Old Town Brewing – Part II

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

In Thebeerchaser’s first post on Old Town Brewing, (hereafter OTB) I sketched the story of the founder and owner, Adam Milne and his vision which has become a reality.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/02/26/new-energy-and-ideas-at-old-town-brewing/

The Old Town Brewing Trademark

(Note: This is a long post and even if you don’t peruse it in its entirety, be sure to check out the videos towards the end of the post. But to check them out, you will need to click on the blog site rather than look at it through e-mail. Just click on the title in your e-mail. You will be glad that you did…)

The prior post elaborated on the great ambiance and rustic environment, the team concept Adam espouses and briefly touched on the unfortunate legal battle with the City of Portland over the iconic OTB trademark in which Adam and his team prevailed after years of litigation.

But, the story is not complete without a detailed discussion of the beer and the creative marketing which goes into making it a gem in the NW micro-craft industry. The list of awards for OTB beer is extensive and the styles of beer garnering awards diverse as can be seen from this link below:

https://www.otbrewing.com/dock-sales

Gold Medal Winners – Pilsner and Shanghai’d IPA

For example in 2018, there were two Gold Medals – – OTB’s Pilsner and Shanghai’d IPA – at the World Beer Cup in Nashville – Adam described this as the “Olympics of beer competition.”

And at the Great American Beer Festival in 2014 – the “Academy Awards of beer” according to Adam – they brought home a silver medal – Sun Dazed Kolsch – following by a gold in 2015 for Shanghai’d IPA.

The honors continued in 2019 with three medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in Bend where brewers from 33 states compete. Shanghai’d won again with a bronze – also one for Paulie’s Not Irish Red and a silver for Dark Helmet. I was impressed that besides the reaffirmation of Shanghai’d IPA quality, that OTB has garnered medals for a diverse group of brews.

Head Brewer – Adam Lamont – educated in his craft

Adam credits a lot of this to the fortuitous hiring of Andrew Lamont. He had spent about eight years with the Boston Beer Company two and one-half of which were as brewer for Samuel Adams Research and Development Brewery.

Adam was looking for a brewer in late 2014 and thought, “There’s no way he will work for me.” Fortunately, Andrew, who was pursuing a PhD, decided he wanted to relocate to Portland. This was after Lamont had earned his Master’s in Polymer Science at Southern Mississippi and his Master Brewer at UC Davis.

But it’s a team approach that Adam credits for their success as can be seen from this photo from the OTB website and his statement:

“”We feel our biggest strength in brewing quality beer is creating a team approach that feeds all of our passion and excitement,’ he says. ‘It was important for [head brewer] Andrew [Lamont] and I to create atmosphere that allows our management crew to lead and have a voice in the beer creation process.’”

Adam Milne and his team – creativity can be fun…….

While it would be easy to do an entire post on the following issue, we should touch on the trademark battle with City of Portland – an example of bad judgment on the part of the City – an ill-advised bureaucratic foray which drew the ire of the micro-craft community, business groups and those who value common sense…..

Many citizens wondered why Portland was taking on this small business when OTB had applied and been granted the image for its logo by the US Patent Office. Moreover, Milne had come to the City offering to compromise before the fight escalated.

For those interested, a detailed account of the fascinating legal issues involved, check out Jeff Alworth’s blog Beervana:

https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2017/11/13/the-city-of-portland-versus-old-town-brewing

Now, Intellectual Property law can be very technical, but if you want to see a summary of the settlement use this link from an article in Craftbeer.com

https://www.craftbeer.com/editors-picks/old-town-brewing-portland-end-lengthy-trademark-dispute

Carson Bowler

Brien Flanagan

As I mentioned in the first OTB post, on both of my two visits I was accompanied by two very skilled lawyers who are also both wonderful human beings – some may think the categories are mutually exclusive.

Carson Bowler, a fraternity brother of Adam from U of O days in the ’90’s, and Brien Flanagan were in our group.

On the second visit, Carson, Adam and I got two flights of eight – a good idea given the variety of good beers and a very reasonable $10 – only a buck more than a flight of four. My favorites on that visit were the Sun Dazed (German-style Kolsch) and the Belgian Tripel – a collaboration with Rogue Brewing with an ABV of 9.8%!

The three of us – based on the experience Carson and I had on our first visit, got another of the House Special Pizza – “The shop favorite since 1974. A combination of pepperoni, salami, mushroom, black olive, bell pepper, and homemade Italian sausage.”

On the flight path….with Carson and Adam

On the first visit I got a pint of their award-winning Paulie’s Not Irish Red Ale. As a fan of red ales, I can state that it lived up to the description: “Impeccably balanced and malt-driven with notes of sweet bread and caramel, partnered with a medium hop bite and soft finish.”

While having a reputation for great pizza, OTB also has some other good eats including five different salads, pasta and six toasted subs of which the Meatball is the house favorite “Sliced meatballs covering a garlic buttered roll, mozzarella, cheese and house-made marinara dusted with Reggiano cheese and fresh basil.”

The first trip to OTB was a belated 70th birthday present from Carson and Brien and they paid deference to their elder by letting me have the extra slice of the House Special Pizza we split.

Belated birthday present – as you can see from this picture and the last, Carson when being photographed holds his head at an angle and adopts an intellectual pose

Brien is also a Beerchasing regular and, in fact, his last foray on this blog was right in the same neighborhood at Billy Rays Neighborhood Dive Bar. You should stop by this great dive bar on a trip to OTB.

Flanagan (in the center) in a visit to BRNDB

One of the more impressive aspects to this enterprise is their creativity, which is demonstrated in the development and production of new beers – for example their Mushroom Ale – which some purists pan, but has gotten some good reviews. Hiring a scientist as your head brewer allows adventures like this one that Andrew first tried as an experimental beer in 2015:

For example, this 11/29/17 review from Ratebeer.com:

“Not only does this beer give you an experience that I can guarantee you’ve never had, it also tastes amazing. Like drinking carbonated maple syrup with a touch of umami character. Amazing.”

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2015/8/5/old-town-brewing-mushrooming

Experimentation yields results….

But also the display of their product in the cans which commenced in 2018 (as evidenced by the pictures below and this statement on their website:

“There’s much to be appreciated about beer cans. We trust these sealed vessels with the momentous task of transporting our precious cargo safely. We outfit them in our finest digs to help celebrate and convey our stories about who we are and what we stand for.”

Another innovation was the delivery of beer by bicycle, which started in 2012 – perhaps you will soon be getting a Glow Torch IPA by drone in the near future….

Although they don’t still deliver beer by bike, Adam says:

“We were the first brewery in America to do that based on our research.. I had the idea and called the OLCC who expressed doubt it was legal. They called back and said they all met and couldn’t find a reason it was illegal.”

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portland-brewery-delivering-beer-on-bikes-149010975.html

One of the most innovative Brewery advertising methods I’ve witnessed since starting Thebeerchaser in 2017 is their video series. Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but I thought these great ads were somewhat under the radar – “Beers in Paradise.”

They feature OTB’s Sales Director, Joe Sanders. This four-part video series is extremely well done, humorous and shows what having an in-house creative artist and media expert can develop. I asked Adam how this idea germinate:

“We decided to do something that spoke to our audience and communicated our seriousness for making beer in a really fun way. Once we made our first video, with Joe as our front-man…. the snowball started to roll. People loved them and we had so much fun making them.”

https://www.otbrewing.com/latest-news/2018/4/3/weekly-beer-hunting-beers-of-paradise.

My favorite was the Pillow Fist IPA although you should check all of them out. (They’re slightly hidden on the Website under the drop-down “Latest News.”) And for a fascinating article – again on Jeff Alworth’s Beervana blog, read about the process as described by Creative Director, Jordan Wilson.

Creative Director, Jordan Wilson

The process starts with naming of the beer, the context and set for the videos and is followed by evaluating the effectiveness of the videos through metrics.

“It’s total DIY….this feels like a unique strength for Old Town – we keep everything in house and avoid the high cost of creative overhead. And because of our lower investment, we can play with it more. Throw things at the wall, see what sticks.….(the videos have) become an extension of our brand and how we tell our stories.”

https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2019/1/30/how-we-use-video

They also use videos to announce new releases. Take a look at this one that announced Figaro Imperial Stout – brilliant!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuE6X_dAxrS/embed/?autoplay=1

As you can see below, Adam gives his staff credit for their success – one of his core values. For example, this notice on their website about Staff Appreciation Day.

“2018 was incredibly fun and certainly the most memorable year for us to date. We kicked off with a major rebrand of our company, canned our first brews, made it through a dispute that brought our community together and forever changed the way we hold our love and admiration for this industry, we started our videos series, collaborated with some of the most amazing and talented people, drank amazing beer, celebrated more“

Team values reinforced!

Another example was during the 2012 fire, when the Brewery and pub were closed for three weeks. The staff’s pay was continued during the closure.

There’s no question that those who want a good brewpub experience have a multitude of options in Portland, but this 12/7/18 Yelp review summarizes the composite experience well and illustrates why you should drop by and say “hello” to Adam and his team:

“Delicious brews and FIRE pizza! The space is large but cozy. I was recently there for a work event and the food was AMAZING plus the service was top notch. Their bartender Tony got our 20+ person party drinks quickly and he was SO FRIENDLY – not the usual response to large parties in PDX. The vibes were great! Of course, I’ll be back!”

Old Town Brewing 5201 NE MLK BLVD

New Energy and Ideas at Old Town Brewing

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

Old Town Brewing’s brewery and taproom on MLK Blvd – photo ,courtesy of Old Town Brewing

Notwithstanding the fact that there are many thriving breweries in Oregon, the micro-craft business in Oregon – it ranks fifth in the US for the number of breweries per capita – is extremely competitive.

An eastside mainstay closes its door in early 2019

This is evidenced by the closure of three major players in the Portland brewing scene just in the last several months – Alameda, Bridgeport and Burnside. (Click on the links on the names of the last two to see Thebeerchaser’s reviews.)

And Widmer Brothers, the Lompoc Tavern and Portland Brewing have also closed their pubs – gone, but not forgotten as good places to raise a mug.

Bridgeport joins the legendary Slab Town in closing its doors in NW

While some not familiar with the brewery business, have a dream of establishing their own operation based on their enjoyment from home brewing, it takes considerable planning, risk tolerance and devotion to long hours and meeting challenges to sustain a successful brewery or pub – and there’s also the initial capital to even open it.

Backwoods Brewings’ second location in the Pearl District

That is why I have so much respect for the entrepreneurial spirit of some of my favorites including Mark Becker of Flyboy Brewing, the Waters family of SW Washington’s Backwoods Brewing and Jim Mills’ from Caldera Brewing in Ashland – and these are just a few.

Add to those, Adam Milne, the founder and owner of Old Town Brewing (hereafter OTB) in Portland. I had dinner and beer with Adam and lawyer, Carson Bowler, on my second visit to Old Town’s operation in NE Portland – the brewpub and actual site where they brew their six flagship beers in addition to a number of limited batch seasonal brews.

By the way, due to the breadth of the story of Adam Milne and Old Town Brewing, it will be covered in two separate blog posts rather than the customary one narrative.

Adam Milne – young entreprenauer

The original, and now companion location is the well-known historic Old Town Pizza site. And the story is interesting and fulfills a dream – similar to those of the people mentioned above in their enterprises. Adam first visited Old Town Pizza when he was only nine years old. It was owned by the Accaurdi family who opened it in 1974.

“It was in the historic Merchant Hotel in Old Town and a hub for like-minded people with a radical agenda. It stood as a beacon for the local community; a place to break bread and enjoy your neighbor.” (Old Town Brewery web site)

That visit had an impact and demonstrates this young entrepreneur’s vision since he bought Old Town Pizza in 2003 when he was only in his early thirties – 33 to be exact.

He subsequently expanded to NE Portland on NE Martin Luther King Blvd in 2008, where he built the brewery and pub. Assistance came in the form of a low-interest loan from the Portland Development Commission in its effort to promote enterprise close-in NE Portland.

It now houses, in 6,000 square feet, an attractive and bustling brewpub in addition to their brewing hardware and canning/bottling equipment. Adam and his family live in the same neighborhood. This review will focus on the NE location rather than Old Town Pizza brewpub which is still located on Second and NW Davis Streets.

Those who view the story on the OTB website will see that the enterprise, since that time, has had two major expansions and thus may conclude that it’s been a smooth ride for this native of Marcola, Oregon, but that’s not the case. He graduated from Mohawk High School – with twenty-one other classmates in his senior class.

In 2003, to raise the capital to purchase Old Town Pizza, Adam mortgaged the equity in his home and sold a rental house to make the down payment. Only one month into the new venture, their primary refrigerator went out – they had no cash to replace it. He had to buy all new refrigeration and new pizza ovens. When I asked how they resolved, Adam chuckled and said, “I suppose that’s what credit cards are for!”

Attractive recovery from the 2012 fire in the second story

Then there was the fire upstairs at the NE brewpub in 2012, which resulted in closure of the pub for two to three months.

Many people are also familiar with Adam’s battle with the City of Portland over the Old Town Breweing trademark – the iconic “leaping white stag” – which was not only stressful, but the multi-year legal battle, resulted in significant attorney fees before OTB eventually prevailed and settled with the City.

Source of mult-year legal battle…

On both of my visits to OTB, I was accompanied by Carson Bowler, a partner at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt law firm and with whom I had the pleasure of working for a good portion of my 25 years at the firm.

Starting in 1990 and for four years, while at the U of O, Carson lived in the same fraternity – Sigma Nu – as Adam. Carson also bears a strong resemblance to former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Art Vandely, President of Vandely Enterprises.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2014/01/31/beerchaser-of-the-month-art-vandelay/

Art Vandelay in his executive role has a different legal perspective…

This environmental attorney has enjoyed his friendship with Adam and stated:

“I’ve known Adam for more than twenty-five years. We were in the Sigma Nu house and his reputation then was that he was the nicest guy in the fraternity. Unfortunately, that reputation was accurate.

One could never lie to, or ‘borrow’ from or prank Adam without the everlasting worry that God, Himself would punish any such shenanigans with eternal damnation.

Adam always had one great idea too many until he didn’t and launched Old Town Brewing. It was in this enterprise that his ambition, good taste, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit blissfully collided to produce pure-love in a pint. Adam makes good beer because only good things come from Adam.”

We will get back to Adam in the second blog post, but first let’s talk about their quarters in NE Portland. The architect was another Sigma Nu at Oregon, Eric Aust, now practicing in Newport Beach, CA and who specializes in custom residential and commercial development.

https://www.austarchitect.com/old-town-pizza

He succeeded in making Old Town Brewing one of the most impressive and comfortable brewpubs I have visited in seven and one-half years of Beerchasing. Thebeerchaser is not conversant with technical design concepts and themes, but I know what I like and that was definitely the case with the environment at OTB.

While some of the new breweries and brewpubs in the Pearl are sleek and modern-industrial, the OTB building is rustic – large fireplaces, dark wood and a home-grown Northwest ambiance. And there are interesting historic photos as can be seen below.

For example, most of the wood in the two-story structure is reclaimed from an old tobacco warehouse in Kentucky. When we were touring,Adam stated, “You can still smell tobacco,” – (well, at least somebody without the sinus issues that plague me probably could….)

The round barrel tables are former sewing machine stands purchased from an antique store in nearby Aurora. The bar and backbar are very attractive and there are a variety of seating options.

Attractive bar

Okay, ambiance is nice, but what about the beer? OTB fares very well in that category which is evidenced by the extensive list of awards on their website dating back to 2013:

https://www.otbrewing.com/dock-sales

I will cover the beer in significantly more depth as well as the food and the trademark battle and show some of the pictures from my first visit – this time with two lawyers – the aforementioned Carson (not Washington) and his fellow lawyer in the Schwabe Natural Resources Group – Brien Flanagan, the Group Leader.

Bowler and Flannagan

Old Town Brewing 5201 NE Martin Luther King Blvd

Beerchaser Miscellany III

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Thebeerchaser

It’s Time for Pumpkin Ale….!

: When the Suds are on the Pumpkin and……

Ben Franklin once said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” however, seeing ads for such malty concoctions as Chili Ale and Coffee Beer, make Thebeerchaser yearn for the good old days when Blitz, Rainer, Schlitz, Oly and PBR were the standard. That said, I was intrigued by the idea of Pumpkin Ale and decided it would not only be worth tasting, but could also decorate our porch during Halloween and into Thanksgiving.

I checked my favorite pub for esoteric brews – “Bottles” – on NE Fremont (see thebeerchaser review in July 2012) and the bartender said they had eight types. (I might add that a new wine and beer bottle shop “1856” opened only two months ago on North East Prescott Street and rivals the selection available at Bottles. It’s worth checking out.) I chose the four pumpkin ale options from Bottles as shown below:

Wasatch Brewery – Salt Lake City – “Pumpkin Seasonal” (brewed with natural pumpkin and spices)

Unita Brewing Co. – Salt Lake City Utah – “Harvest Punk’N Ale”(brewed with pumpkin and spices)

Elysian Brewing Company – Seattle Washington – “Blight Pumpkin Ale” (brewed with pumpkin and cinnamon)

Midnight Sun Brewery – Anchorage Alaska – “Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter” (brewed with pumpkin, cocoa nuts, cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg) See photo below:

: Midnight Sun’s Pumpkin – Like Drinking Licorice Cough Syrup…….

My favorite was the seasonal from Wasatch although all were good to me except the Midnight Sun “Chocolate Pumpkin Porter.” Elysian Brewery has a bunch of other pumpkin ale options too.

But a Willamette Week review of their – “Dark o’ the Moon Stout,” drew this criticism and essentially echoed my opinion of the Midnight Sun Brewery pumpkin brew, “…is far too thick and meaty for whatever decorative baby gourds found their way into the mash. Deeply roasty with chocolate and a little bitterness, it’s a great beer for a chilly night, but three tasters agreed that pumpkin flesh and seeds don’t come through at all.”

Finally, if you want some additional information on pumpkin and fall seasonal ales, you can check out the October 31st Willamette Week article “Fall’in for Brew” with this link. It rates ten local ales with most of them not really cutting it in the taste category.

Fluoridation in Portland??

While most people agree that the Portland City Council totally blundered in the process, they voted unanimously in September to add flouride to Portland water by mid-2014. Of course, one concern is by some opponents who “bristle” at the potential impact on Portland’s micro-brewing industry.

Fluorite Crystals – A Taste Test to Determine the Impact on Portland Microbrews??

It was reported that Portland’s Upright Brewing strongly supports the move based on the premise, “Good teeth are more important than Beer.” Other brewery owners, however, are not so sure. It does set up what could be an intriguing blind taste-test in the future.

And speaking of blind taste tests, check out Willamette Week’s “President of Beers” contest (not a taste-test between President O’Bama and Mitt Romney…….), in which the weekly paper, “….Bootlegged Beer from All 50 States for the Ultimate American Taste-off.” The October 5^th edition of the paper chronicles the process in which Beaverbear Barleywine from North Dakota was the ultimate winner. Oregon had only one brew in the top 50 – Deschutes Black Butte Porter (#7).

Elections and the Weather

Well, the wonderful dry fall we had is now gone and besides bad weather, we have been inundated with endless campaign ads bringing to mind the quote from Alexander Pope on what may be the most pragmatic attitude for election results:

Cynical or Pragmatic?

“Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”

And although I will admit to a bundle of references to Willamette Week in this post, this quote from the cynically humorous “Dr. Know” in his column comparing the weather between the United Kingdom and the United States, is a good quote and perhaps the underlying rationale for a blog focused on a tour of bars, pubs and taverns:

“The weather is never so bad that you can’t make it to the pub, but never so good that you can do anything else. This leads to a city and/or nation of sad, damp, doughy people drinking to kill their pain……”

Pioneer Pete and Political Correctness The efforts in both Oregon and Washington to end Native American mascots, nicknames and logos reminds me of how political correctness can go too far. Washington is taking a more moderate approach and passed a resolution urging high schools to replace the mascots, while the Oregon Board of Education passed a ban in May. Eight targeted (so to speak) schools have five years to comply, although I think that term connotes violence and aggression…

It brought to mind the graduation gift my Class of 1966 at Oregon City High School presented to the school for the Pioneer Gym – a massive poster of our mascot, Pioneer Pete – a rugged type shown below:

Even though he carries weapons, he is still smiling….

Well, the mascot initiatives above reminded me of a 2001 story reported by The Oregonian to purportedly modify the Oregon City logo, as stated in this excerpt from the December 12, 2001 story:

” A burly guy with a coonskin cap, Pioneer Pete stands like a sentinel throughout Oregon City High School. He stares from hallway murals, the backs of varsity jackets and walls in the gymnasium and football stadium.

A musket in his grip and a knife slung off his hip, Pioneer Pete is catching some flak these days. Some students and administrators say his weapon-toting ways break rules that apply to students. He’s even been booted off the cover of a brochure advertising the search for a new superintendent.”

I’m pleased to report that the current Pioneer Pete doesn’t have a flag pole replacing his musket (the option proposed by the School Board) or a hair dryer (suggested by some pundits) and he still carries his bowie-knife. It was interesting to review the comments in response to the article including this one by a staff person from the District to clarify and perhaps resolve the issue:

“Please note that this was not about Pioneer Pete , the OCHS mascot. It was a clip art picture that was to decorate a brochure to advertise our superintendent position nationally. Our preference, with the covered wagon on the cover, was a couple of pioneers, not a mountain man with a gun.

The story in the newspaper was inaccurate. There is no conversation about changing Pete at the high school. The Oregonian reporter has certainly heard from us today about the misleading story and we have asked for her to clarify that this was not a discussion about Pete. On a slow news day, this story has taken off. We have been barraged with angry people over our decision to change a clip art picture on a brochure……….”

Correction

In my recent Beerchaser-of-the-Month post honoring – so to speak – OSU Football Coach, Mike Riley, I cited my friend, attorney, Brien Flanagan, a Notre Dame grad and one who is reveling in the Fighting Irish’s undefeated season. I stated the Brian had received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Notre Dame. I was wrong – he went to law school at Georgetown University – an impressive academic background for a good lawyer.

Two Prestigious Alma Maters

County Cork – The Irish Solution

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Thebeerchaser

The Irish are Right!!

Don’t Fight It – Have a Guinness

County Cork was visited early on a Tuesday night. Thebeerchaser and four friends who I consider among the top environmental lawyers in Portland were in our group.

Since John Mansfield, a patent attorney, accompanied me to Mock Crest Tavern, (see previous June post) one might wonder why environmental lawyers were the preferred companions. Well, if one has the choice to converse on what constitutes prior art and derivation practice under the American Invents Act, or alternatively, to discuss nuances resulting from the interaction of Endangered Species Statutes with the numeric effluent links of the Clean Water Act, most people would choose the latter. (How about those Mariners….?)

Clearing the Air – Tanya, our Waitress and 4 Env. Lawyers

A guy at the next table who overheard us talking piped up: “You know it’s not pollution or industry that is harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water.”

We abruptly ended the dialogue when he then opined, “The recent eclipse of the sun is irrefutable proof of the unreliability of solar power.”

The pub, County Cork, is named after the county by the same name in the southwest region of Ireland.

An Irish Geography Lesson

Since one of our party was named Brien Flanagan and he is a Notre Dame double grad, we were not concerned about fitting in. In fact, the bar has a reputation for being family friendly. How family friendly? It even has a play area for kids with a toy chest and a shelf full of kids books. The 2008 Willamette Week Bar Guide sums it up:

“Go ahead – bring all the kids you want to this Irishy Irvington pub. Sip an imperial pint from Eire (Murphy’s, Beamish, Guinness) ……. while little Angus and Fiona try their hands at darts. When they’re done poking holes in each other, stuff them full of fish and chips.”

“Good Night Moon” – The book – not when you pass out!!

There are 16 beers on tap and also cider, Guinness and Murphy’s Irish Stout brewed in Cork County. Also nine bottled beers and a wine list. Drink and food prices are reasonable with Dollar-off-Pints 3 to 6 o’clock Monday through Friday

Distinguishing Characteristics

The Interior – Although it is in a somewhat ordinary setting on Fremont Street, the bar does have the feel of an Irish Pub. Pictures of JFK and Bobby are prominent as are signs about Irish food on the menu and live Irish music on most Tuesdays and Fridays (e.g. Johnny Connelly and Danny O’Hanlon that night). There are two individual stalls for darts, which is somewhat unusual. The bartenders are “in costume”, so to speak.

The Food – Some of the reviews describe the food very favorably (esp. the fish and chips) although one of our party with experience, used the adjective “scary” to describe the Scottish Egg on the menu (Hard-boiled egg wrapped in seasoned pork sausage and lightly breaded, deep-fried and served with a side of house-made chutney)