beat me to the punch. Ever since I moved to the west side of LA, I’ve thought that downtown Culver City has needed a real bar. Kay ‘n Dave’s and Rush Street are good places, but they are first and foremost restaurants. Finally, the guys behind Rush Street have pumped out City Tavern (in the location that formerly housed the Meltdown grilled cheese joint) and I don’t think I could have done it better myself. I arrived a solid 45 minutes before my friends, which gave me a chance to put our name on the list for a table and to sample the beers they were purveying.

Not only does City Tavern offer a generous variety of beers on tap, they also give you multiple drinking options. The first is called a taste, which is served in a bitty glass. The second is a glass, which is served in whichever glass is appropriate for the beer you ordered. The third, final, and greatest is their “share” size. The bartender called it a growler and although it may pass for a growler in these parts of the world, where I come from it is called a 32 oz. old fashioned milk bottle. But whatever the name is, this was certainly the best deal. In addition to these, they also offer flights of beers to sample, but for some reason my mind was set on the “share.” Being alone, I ordered a “share” of Old Numbskull for myself. This 11% alcohol barleywine began to do a number on my state of mind by the time I drained the first third of it. By the time I was nearly finished, the gang showed up and we could finally be seated.

We sat at one of their normal tables, as opposed to their special tap tables which have 3 beers on tap at the tables than can be controlled via computer. A pretty cool concept, but not necessary on this night. At this point, just about everything on the menu looked delicious, but I was in need of some burger. There were two on the menu. One of which, called the CT Burger ($10), was said to come with thousand island and seemed pretty plain. The Brew Burger ($11), on the other hand, mixed things up a bit by coming with pub cheese, a pretzel bun and onion rings. I asked our waiter if these were the only things inside those buns, and he went on to tell me that apparently the menu left some important things out. In fact, it left out all the veggies. So unvegans beware: the CT Burger has lettuce, tomato and onion, while the Brew Burger has spinach. Good thing I asked! After all that, I went with the Brew Burger, ordered it medium and continued drinking.

Upon arrival, I found two suspicious-looking pickles hiding out next to my burger. Upon close inspection, I found there was no pickle juice and said pickles had only made contact with a small portion of pub cheese. This cheese was now dead to me, but at least the majority of the burger was safe. The “onion rings” turned out to be one simple ring placed atop the bun. I pulled this thing off and rapidly devoured it in a rage. Was it good? I don’t know. But I do know you shouldn’t pluralize something on a menu when you only plan on serving a singular.

At last, I dug my way into the burger. Pub cheese began to drip down my face, but I was unfazed. I found the pretzel bun to be a quite welcoming burger conduit. It was nice and moist, while adding a hint of saltiness. The pub cheese was like a creamy, smoky cheese kick and acted more as a sauce than as a cheese. This was fine by me, and certainly more efficient than having both a sauce and a cheese. Finally, there was the burger itself. This thing had some great flavor and was nice and juicy. Yet, despite these compliments, the burger was overcooked. I know you may chide me for ordering medium, but medium should should always be pink inside. This was not the case at City Tavern, where medium meant brown all the way through. It was good, but this overcooking made it fall just a bit short (but it was still much better than burgers at Rush Street).

This did not, however, get in the way of my enjoyment of the burger. No, in fact I destroyed the thing like a Longfin Eel devouring a deer carcass. And in the end I celebrated with a “share” of Citizen California Common beer, except this time I actually had some friends to share with.

So finally, after more than three years in LA, downtown Culver City has a true bar. Although there are a few spots they could improve upon, I can definitely see myself ending up at City Tavern on a regular basis.

The Federal Bar in North Hollywood just opened last month and it wasn’t a moment too soon. North Hollywood has desperately needed some bar variety, because you can only go to Big Wangs and Pitfire Pizza so often. Plus, The Federal Bar is not simply a bar, it is a gastropub featuring a tasty-looking menu just waiting for an unvegan visit. The visit came on St. Patrick’s Day, when my coworkers and I were in dire need of a beer and didn’t want to wait in line anywhere. We were amazed to find The Federal Bar had a surplus of seats available and sat down to see what it was all about.

I started with a Grand Teton Sweetgrass beer from their tap for five bucks, then checked out the food. The key to any gastropub in LA is a good burger, and if it wasn’t good, The Federal Bar would quickly vanish from my meal plans and simply be a place to drink, like Father’s Office. Their signature burger was creatively named Federal and came with aged cheddar, romaine, balsamic onion and garlic chips. The price was definitely in a good range, plus it came with chips or salad. I ordered mine cooked medium, without the romaine or onion, then asked if I could upgrade the chips to their House Fries, which were made with herbs, parmesan and garlic ($4). The waitress said yes, so I got ready for some burger and fries.

By the time our meals arrived, I was ready for another brew and this time I chose the Nibble Bit Tabby, because it was an Irish Red Ale and I felt I should pay some sort of homage to the people of St. Patty’s Day. Then I got down to burger business. The first thing I noticed was the lack of fries. Accompanying my burger were some waffle chips instead. These had a decent flavor, but a rather erratic range of saltiness and were sort of glorified air. Yet, they were definitely a step up from your average gastropub burgers that don’t have any side, so I couldn’t complain too much. Dan asked about my fries, and the waitress quickly brought them, so my meal was truly ready to eat.

I bit into the burger and found something pretty good. The bun was light, sturdy and toasted to a crisp, making it a perfect burger conduit. The aged cheddar was delicious, although a bit more cheese wouldn’t have hurt. The garlic chips were a nice little twist, and since I always feel like there’s no such thing as too much garlic, they were a welcome addition to my burger. Finally, the meat itself had a hearty thick grind, which was sadly somewhat ruined by an overcooking. The burger was brown all the way through, and although this meant I wouldn’t be getting worms, it also meant I wouldn’t be getting the full flavor and juiciness that the burger had to offer. But even so, the burger was not dry enough to require ketchup for lubrication.

As for the Nibble Bit Tabby, when it arrived it was certainly not what I expected. Looking and tasting more like a stout than an Irish Red Ale, I asked the waitress if it was the right beer. She was new and very confused, and assured me that she had hit the correct button on the computer. Concerned, she asked if I didn’t like it. Fortunately, it was a pretty good stout and I had no reason to return it other than confusion.

Finally, the fries were a delicious addition to the meal. These things definitely went for quality over quantity, because while they tasted good, they weren’t too plentiful. I wondered if this was a result of them being an upgrade from my chips, rather than a full side, but that is a mystery that won’t be solved until next time I head to The Federal Bar. When the bill came, I saw that the fries weren’t on it. And for the record, the Nibble Bit Tabby was also listed, so if it was actually the wrong beer, at least the waitress wasn’t to blame.

So in the end, I had a good beer-filled lunch at The Federal Bar. While I did enjoy each aspect of the place, I found that I liked the idea of the place more so than my actual experience. Nonetheless, it was definitely good enough to bring me back and the price and location are really hard to beat.