I'm kinda like an SNL Superfan when it comes to Half Acre. So to have them open a tap room and restaurant right behind my house has been about the coolest thing ever. And it's a beautiful space, airy and not too loud, with several different spaces within the main room you can choose from to sit for a minute or for hours, all framed by a conversation-worthy ceiling wood structure made in the brewery's in-house wood shop (!).
They have about 20 taps for their beer (no guest beers, that requires a different license I believe). A barrel-aged beer has been on every day since opening day two weeks ago, including Benthic, their amazing massive (13% abv) coconut stout, for a day. They've had their triple IPA on every day, I think. Then many taps of all the pale ale, lager, and IPA goodness you could want, from classic dry American pale ale styles to lactose and tart peach pale ale. Last week they introduced what I was told will be an all-year oatmeal stout, as well as a Balmoral brewery-only IPA (Young Cobra). You can drink here all day and night and never get bored. You can also come here every day they're open for just one pint (like I often do) and never get bored.
Dark Matter coffee is available hot or in cold brew cans, and there is usually a house soda (cucumber-lime-mint I think last week). I hear they'll have DMC on tap eventually.
The mostly new bar staff are simply awesome. If you were a regular at the Lincoln location, you'll like seeing Rog and Josh here at Balmoral, and often that very attractive bald Italian man. The new staff I've met, Bri and Travis and Kevin and Michelle and (another) Josh and some whose names I have yet to learn have all been great to me. Gotta say, Bri is especially cool.
The food menu aims to be less like bar food and more like real restaurant food. What I've tried has been very good. They make their own three kinds of bread (in the tap room, but not during open hours, though you can sit at the bar at the bread station and ogle the ovens). There's a duck liver pate, delicious roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and dry Italian cheese, intense sandwiches with porchetta or roast beef (share them...), salmon with harissa my wife adored, very tasty roasted (and cut up) chicken, even a bread pudding to go with your barrel-aged stout. Havent tried the ribs, lasagne, and a few other items. My only request? I, and especially my teenage son, would like to see Lincoln's brisket burrito carry over to Bowmanville. Its just so good, it deserves to be at both locations.
Worth pointing out that there's no hamburger on the food menu. So rebellious for Chicago! But with food this good instead, I dont miss it.
Finally, some intangibles...Half Acre has been a great neighbor for the few years they've been in this space until their public opening. All the blocks in the neighborhood get beer for our block parties, the brewery gives to all the local neighborhood organizations, they open up the big brewery space for voting, they're very intentional about having all the semi truck drivers stay off our residential streets, and they have a great plan for keeping cars and people away from our blocks. They're been packed for two weekends, but the only sign of it from my house were the small groups of beautiful people quietly walking toward the brewery, which made me and my wife chuckle. We haven't become Wrigleyville. And we won't.
I'm looking forward to when this space will be open a few more days a week. What a treasure the Bowmanville spot is for people who like good beer made by good people, with good food, in an elegant space. read more