The Madison Pourhouse: Opening Week
After an aborted attempt at a yesterday, I met some friends and then Ms. Garlic at the Madison Pourhouse , the replacement for Mahar's being opened by the owners of the bar's neighbors Cafe Madison, Junior's, and The Point. I had some degree of optimism -- Junior's has always had much better taps than you would expect from the collegey vibe -- but also some trepidation. The extensively renovated space isn't Mahar's for better (much more seating, much better restrooms) and worse (tradition, the beer tour.) But ultimately it has to be judged on its own merits, and I think there's a good chance that it will rival the Bier Abbey as the best beer bar in the Capital Region, at least on the beverage side. The beer selection, which you can see here , is excellent and very fairly priced. I had an Old Chub and a Founders All Day, while true to her Michigan roots Ms. Garlic had the Bell's White. It's a nicely balanced list, between styles and reg...