(Elvis Presley)
I suppose I should declare an interest in this review; a few years ago I invested a couple of hundred quid in Brewdog’s ‘Equity for Punks’ scheme. That makes me a shareholder, and while I am doubtful that I will ever see any dividend from this investment, I was happy to help some innovative and charismatic brewers follow their dreams.
Recent articles by some well respected beer writers about Brewdog – such as this from Adrian Tierney Jones here – suggest that the company is mellowing, if not maturing.
I digress, Brewdog has about a dozen bars around the country, the Manchester bar on Peter Street opened back in May 2012 and while I’ve been an occasional visitor, it’s a bit further from my normal hotel than I would normally venture, particularly in the winter. There are too many good bars, nearer to justify a mile walk.
I ventured into Brewdog having failed to get a table at ‘Red Barbecue’, Manchester’s hot new venue. A one hour wait for a table? For One? At six thirty?
I DON’T THINK SO !
So, Brewdog it was. The bar is deliberately ‘industrial’ – bare concrete and steel – but it works, it’s ‘honestly ‘industrial rather than over-styled.
There’s a good selection, as you’d expect, of Brewdog’s own beers on draught and in bottles, and a selection of guest beers. They serve their brews in measures of pints, halves, thirds and two-thirds, some of the brews are dangerously potent, so smaller measures make sense.
Brewdog’s excellent Punk IPA, my brew of choice at 5.4% is on the strong side, but less scary than Thornbridge Jaipur at 5.9%
Having targeted ‘Red’ – which is famed for its ribs – for dinner, I thought I’d try Brewdog’s ribs. Two massive, slow cooked, pork ribs, with a side order of beans, for nine quid in central Manchester is a competitive price.
The ribs were delicious, meaty and tender; not quite falling off the bone, but requiring a satisfying amount of effort to devour. My only ‘complaint’ was that the ribs weren’t slathered in exotic barbecue sauce, but this allowed the flavour of the pork to shine through. The side order of beans, served in a jar, had meaty off-cuts and hints of thyme, really tasty.
And, having commented on the music at ‘Dogs and Dough’ recently, I was delighted to hear Jim Steinman’s ‘Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through’ – it went down really well with the IPA.
Rating: 
