Brewer's Bar and Grill

Love the steak and cheese fries

So I pull into the hotel next door and the sign for this place catches my eye.  That's a bit of an understatement because my last name is "Brewer."  As you might expect it was mandatory that I stop in.  I'm delighted that I did as this is a great neighborhood bar!

It's no surprise that the place was nicely busy.  All the pieces are in place for a good time-

* A large square bar with plenty of TVs.
* Seats around the perimeter if bar stools aren't your thing.
* I love that they have a TouchTunes juke box so I can play songs from my smart phone app.
* A separate entrance and room for take-out beer.
* Non-smoking.

Two aspects of this place deserve elaboration.  The first is the excellent food.  This is bar food at its best.  These folks do not pretend to be a gastro pub.  We're talking classic bar food but done very, very well.  I tried the IPA Steak for $7.99.  It gets the name because it includes Dogfish 60 Minute IPA mustard along with mushrooms, roasted peppers, and provolone.  It was outstanding.  

Next is the beer list.  Unless you live under a rock you know that the craft beer craze is in full swing.  I travel a great deal and I've visited dozens of places that have dozens of taps.  That's great but these folks go the other way.  They have a few taps but they are nothing a beer aficionado like me dreams about.  The amazing thing here is the bottle list of over 200 eclectic beers.  The list is beautifully organized and it's easy to pick your poison. There were many beers here that I have never seen before.  I was in heaven!  Check out their list online.

I don't get to Reading very often but I would go out of my way to visit here again if I travel anywhere close.

A great place to get cheap drinks and listen to good music and dance (if you go on a weekend). The dance space really is just a corner of the bar without any tables to block it off. The other reviews are right. It's nothing fancy and it is small. Everyone is pretty casual so don't waste your time getting dolled up. The crowd is mixed. 20s to 50s. I went late with friends on a Saturday night and there were no seats. Party people were there so it was fun to watch.

The hot sauce for the chicken wings is legit. Try it. Make sure you have a drink in your other hand.

I heard that the food here during the day was pretty good.