Roger K.
Yelp
Nine out of ten is always a convincing statistic in marketing. In CRB's case, it applied to the number of beers that we each liked. How did we manage to try so many? We opted to order a Fleet! Surely you've had Flights of beer in the past, and you can get a Flight of 5, 5 oz. samplers here too for $9.50. Or, you can go all in and order the entire Fleet of ten different brews in 5 oz. samplers for $19. And that just seemed like the appropriate thing to do.
We tried a couple IPAs, an oatmeal stout, a golden ale, a pale ale, a maibock, a brown, a Scotch ale, a wheat, and the one that we cared for the least, .... their Cripple Creek Trippel. Yes, some of the others were better than another, and maybe not the best we ever had in a particular style. But they were all very drinkable and went well with the food we ordered.
Ah yes, the food. We had to try the Sweet Potato Tots ($6) while we waited for our main courses. This large basket of tasty nuggets were excellent with whichever beer we were tasting at that moment. They were served very hot and had a crispy shell with a soft interior of flavorful sweet potato. While quite enjoyable by themselves, my wife was longing for some type of dipping sauce. There were a good dozen sauces listed on the menu, but our server never asked us if we wanted to choose any as we placed our order.
My wife ordered the Fish Tacos ($12) - fried cod, lettuce, guacamole, peppadews, scallions, and chipotle aioli on three flour tortillas. Quite tasty and sizeable enough that after the Tots, some of them got to make the ride home.
I decided to try the Beer-Braised Bratwurst ($8), braised in brown ale, grilled, topped with caramelized onions and coleslaw, and served on a toasted Kaiser roll. The Brat was really flavorful. I could have eaten several of those without the roll and accoutrements. In fact, the only complaint I may have had was that placing a split brat on a Kaiser roll is like trying to squeeze a square peg through a round hole. That's why they make hot dog buns. Yes, the Kaiser roll was tasty, but a good toasted roll the shape of the brat would have been even better.
I substituted their Signature Garlic-Pesto Fries as my side for an additional $3. I'm not a real big pesto fan, but when dealt with a light hand, with the right preparation, I can appreciate the blending of the flavors. I thought the pesto was too heavy for my liking in this case. I had no problem with the garlic part however. But I must also note that the fries were only warm by the time my plate was served. I think they would have been more enjoyable if they were served as hot as the Tots had been served. Once those fries totally cooled, I could barely put my fork into them.
It being a Friday, we saw a number of customers ordering a Fish Fry Special. It was a huge piece of haddock served over fries. It actually popped up on Yelp as an offer when I checked in, I just wasn't in the mood for it. It did look inviting though.
This is a nice little place worth stopping at if you are passing through the area. There are a few tables in the bar area and the dining room is located on the other side of the kitchen. I even saw some picnic tables outside. They do not accept American Express.
