Road Trip Across NC – Part I – Raleigh
BOYLAN BRIDGE BREWPUB
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[/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]Boylan Bridge Brewpub is a small microbrewery and restaurant that sits right on the outside of downtown Raleigh on the corner of a beautiful residential area with large old houses and lined with giant ancient trees. Once you can overcome the challenge of finding a parking spot you find yourself inside a bright and diner-like restaurant with a gently curving bar with comfortable booths, retro style prints on the walls, a lot of hand drawn signage and menus posted throughout. The back wall is made up of huge glass doors and windows that allow the patrons to glimpse at the big brew tanks and fermenting tanks where their beer[/ezcol_1third_end]
[ezcol_1third]is made. The inside is nice. The inside, however, doesn’t hold a candle to the patio and the view of downtown.
The Patio
The patio is made from the same thick weathered boards that docks and piers are made of. A massive trellis stands over head giving shade to the tables and small serving station beneath it.[/ezcol_1third][ezcol_1third]We were lucky and went in the early afternoon but the tables and high tops were already quickly filling up. Beer people, dog people, and hungry people intermingled overlooking the absolutely gorgeous view of downtown. It was sunny so the view was perfect. We imagined the night crowd would be bigger and more rowdy as the skyline lit up. I longed to make myself a regular at this bar. Boylan Bridge was known for this view and patio, but we needed to check out their beers.
The Beers
On tap Boylan Bridge had a few guest beers but we focused on what they made in house. Jon opted for the Endless Summer Ale and I [/ezcol_1third][ezcol_1third_end]ordered up the Autumn Amber Ale. Strange as it sounded being spring and all, we dove in. Because Jon was still working his way into beer snobbery, the Endless Summer was more up his alley. It was an American Blonde style beer with a light golden color and a faint citrus smell and flavor.
“Jon was still working his way into beer snobbery”
For my choice, the Autumn Amber, came out with a thin white head and a dark amber color. It tasted sweet and of caramel. Both beers were good and not overly complicated. Time was short [/ezcol_1third_end][ezcol_2third class=”where-ate”]
Where We Ate
The Roast Grill is an amazing hole in the wall hot dog joint that only serves hot dogs and bottled soft drinks. This place has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food and is a hit among locals. Its small and hard to get in at times so come hungry and don’t worry you’ll be leaving happy.
[/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]according to the list that actually didn’t matter anymore so we tabbed out and left Boylan Bridge. I was sad to see it go. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local hot dog shop and then made our way to the last stop before leaving Raleigh. I had my heart set on visiting our next brewery while we were in the state capital so we popped Big Boss Brewing into the GPS and hit the road.[/ezcol_1third_end]
