My wife and stopped by the Bridge Road Bistro to watch WVU lose to Colorado. We didn’t let the Mounties dismal performance sour our “neighborhood pub” experience. A visit to the Bistro was long overdue and I am happy that I finally returned to experience the Bistro in the evening. I have eaten lunch at the Bistro a couple of times when the place opened a few years ago. The food was good, but a bit pricey for a casual lunch.

The bar area is neat as a pin, with wood furnishings, flat-screen TV and high-top tables. It reminds me of a hotel or country club bar, lacking a bit of warmth. There are five beers on tap and I was very happy to see that four were W.Va. brews! The fifth tap dispensed Lindeman’s Framboise lambic, a real rarity in these parts, although I was told it would not be replaced after the keg “kicks.” (“Sorry Homer, no macro lager on draft here…’) I was impressed with a decent (31-beer) premium bottle list, including Abita, Sierra-Nevada and Pinkus beers. To my delight, my beer was served in a clean, room temperature glass. I am told that the Bistro also has an impressive wine list and from the looks of the top shelf, an adequate supply of good booze.

We were really “digging” the atmosphere; a bit more mature and quiet than most bars in town. It’s seems to be a great place to go to have a drink and a conversation, without being assaulted with music that is usually way too loud. I couldn’t help looking out the window and just taking in the view of the firehouse across the street, and the bank on the corner. It’s just a quiet little neighborhood, and here I am sitting in the local pub. It brought back recent memories of sitting in the same sort of neighborhood pubs in London just a few weeks ago (called locals). I couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous of my friends, who live just up the street, “I wish I had my own local pub

We need more neighborhood pubs in this country…

Click here for directions and hours for “The Bridge Road Bistro” on The Gazz Dining Guide

Let’s hope you’re still in full-oompah mode after attending the recent Charleston Oktoberfest. Why stop the fun after just one fest? Here is the Beers to You guide to throwing your own Oktoberfest celebration.

First and foremost, you can’t have Oktoberfest without beer! German festbier is the preferred flavor. Usually called Oktoberfest, this seasonal lager is readily available at the grocery store during the fall months. Samuel Adams, though brewed in the USA, is an excellent version and is usually fresher than many authentic imports. Penn Oktoberfest is another great one, but is harder to find locally. I tend to favor these American brewed festbiers because of their freshness, but make sure you buy the beer from the fridge and avoid the “aisle pile”. Beer is best kept cold. (more…)

Yo! I was paging through some beer magazines I brought back from England during my recent trip to the Great British Beer Festival. I came across this ad from Shepherd-Neame brewery. They are a very well known Kentish brand that is apparently “throwin down” for some younger beer drinkers by invoking “Hip-Hop” culture in a humorous way. They have released this ad for a golden ale called Canterbury Jack. I wonder if it’s from the same ad agency that created their ad for Spitfire; with the slogan “Downed all over Kent, just like the Luftwaffe”, making reference to the fact that the beer is named after the famous British fighter plane. (Also advertised as the beer with “No Nazi aftertaste”…)

I think this may be one of the funniest beer ads I have ever seen, though I tend to disagree that this sort of advertising is a good thing for beer. This ad captures and then defiles the essence of the simple neighborhood pub, with mum and dad behind the bar and a neighborhood regular and his dogs (a very common sight in a British Pub). Enjoy!

(Note: My printed version uses the word “me” in place of “my”. It struck me as funnier, but I could not find a picture of that version online)