Stout is one of those bars that when I first saw it, I assumed it was part of the chain of the same name that is located in NYC. Â That alone was reason enough not to go into the bar every time I visited Albany (especially when the beer garden is across the street). Â On my most recent visit to Albany a group of my friends and I were enjoying a liter or two of beer and we noticed Stout was blasting some great tunes. Â Once we hit the right level of intoxication we made our way over. Â We found out that our previous beliefs were completely wrong. Â It was in no way affiliated with the chain in NYC and the bar was pretty awesome. Â It's a great environment for the people that like to dance but not want to deal with the frat kids down on Pearl Street. Â Plus Sarah M. is one of the best bartenders ever.
Review Source:This bar has everything it needs to be a great happy hour destination, but the music is SO LOUD that you can't have a normal conversation with people standing right next to you. Â I would go here a lot, but the huge speakers they have hanging over every seat in the bar make it annoying to stay for more than one beer - so annoying I can't even give it three or four stars it otherwise deserves. Â This seems easy to fix...
The staff and the menu are perfectly fine. Â Seems pretty shady to be cash only in this day and age, but I guess that's the IRS's problem.
Pro: 1. The waitresses are very attractive. Â 2. Beer is reasonably priced. Â 3. The food is reasonably good.
Con: 1. The music is EXTREMELY LOUD - even during happy hour on slow days. Â Even when the bar is empty, the music is so loud you cannot have a conversation with your friends. Â The unreasonably loud music keeps me from frequenting Stout. Â No need to turn off the music - but there is no need to turn the volume up to 11.
2. They do not take credit cards for some reason. Â This is ridiculous in 2013... everybody takes credit cards, except Stout, Beer Garden and English Pub - all on Broadway. Â The only reasons I can imagine for this are - they are too cheap to spring for credit card fees (which shifts the cost to customers who need to use the conveniently-placed ATM) or because they want to hide their income from the IRS (which is fraud). Â Either way, this is an easily fixable problem that Stout refuses to fix.
3. The location is not great - not a particularly nice or safe part of town. Â The parking lot is terrible.
In summary - if they turned down the music, accepted credit cards and paved the parking lot, this would be a reasonable place to have a beer. Â Until then there are plenty of other options.
I've been to Stout twice so far, and absolutely nothing about it makes me want to go back.
On my first visit, I met up with some girlfriends for a few drinks. I ordered a Sam Adams and I was floored by the price. Something like 7 or 8 bucks for a beer. Yes, I understand that it's 20 ounces, but that's still far too much for me to want to stay and order more. It was a Friday night I believe and only about 8pm, so there weren't many people at the bar. However, I got a distinct whiff of frat boy from the place. I didn't realize until my second visit why it felt that way: I neglected to notice the "Graney's" above "Stout" on the sign. The original Graney's, on New Scotland Ave, was always filled with college dudebros and I never, ever felt comfortable there.
The music was so loud that I could barely hear my friends talking. However, what irked me the most was that the bartenders were clearly playing to the opposite sexes. I don't know if that was to get larger tips, but the female bartender only served the male patrons and vice versa. I stood at the bar, clearly waiting to order another drink, while the female bartender was standing right in front of me talking to the guys next to me. I waited and waited for her to take my order, and she didn't. Finally, a solid five minutes later, the male bartender came over from the other end of the bar and got me another drink. Absolutely ridiculous. Needless to say, I didn't stay long.
My second visit was during happy hour. I figured maybe, since it was a Wednesday and earlier in the evening, that the atmosphere would be different and the prices a little lower. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Four dollars for a Sam Adams! Insane. Again, the music was blasting so loud that I had to scream at my friends to hear me. Blasting! At HAPPY HOUR! I couldn't believe it.
Forget the fact that Stout is supposed to be an Irish bar and yet nothing about it is Irish aside from the shamrocks thrown half-assed on the walls. It's just all-around lame.
After hearing so much about the remake of Holmes and Watson, we finally got around to trying it. Â At best marginal, there are a lot of better food choices in Troy, if you are looking for a decent beer selection this place has one, but once again there are better choices in downtown Troy, the new owners need to step up their game if they want to compete in Troy.
Review Source:$7 for a pint, even a 20oz imperial pint, is too much. Especially for beer made across the river at Brown's. Those half kegs cost around $200. At 100 imperial pints in a half keg, that's a 350% markup. Also, how sad is it that our culture ranks a bar by how many TV's they have. I go to pubs to have pints and conversation, not stare at the wall.
Review Source:The worst part of the night was the unforgivable hamburger. Â I think even that is an overstatement of its quality. Â The patty was a huge blob of completely unseasoned beef (pink slime is the buzz word I hear) that lacked even salt and pepper. Â I ordered it medium-rare, and it came out more like a jelly bean that had been sunning on my dashboard all day. Â The bun was dry and tough, and the cheese had zero taste. Â A generous portion of Frank's and ketchup couldn't even escape the flavorless black hole. Â Worst burger I have had since moving to Albany, including fast food :(
Went for a happy hour on Friday night. Â Plenty of open seating at 6:30, but it did fill up pretty well by 8 pm. Â Our waitress was friendly and started out being pretty attentive and delivering drinks in a timely fashion. Â My first soda was completely flat, so I sent it back and got one just as bad a few minutes later, "CO2 and syrup seemed fine." Â I would have been pleased to see it removed from the bill...alas, it was not. Â
Others in my party seemed to enjoy their food, and the waitress gave out individual checks by guest/couple without being prodded to do so, which was pretty cool in an all cash establishment. Â As a side note, the ATM fee is now $3.00.
Go on a Tuesday night. I went in for a friend's birthday and was informed that all beers on tap are $4 for 20 oz. That's the best deal in this entire area. Plus, they have a great selection on tap (about 16 taps). Seriously, I need to move my drinking nights to Tuesday. Otherwise, it's $4 for 12 oz, $7 for 20 oz, which isn't too terrible.
I like Stout. It's a very modest bar, open floor plan, good atmosphere, cool bartenders, and a front deck for when the weather's right. I think it's a nice addition to the neighborhood. They are cash only like everyone else in the area, so hit the bank before heading down. I haven't tried any of their food, but if it's anything like Graney's, I'm sure I will be a fan.
I had never been the Graney's and was excited at the prospect of having an Irish place in Albany so I decided to give it a try. First off, the inside is very very spacious, stylish, and nice. The seating is very comfortable- much better than Wolfs Biergarten, where they only have benches that kill my back.  However, the waitressing and food was a little disappointing.  I got a pulled pork sandwich and hubby got a sante fe wrap with fries. The pulled pork was divine, and the cole slaw was even better, but it took me almost 10 minutes to get silverware with which to eat my meal (I also had a side salad).  Hubby liked his sandwich, but the fries were almost uncooked. They had no crunch, not even soggy.. just kind of fibrous luke warm potato. Not  very good at all. How can you have a bar without a nice crispy fry? I would go back again and give it a try, I suppose.
Review Source:I came here for the USA vs. Mexico game with a few of my friends since Biergarten was packed to the brim and we were already down in the area. It wasn't bad, but it is not a place I would come back to again.
The beer selection is mediocre and expensive, and we were charged a cover for some reason that night (I guess the soccer game?). I just can't justify the prices for what was being sold though. Â
The layout and decor were okay, but there is an extremely limited amount of outdoor space and room at the bar. There weren't a ton of people there, yet it took 10-15 minutes to get a drink every time. The dart boards are also right in the way of the bathroom and walkway so you had to constantly move around and wait for passers-by to get to their destination to make shots.
They have live music which is cool, but for a bar of this size and layout it was too overpowering to hold any real conversations. I felt like I was at a concert, not a bar. Â It's a shame because this seemed like the kind of bar you go to so you can socialize and be around friendly people but you just ended up yelling over the music and repeating yourself 100 times just to tell your buddy it's time for another beer.
It's not a bad bar by any means, but I felt like it had no redeeming qualities that made it better than any other overpriced beer hole. Â If you're in that area, go to Biergarten instead.
Oh and the bathroom was nasty.
It was a one drink date so I need to go back to address it during a longer visit. Serving half-pints for $4 makes it a solid 3 star.
Hanging some posters of U2, The Temple Bar, The Departed, Boondock Saints and a Celtic Cross on the wall, does not make a pub "Irish". Its an American pub with an Irish decorating theme. I like the theme. The only thing Irish about it is that they offer both a half-pint and pint (and the 32 oz), which is a very European thing to do in a bar. They did not properly pour my Guinness (I have always loved Guinness and after that life changing pint that I had at James Toner's pub in Dublin, the bar has been set high and so far all of my favorite haunts are making me upset with their pouring technique).
So we have established that this is an American pub. Why the heck was "beach soccer" on all of the TVs when the Yankees were playing? A patron actually had to ask them to put the game on. This is a given: USA Sunday afternoon = baseball. Besides what the heck is beach soccer and is it really so popular that it needs to be on every screen?
The space is cool. They almost have snugs, but not quite. I like the front deck, which is a little crowded with the tables and chairs, but I like it nonetheless. Although the scenery is so industrially U-G-L-Y, it needs an alibi. There is a wee parking lot; this is good.
I did not eat here, as there wasn't anything on the menu that I could remotely justify consuming (yes wings are bad for you, but I love them; the menu at Stout was just bad-for-you pub grub, but none of it appealed to me).
Although I had a Guinness, I like that they have Brown's Oatmeal Stout on tap (as I don't particularly like Brown's the pub). Â The tap selection was interesting, but I guess I was hoping for something more unique. Â I feel a little hollow about this place, but I like the look of the space so I will give it another try.
A beautiful early Wednesday evening visit found the deck tables unsurprisingly full. Â The wide-open doorways to the inside allowed us to choose a table just inside but still have a good view of the outdoors while admiring the layout of the bar, booths and indoor area. Â
One complaint I express is that they allow smoking at the tables on the deck. Â There are ashtrays on those tables so I assume management encourages smoking in that area. Â Of course, this means that any breeze outside, or temperature differential between outdoors and inside will bring the cigarette smoke indoors. Â I don't know what the State law is on this aspect, but other establishments I frequent require their deck or patio patrons to move to a distant area for smoking.
There was a nice selection of beers on tap with at least 5 of them being stouts. Â We tried 4 of them and you can certainly taste the difference. Â We ordered the Stout Nachos (my mistake, I meant to ask for the ones with the Irish stew on top - Snatchos). Â First impression was that this dish did not look inviting. Â I could get past the cheeze-wiz, but the tomatoes were grayish colored (see picture). Â
We'll probably make it back sometime because we like the atmosphere and the beers. Â Maybe during the afternoon when the beer prices are a bit lower.
This is my new favorite bar in the Albany area. It's smartly designed, it's a large open space, the interior is beautiful, there is an excellent selection of beer and the staff are very friendly.
When I traveled here this past weekend, I really didn't know what to expect. I've been disappointed lately by some of the newest bars to open up in the Albany area. Places seem to open without a thought or an identity and expect patrons to come just because they are there.
Stout was a breath of fresh air! Located across the street from one of Albany's most unique bars 'Biergarten'...'Stout' manages to create an identity of it's own as an authentic yet modern Irish Bar. The interior decor of weathered brick and dark stone and decorations like traditional Irish post boxes and signs in gaelic will have you thinking you might have just traveled across the pond. You'll be pulled back to America though when you see the dozens of beautiful high definition televisions that line walls of this large warehouse like space.
On the day I was here, the owner was behind the bar making sure that everything was up to par. He's a big jolly fellow and reminds me of Rex Ryan (coach of New York Jets). Sometimes I don't like when owners hover about but I enjoyed his presence because he just seemed like another guy hanging out at the bar, making conversation and killing time.
The bartender we had was excellent(well trained, friendly and considerate). My girlfriend asked if Stout offered flights of their different beers. She replied "No but you can sample anything you like", and we did. I created my own free flight of Irish reds, pilsners, stouts, IPAs and browns. My girlfriend and I, after sampling nearly everything finally decided to have an Arrogant Bastard and a Browns Brewing Co. Oatmeal Stout.
I asked for the menu and I was surprised to see it was filled with such a nice variety of unique bar munchie foods; from grilled cheese wedges to something called 'Snachos' (Nacho topped with Irish Stew). On top of the munchies they offered a number of authentic Irish entrees like 'corned beef and cabbage' and traditional sandwiches.
My girlfriend and I ended up splitting the 'Irish Nachos' which were a bit disappointing but not bad. I thought the chili and tomato salsa puree that the chips were topped with was very good but the cheese used on the nachos was that orange liquified stuff. I wish I sampled some of the more unique items they offered but again, I'll be back.
At the end of the day for two pints of delicious beer and an appetizer the tab came to $23.00 not including tip. The 20oz craft beers we had were moderately priced at $7.00 a pint but I thought the Nachos were a little expensive at $9.00. (Beer can be ordered for $4 a half-pint, $7 for an imperial pint (20z) and $11 for a happy hour inspired 32oz serving)
NOTE:: Stout is cash only and the ATM in the back will charge you a $2.00 service fee per transaction so hit the bank up before stopping by.
BOTTOM LINE:: Stout is awesome and I'm glad it's here. The interior is gorgeous and the beautiful large LED HDTVs that line the interior make it a preferred spot for watching any sporting event that's worth seeing on a big screen. The staff are well trained and very friendly. I do however wish the food I tried was a little bit cheaper and a little bit tastier but, I think this can be improved. I will be back here many more times I hope, because the beer selection is impressive, well priced and the experience offered by Stout...at least for this area is "one of a kind".
Well, I finally made it to Stout (last weekend, but this is the first chance I've had to write about it)!
Upon pulling up I noticed that Wolf's Biergarten across the street was much more packed than Stout, which I didn't mind, but it made me wonder why the older bar had a larger crowd than the newer bar. But I continued in anyway.
This place is definitely large. Though there didn't seem to be much seating. Â There are tables to sit down and eat, or just drink, but they were spaced so far apart. Seems like they could've fit many more - even multiple seating - tables inside and still wouldn't be cramped. Â
It was a Friday evening, so the bar seating was taken already, though everyone there seemed really nice and friendly, and there were several people who did offer me their seat.
A downside to this place is it's CASH ONLY. I'm not a fan of this. I never carry cash on me (past experiences where it was stolen from right under my nose), and I hate ATM fees. Plus, I like to run a tab when I know I'm going to be staying somewhere for more than a couple drinks. So this is a big reason why I only gave it  stars.  There is an ATM, but of course, there's fees associated with that as well.
Unlike its competition across the street, there is a lot, and much nicer, outdoor seating. Â And instead of being located on the curb, it's actually raised up and away from passerbys, which makes it more classy, in my opinion.
I didn't eat there, but I will be going back again to try the food.
All in all, Stout is a great new hang out for me, though it still isn't #1 on my list.
This bar is huuugggeeee!!. Walking in, my first thought was holy crap this place is huge. And it's going to be amazing in the summer because theres tons of outdoor seating, and half/outdoor seating. There are plenty of booths, lots of seating.
The bar area was really crowded when we got there but we managed to find a whole and get some beers. The selection is alright. I guess I assumed because it was across from a completely german bar, that it'd have mostly irish beers. But it had a small selection of irish beers and then the usual of everything else you'd find at a bar. That's fine. Â The theme of the bar was also really confusing, because it had lots of NYC decor. I mean if we're doing irish...I'm thinking Boston not NYC. But...that's fine so the bar's a little lost.
The service was really good,and it looked like there was food available I'm not sure if thats only during the day or when thats over. I got there around 1 am so I'm not entirely sure how it works. This is definitely a bar that I'd like to return too. The crowd was probably 20's-30's although there were a few older people there. It was almost like a tiny bit of the saratoga crowd was in albany.
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