Belmont Station

On a mission for the premier craft beer assortment on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we headed for Belmont Station. This is, after all, where the true beer lover becomes a kid in a candy store…or feels like it’s Christmas morning! Belmont has a ridiculously vast assortment of beer, all organized by type (Pilsner/IPA/Belgian/etc). Deep selections of local, domestic and imported beers, and decent offerings of wine as well. Snacks are trickled in here and there, but alcohol takes priority. Anything you purchase out of the cases can be brought into the connected tasting room/bar and enjoyed for a small fee.

We chose to start in the bar, and make our purchases on the way out. I absolutely loved the way the bar was decorated, with an eclectic plethora of tappers and signs from every beer you can think of, all scattered across the walls. Old mis-matched furniture and stools completed the vintage look, and made me want a basement that looks just like this one day! They also have some tables in front of the store for the nicer weather, which would be a great way to let a summer afternoon roll by.

I must say though that ordering here was an awkward experience…we sat down, and no one came over for an extended period of time (despite two people behind the bar and only a few patrons inside). Finally someone brought the beer list, and basically just sat it down. We looked it over, made our decisions, and then waited forever for someone to come back. Finally someone else came back, asked us if we decided (to which we answered yes), and then walked back to the bar. We followed with our ID’s and ordered at the bar, came back, then waited for them to slowly (and quite rudely) drop off the beers at our table. It was just very odd in general. We had the Buckbean Very Noddy and the Grand Teton Lost Continent, and both tasted like lighter IPA’s, but were full of hops. I recommend them both, even to the non-IPA drinker (such as myself).

In any case, this is undoubtedly the place to go when you are trying to find a specific craft brew, or just in the mood to try something new – highly enjoyable.

*Jayne