I spent this past 4th of July in England which was a unique experience.  I sampled plenty of premium local English ales and munched on traditional pub grub.  Upon returning, I was going through pub withdrawls.  I figured that Ohio had to have a true English style pub somewhere.  My suspicions were confirmed by a quick Google search the lead me to “The Pub” in Rocky River, OH.

Taking a few steps into the pub, it was clear that this was a good rendition of the corner English pub I’ve grown to love.  There was a nice outdoor area and the interior was full of traditional English pub furninature.   It was a little to “clean” and “TGI Friays” to be called a true pub.  The table wasn’t sticky, the walls weren’t covered in 40 years of tobacco tar.  Still, it was the closest thing to a pub you will probably find in the Midwest.

The food was above average.  I enjoy the tradional Bangers and Mash while the wife ordered a cheese pizza (which I easily ate half of).

The beer selection was awesome.  A wide selection of traditional milds, bitters, and ESBs.  Here’s what I had:

Tasting Notes:

Brew Dog Dogma (Cask Ale Served from a Beer Engine!)

I’ve been wanting to try a Brew Dog beer ever since I heard of there was a new Scottish brewery making bold ales.  This was my first and I was lucky enough to have it served cask style from a true English beer engine in a 10oz sniffer glass.  Bold toffee aromas, deep malty and toffee flavors and a great alcohol warmth made this a memorbable brew.  I had two even.  Overall a great beer.

Fuller’s ESB (Draught)

Very cool to be able to enjoy this classic English stable ESB on draft in Ohio.  English hops dominate the aromas, the texture and body were the classic English style which is so hard to find Stateside.  Big malty flavors with a nice hoppy finish.  A classic worth having any day.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (Draught)

From Belhaven, a brewery I’ve visited in Scotland.  More complex than their standard Belhaven Ale, it had a great dark amber tone.  The aroma was deceiving; it hid the massive flavor that was experienced after taking the first sip.  True to the British Isle IPA, it was not an American “Hop Bomb”.  Subtle hoppiness was present but the true story was told in the deep amber malts.  Another winner.

Overall, I can’t recommend this pub enough for anyone who is looking for that true English pub feel and wants to enjoy real English and Scottish ales on tap.  I’m lucky to have this gem located just a 40 minutes from my house.  Not to mention the servers were all wearing pretty cute skirts (Sorry, no pics!).

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Brewpub Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.