Happily hopped up
By Douglas P. Clement
From Passport Magazine
In the world of craft-brewed beer, context can be extremely important.
But with a little research, some coaching and a bit of body building for the taste buds, the gospel of the craft-brew, or microbrew, universe will become apparent—that most beers that can be purchased almost anywhere are not beer in the best sense of the word, that the styles of beers and ales, and the flavors, are wonderfully large, and that the best-tasting pint is always fresh, locally-brewed beer.
Once you’ve acquired a taste for strong-flavored beers and ales made by hand with only a few natural ingredients, you’ll never go back, and life will likely change in other ways, too. Trips tend to get planned around locales that are heavenly for devotees of craft-brewed beer—like the Maine Coast—and the word growler (a 64-ounce glass bottle of beer to take home) will become second nature.
It’s at that point in one’s development that a place like Barrington Brewery & Restaurant will begin to make sense in a larger context. Located in a welcoming former barn off Route 7 north of the center of Great Barrington, Mass., the microbrewery pioneered the return of locally-brewed beer in the Berkshires in 1995, picking up where R.T. Pruyn’s Great Barrington Bottling Works left off 100 years earlier in 1895.
The operation was founded by two owners, Gary Happ and Andrew Mankin, who were clearly smitten by all the things that emanate from fresh beer made by hand—a sense of history and connection with the best of the past, the beautiful flavors, the camaraderie, the salutary effect on the local economy and more.
Mr. Happ is the restaurant’s manager, something he does expertly, having operated a restaurant and tavern in Great Barrington from 1977 into the 1980s. Mr. Mankin, meanwhile, the brewing partner in the operation, had been a homebrewer for 12 years before going pro, as they say.
Over its first decade, Barrington Brewery & Restaurant has established itself as the standard-bearer for craft-brewed beer in Western Massachusetts, and, according to its Web site (www.barringtonbrewery.com), it has even accumulated the type of praise that is nonpareil. One visitor from England is reported to have said, "I’ve walked into your establishment, and I feel like I’m home at my local."
It doesn’t get any better than that—both the compliment, and walking on a fine summer evening into one’s local pub, the place where everybody knows your name, the food is simple and hearty, and the beer is warmish, not fizzy and full of complex shadings of flavor.
And that’s really the point of Barrington Brewery & Restaurant. Any staff member would be happy to explain how the actual brewhouse works, delineating the roles of the mash tun/sparge vessel, the brew kettle and the fermentation and conditioning tanks.
It’s a fascinating process, to be sure, but even obsessive microbrewed beer fanatics put it all out of mind and focus on the primary elements that offer pleasure. It begins when you pull open the door, to see an entry and dining area full of welcoming tables and booths.
Veterans might even feel a little tingle of expectation low in their stomachs, knowing that very soon their hands will be wrapped around a pint of IPA that’s as smooth and wonderfully bitter as can be. And the Barrington version of the classic beer—IPA stands for India Pale Ale and its origins are long-ago and fascinating—contains enough bitterness to be satisfying, but not so much as to turn off the less experienced.
The brewpub offers an extra special bitter that’s warm and smooth—ESBs are typically not as bitter as IPAs—and its Black Bear Stout is a creamy manifestation of the form most people know as Guinness, though this homegrown version has a rich roasted flavor that the mass-market Irish model can’t manage in a can or bottle. Hopland Pale Ale is a good choice for those who want the microbrew experience but are still working on their taste buds, and Berkshire Blond Ale is the perfect place for novices to start.
As pleasurable as it can be to slowly sip one pint—and then another—the experience is incomplete without indulging in any of the filling items on the long and diverse menu. Cheddar-ale soup is a standard from the English-pub arena, while the chili kicks the soup-starter option up a notch.
All sorts of smaller dishes that go with fine beer and ale are available, including chicken wings, a mixed sausage sampler and the classic "plowman’s lunch," which consists of dried sausage, brie cheese, chutney and bread.
Those who are not in a health-conscious mood can look to the fried side dishes, which are decadently tasty and include beer-battered onion rings, sweet potato fries, beer-battered mozzarella sticks and fried shrimp.
There are basic sandwiches, a range of salads, classic burgers and chili dogs. The "after 5 p.m. menu" features entrees like New York strip steak, chicken quesadilla, barbecue ribs, Maryland crab cakes, fish-and-chips, chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, pizzas and more.
Prices are very reasonable, ranging from $4.50 for a bowl of chili to $6.25 for a burger, $8.25 for a reuben sandwich, $16.95 for the steak, or $13.95 for chicken pot pie or shepherd’s pie.
The beers and ales are more of a steal, considering the quality and the fact that they’re fresh and local. A pint, which is 16 ounces, is only $3.75.
The Barrington Brewery & Restaurant is located at 420 Stockbridge Road. For hours and more information, the phone number is 413-528-8282. |
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