Before band practice, I'll meet my drummer at a sports bar/pub called Barclays off of College Avenue on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. Barclays is in a sub-basement, but it is not dark or cave-like. It has wide windows and a large front patio. Inside is a nice dark wood bar, and mirrors give the place an illusion of space. It has the accoutrements of a pub: beer signs, beer banners, dartboards, empty bottles running along a shelf. It also has several televisions, always turned to some game. When I was there last, it was pool and a basketball game on the tellys.
Besides the bartenders, they employ young, good-looking women as servers. They are polite and suffer through my beergeek questions: "So where is this brewery located?" At its very heart, this is a neighborhood pub, and the cliental are locals. This being Berkeley, the locals are white, affluent left-wingers. I'm usually there in the early evening, so the age rage is in the thirties to fifties. I'm sure when the night goes on, a younger crowd inhabits the place. Down the street is student housing for UC Berkeley, so I assume students come too, if they can afford the $5 beer. Since this place serves food, a lot of families come in too. If they allowed dogs inside, then it would be a true pub.
And they do offer a good selection. I like that they concentrate on local brews. Northern California has some of the best microbreweries in the country, so it makes sense to offer local beers. Plus, up the street is Alice Water's place, whose motto is 40 miles or less for food supply delivery, so why not put that philosophy towards beer? The also serve the beer in a large English pint glass for $5, so it's not a bad deal. They have beer coins, in which you can have a discount of you buy the tokens in bulk. The food is good too, much better then the usual pub grub, and they serve it in large amounts.
Funny thing is I don't really like this place. I don't watch sports, so the televisions are a distraction. The families make it more of a restaurant than a bar. They only serve beer, which is limiting. They have a faithful local following, and the insular attitude makes me feel like a stranger. Although they play music faintly in the background, there is no jukebox and no live music. They close at midnight, which is pretty lame for a college town bar. I appreciate their love of beer and food, but the cons outweigh the pros. But I'm sure the yuppie dads who live in the hills are happy to have some place they can bring the kids, while they enjoy a great brew. It's just not for me.
Besides the bartenders, they employ young, good-looking women as servers. They are polite and suffer through my beergeek questions: "So where is this brewery located?" At its very heart, this is a neighborhood pub, and the cliental are locals. This being Berkeley, the locals are white, affluent left-wingers. I'm usually there in the early evening, so the age rage is in the thirties to fifties. I'm sure when the night goes on, a younger crowd inhabits the place. Down the street is student housing for UC Berkeley, so I assume students come too, if they can afford the $5 beer. Since this place serves food, a lot of families come in too. If they allowed dogs inside, then it would be a true pub.
And they do offer a good selection. I like that they concentrate on local brews. Northern California has some of the best microbreweries in the country, so it makes sense to offer local beers. Plus, up the street is Alice Water's place, whose motto is 40 miles or less for food supply delivery, so why not put that philosophy towards beer? The also serve the beer in a large English pint glass for $5, so it's not a bad deal. They have beer coins, in which you can have a discount of you buy the tokens in bulk. The food is good too, much better then the usual pub grub, and they serve it in large amounts.
Funny thing is I don't really like this place. I don't watch sports, so the televisions are a distraction. The families make it more of a restaurant than a bar. They only serve beer, which is limiting. They have a faithful local following, and the insular attitude makes me feel like a stranger. Although they play music faintly in the background, there is no jukebox and no live music. They close at midnight, which is pretty lame for a college town bar. I appreciate their love of beer and food, but the cons outweigh the pros. But I'm sure the yuppie dads who live in the hills are happy to have some place they can bring the kids, while they enjoy a great brew. It's just not for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment