Double Galaxy on tap = 5 stars!
It's not often that you can walk into a dive bar and find 4 Hill Farmstead beers on tap. The folks up in Waterbury really have it made with being able to find world class beer at every tap room in town. Â There was only one girl on staff and the place was busy so we had to wait a while for our brews but it was worth it.
There's a Mexican restaurant next door that sells their burritos and stuff in the Blackback Pub. Â I think they share a kitchen or something. Â I didn't try the food but it looked damn good. Â Maybe next time...and I hope there will be a next time. Double Galaxy on tap? Â Are you serious!?
Seriously wanted to enjoy this place. Â Showed up around noon on New Years eve, looking forward to grabbing some lunch and a tasty beer or two. Â First issue, place didn't open on time. About an hour after the advertised opening time, someone finally showed up. Â Next problem, there was no bartender. Â How do you run a bar with no bartender? Â You don't serve beer. Â Apparently the dude that showed up was the cook and not allowed to serve beer. Â The guy was friendly and explained that he wasn't legally permitted to serve beer, he did make us some Taco's which we took our time eating in order to give the bartender some extra time to show up but it never happened. Â With all that said, the taco's weren't even that great. Â I mean don't get me wrong they were ok, but I probably would have never gone here if it were not for the awesome beer list they advertise. Â Lesson learned!
Review Source:Since opening, this place has devolved. It originally was a cool funky craft beer place. A great place for any and all ages to have a quality craft brew and some great conversation. Since opening, the Blackback seems to have run thru at least 5 different menu combinations, currently the home of the fabulously over-priced Mad Taco. The Blue Stone, Prohibition Pig, The Reservoir, and Cork are all infinitely better choices, all within 50 paces of this place. The beer selection at The Reservoir and the Prohibition Pig far surpasses the Blackback, now.
Review Source:Cantillon Kriek on draught...need is say more. Â Oh yea, they also usually have no less than 6 Hill Farmstead beers, 2 Lawson's Finest Liquids and plenty of Heady Topper. Â Word on the street is that there will be a certain local taqueria going in here. This place is small, and decorated kind of like a frat house, but with the selection of beer they have it doesn't matter. Â It could be a shoebox and i would still drink there. Â Service is good, go see Jenny, she's the best.
Review Source:This place is my new all time favorite bar. Â 9 Hill Farmstead beers and 1 Lawson's on tap. Â As a matter of fact, the bartender put the Lawson's on tap after I had mentioned that I wanted to try it. Â There were only two food options. Â The cheese plate my girlfriend and I ordered was a hell of a value. Â For 6 dollars, we received a huge hunk of cabot cheddar, honey, and 4 thick slices of bread. Â If you are in Waterbury and looking for a drink, I highly recommend this place.
Review Source:What a gem! Â An incredible rotation of superb draft beers. Â Wonderfully quirky atmosphere, good service from knowledgeable bartenders--but don't walk in hungry. Â If you stumbled into this place in the middle of Boston or Chicago, you'd be amazed--but it's in freakin' WATERBURY VERMONT.
Review Source:Pros: Good selection of local beer. Much better atmosphere than the Resorvoir.
Cons: They don't offer sushi anymore & the food that they do offer isn't good. I ordered a flatbread. It was extremely dry and hard. The guy who made my pizza told me it was a frozen pizza. Eat before or after you arrive.
Some of the female bartenders don't pour consistently/offer slow inconsistent service.
There are several great places for beer in the Waterbury area but Blackback is the best. The selection is always a good variety of beers from all over the world but not so many that the quality suffers. Ricky does know his beer and I always learn something when I visit. His people skills may seem odd for a bartender but you get used to it. Some food would be nice just so we don't always have to leave to eat somewhere else.
Review Source:The Blackback is one of my go-tos in the local area for a few reasons:
1. Beer quality - The quality and diversity of beers are unmatched. Â Ricky, the owner, is a bit of a beer snob who has spent considerable time in Europe learning about, and drinking beers. Â He has a wealth of knowledge about various beer styles, stays plugged in to who's who on the craft beer scene, and always makes sure he has the best possible beers he can acquire.
2. Sushi - I spent several years traveling to Japan on business and I can attest the quality of the sushi at the BB is on a par with what I was able to get in Japan. Â It is very good, and Steve, the sushi chef, is very good at his craft. Â I'd rate the sushi "very good". Â I've had excellent sushi in Japan, and this doesn't rise to the quality of the very best in Japan, but you wouldn't expect it to. Â Nevertheless it's my favorite sushi place in Vermont to date.
3. Atmosphere - Ricky expanded the bar in summer of 2011 and so the BB is more than double the size it used to be. Â It's still great place to have excellent beer, and have good conversation, whether with your crew, or other patrons, who are usually your typical friendly Vermonters.
One of the reviewers complained about the consistency of pours, and what she may not have realized is that there are different pours for different beers. Â If you buy a Hill Farmstead Edward (IPA) and a Hill Farmstead Twilight of the Idols (Porter) they'll come in the same type of glass, but the pour size will be different. Â I believe it's due to differences in ABV, availability, etc., but not sure. Â However, if you order the same beer you will get consistent pours.
Some may wonder why the glowing review, yet only four star rating, and the answer is I'm an extremely hard grader. Â The bottom line is the BB is simply one of the best places I know of in the local area to get a great beer, good sushi, and good conversation. Â I couldn't recommend it more highly.
I love this place! They have a great selection of beers that will satisfy a range of palates... from single IPAs, wheat beers, sour, to double IPA. Â The staff are friendly and knowledgeable.
Oh, and in case you haven't been in a while... Blackback Pub expanded into the space that used to be Stebu Sushi. Â Not to worry, Stebu Sushi is not gone... it's being served Tues - Fri.. and I've tried 4 of their rolls so far, and they have all been amazing.
This bar is cool yet strange.
They focus on Vermont local beers, but also have a great selection of other really interesting microbrews. The beers are cheap and they have plenty of options on tap to choose from. The food options are sort of limited with just flatbreads and sushi. So I haven't tried them out yet.
So the bar has a strange fly fishing motif going on and the whole sushi menu seems little out of place in Waterbury. The staff are also a little on the slow and inattentive side. They are very friendly and know their beer, but their service is just adequate.
Pros:
Great flatbreads ($16 each). Â They are a good size for 2 peeps. They have beers on tap you can't get anywhere. We had Some hillstead farms brews, which... you can't get on tap anywhere. Â
Con:
The bartender needs to be more diligent when she pours beer. Â Mine was to the top w/ a little head, but some of my friends received theirs only half full. Â Please, be more consistent, good beers aren't cheap!
They weren't affected by the floods so go check them out!!!
The Blackback is a really neat beer bar. Â It is very cozy, not a place to go with a big group. Â It has a fishing theme with appropriate decor to go with. Â Hell, you can even buy some flies. Â As in the ones that you use when you are fly fishing for trout ! Â The beer selection is very good. Â Options on tap include North Coast, Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada, Hill Farmstead of VT. Â They also have a few bottled beers, such as Orval. Â I did not have any food, but a neighbor seemed to be enjoying their sandwich. Â Sandwiches and cheese plates from a short list are your dining options. Â The great thing about the Blackback is that its kind of like hanging in your buddies basement, knocking back some brews and having a good conversation. Â Bartenders and patrons are incredibly friendly here and help make for an enjoyable visit.
Review Source:Stopped in here around 6 or 7 after eating early at the Alchemist. As others have mentioned, this place is very small but that gives it a very friendly vibe. I counted exactly eight barstools as the only places to sit. There is one large TV behind the bar. Lots of fishing apparati mixed in with whiskey boxes attached to the ceiling beams.
We didn't eat, but there isn't much to choose from. I did notice a panini press behind the bar and the website says they have a cheese plate. Tap list included Earl, Edward and Anna from Hill Farmstead. Also Old Stock North Coast, SN 30th anniversary barleywine, DFH My Antonia (a rare find), Rogue Wet Hop and a lambic. I saw something on the whiteboard about a "flight of barleywines" that had recently been offered; never seen that before. Everything was served in proper glassware.
We had good conversation with the bartender and owner, who stopped in for a few minutes with his wife and son. (As an aside, I liked the fact that the owner of this place was having dinner at the Alchemist. Theoretically the two bars are competitors but it's nice to see they're not only friendly but patronize each other's places.) The size of Blackback is such that it's hard not to strike up conversation with any other customers, so don't go here if you're looking to drink alone. There was a rustic feel to the place despite being on Main Street, and I would definitely stop by again before and/or after the Alchemist.
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