thirsty bear
yesterday I rolled by thirsty bear in SOMA to catch a couple beers for VG’s birthday.
- I had gone here about a year ago and wasn’t too impressed with their beer sampler, so I was interested to see if their product had improved.
- the layout of this place is definitely impressive, with conditioning tanks lining the back of the bar and a couple of mash tuns holding court only a few feet from where we were sitting.
- their howard street IPA gave me some hope for the night. it had a solid hop aroma and plenty of lingering bitterness.
- however, when I ordered their seasonal beer, which was classified as a scotch ale/smoked porter hybrid, I was more than a little disappointed. the beer was thin and excessive smoked malt overwhelmed any other malt presence that might have been there. it was definitely reminiscent of my previous visit.
- also, I was a little bummed out to find a firkin of dry-hopped stout on my way out that the bartender had forgotten to mention. what’s up with that? (in their defense, it seems like they crack a firkin open tuesdays at 5:30, so the shell could have just been there for show).
- overall, thirsty bear is a chill, comfortable place to meet up with a group, but I wouldn’t make a pilgrimage over there for the beers. even though they have a sick brewing setup, it seems like the beers are an afterthought here.
Tags: dry-hopped stout, firkin, howard street IPA, scotch ale, smoked porter, SOMA, thirsty bear
