New Beer Bar in Decatur

Saturday night, October 18, 2008 -

The Backstory of the occassion:

It was the day before my friend A's birthday and we were celebrating it early because it was a Saturday night. There were a few specific things A was looking for when deciding a place to have her party this year. The first, and most important to her, was a fantastic, large patio space. The 2nd, most important to me, was a place that had a great beer selection.

Now, understand this about A; she can't even drink beer. No, not because she's a chick and she can't stand the way it tastes (which is a common generalization associated with women who don't drink beer. Usually this generalization, I have found, is a result of the fact that most non-beer drinking females have never had a taste of any beer other than Bud Light or the like). No, A is a celiac, which means she's allergic to gluten. More specifically, gluten that comes from wheat, barley, oats, rye, and malt, or in other words, everything that goes into making beer. Nevertheless, finding a good beer bar for her party was important to her because all of her friends enjoy beer, and she's just incredibly giving like that.

I know what most of you are thinking, "why hasn't she just offed herself?" I mean, I can't imagine a life without beer. Well, there is one type of beer currently available for celiacs that is "gluten-free," but I promise you if you tasted it, you would definitely want to off yourself if you knew it was all from which you had to choose. I'll save any further comments about Redbridge Sorghum Ale for another Beer Bashers' Review.

The History of the Pub:

Now that you have the backstory, I'll tell you that A decided to have her birthday party at Decatur's newest Beer joint, The Grange Public House, or in short, simply, The Grange (or as my cohorts and I like to call it, "The Grangel", read on to see why).

The Grange took over the lease on the building located at 426 W. Ponce de Leon Ave in Decatur that used to house The Angel, one of my favorite beer spots in Atlanta prior to my move to Los Angeles in 2005. When the owners of The Angel (whom also owned The Prince of Whales in Midtown and Fox & Hounds, and still own Hand in Hand in Virginia Highlands and Rose & Crown off of E. Paces Ferry as far as I know) decided to close it down, the building sat vacant for well over a year it seems. After such a long period of time, I worried that whomever took over the building from that point would decide to do a little "redecorating," and that they would shamefully tear down the hand-crafted, imported woodworking that made the Angel so unique.

Much to my relief, what we actually got was 4, true-blooded, thick-accented, real-deal irishmen (and women) who decided that the interior design set forth by The Angel needed only a bit of "lightening up." Their improvements were minimal, but effective, and I would definitely consider them "improvements." Colin and Darren, brothers, are the only 2 owners I have yet had the priviliedge of meeting. They were tending bar on the night of A's birthday party, and you couldn't have asked for a more authentic Irish Pub vibe.

The Beer:

The beer selection was adequately vast enough to please even a tremendous beer snob such as myself; offering bottled selections from Samuel Smith (including their Organic Cider, which up to that point, I had never tried - Delicious, might I add, but again, save it for another review) and St. Bernardus (including their beloved Pater 6 Brown Ale). Other noteworthy selections include Avery Majara, and a new Whiskey-aged Ale I'd never heard of before and can't remember the name of now (my last drink of the evening), which was recommended to me by our server (also Irish as all get out). It was one of the most potent, whiskey-flavored whiskey-aged ales I've ever had; alright if you love whiskey (which I do), but non-whiskey drinking beer adventurers should start with something a little more tame if they want to try that style of beer.

There were many different draught selections to choose from as well. Guinness, of course, was on the list, as well as their lesser common Smithwick's (pronounced, 'Smit'icks') Irish Ale. Several selections from Stone Brewing Co. and a few local Georgia microbreweries (Sweetwater, out of Atlanta, GA, and Terrapin, out of Athens, GA) also made the list.

To view The Grange's complete beer list, click here.

The Food:

The Grange offers some pretty standard Irish/British Pub Fare with a few surprises. It's all a bit on the pricey side for pub food if you ask me, but times are tough and food costs have come up across the board these days. Now, I'm certainly more of a beer review than a food critic, but I still know good food when I eat it. The first thing I always have to try at a new Irish or British pub is the sheperd's pie. About a 7 out of 10 for me at The Grange. Not outstanding, but certainly edible. And besides, if you're looking for an amazing meal, why would you be considering dinner at an Irish Pub? Irish fare, as far as I know, has never been atop the list of the world's most outstanding culinary cuisines.

The only other menu items I have tried there are the risotto balls (which were delicious, although I didn't even know risottos had balls), and the sliders - NOT RECOMMENDED (seriously, should be taken off the menu immediately, ).

To view The Grange's complete menu, click here.

The Differences:

Now, going back to the differences between The Grange, and The Angel again for a moment, in the place where there used to be a giant digital jukebox in the Angel, there is now absolutely nothing; meaning that the drunken patrons of the Grange, thankfully, cannot control the music we all have to hear. Instead, Colin and Darren seem to be in control of what we hear, and what we all heard on this night was the best mix of what's popular in European pubs, particularly Irish pubs, today.

Another HUGE plus for the Grange right now is that it's still very new; meaning that getting a table for even a large group is no problem. We had about 12 people in our group, with no reservations or anything, on a Saturday night, and we were seated right away. In all honesty, the place was almost completely dead. And if we hadn't brought a party of 12, you'd have to take the "almost" out of that statement. I'm not one for overly crowded pubs, so "almost" dead was okay by me, but I would expect business to pick up there very soon, so get in while you can if you like your pubs fairly empty.

Summary:

All-in-all, as cheesy as it sounds, it was truly as if upon walking through the doors of The Grange, we were all instantly transported to Mother Ireland. The beer selection is great, the food is better than average, the service is outstanding, and the owners, Colin and Darren, are cool as shit! So I give The Grange in Decatur a 4 out of 5; an excellent new Beer Bar just a stone's throw from the Decatur Square.

For a different look at this up and coming Decatur hotspot, check out a fellow bloggers in-depth review of The Grange.