I walked into Broad Street Brewing several weeks ago to check out the scene and grab some take-out beer after a visit to Sal's. I was disappointed to see they only had two of their flagship beers for takeout (Hey Yo NE IPA and Independence Lager) and no crowler canning machine for their tap list. They will fill your personal growler and the prices for their 16oz four packs were fair. $10 for their lager and $14 for their Hey Yo NE IPA. There are a lot of other breweries charging much higher prices and/or you're paying a flat amount for beers no matter what the style (which is ridiculous) .... I can understand a higher retail if it's a limited release or higher end brew.
I made it a point to return and sit down inside the brewery to take it all in. My life plans landed me there on a Sunday, unfortunately Sal's next door is closed on Sundays, so a food truck parked outside or Durham Deli across the street had to do.
The layout on the inside is inviting: picnic tables or bar seating are your options. They have board games to test your mind or keep your kids occupied and there were several TV's playing NFL games. The bartender was nice and a good conversation. He was very into their beers and gave great insight into: when they were tapped, what was coming down the pike and info/ingredients of current tapped brews. I didn't see much in the way of a menu with descriptions of each beer, but then again I didn't ask. I just looked at the tap list on their menu boards which noted the tap number (16 total), name of the beer, style, abv, price and the ounces of the pour. In my opinion the variety of beer styles they had would give any beer drinker several options to try.
I sampled a few different styles: Belgian IPA 7%, Winter Warmer 9.4% and their American Pilsner 5.8%. I found them to be average to slightly above average and served in proper glassware. You can get flights, a single 5oz pour or in a glass that ranged from 10-20 ounce pours. The prices were between $5-$7 for a 10-20 oz. pour.
The to-go cooler had four of their brews this time and also a second cooler had local Jericho Mountain Beef. You can buy several different styles of vacuum sealed meats that looked delicious.
They also serve wine, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages. The bathrooms were pretty big and clean. They welcomed a pretty big family with several kids so I'd say your safe to bring the fam!!
I'm a fan of Broad Street Brewing, I think their prices are more than fair, the staff was nice, their beers are average to above average and true to the style (from what I've tried) and the building itself was clean, open and inviting.
I enjoyed my experience there and will return (preferably during Sal's business hours!).
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