what a lovely little find. my boyfriend and i were in the area doing some brewery tastings, and decided to make this one of our stops- i'm so glad we did.
we arrived around 4:30 on a saturday and this place was definitely crowded. when you enter, you'll wait in line (probably) to get to a register located at the bar. behind you is a chalkboard listing all the offerings for the day. you make your selections from there, pay first, and then head to your numbered table with your designated bobble head (cute touch). from there, the waitresses find you and deliver your order.
we waited not too long in line, and placed our order for 2 samplers- i got the black forest cake, cheek squeezer (sour blueberry), el chupacabra (mexican cinnamon) and happy! merry! dreid-ale (holiday seasonal). we took our bobble head and ended up at a table with a few others. we're happy to go communal, but we really prefer to sit at a bar top, when possible. wouldn't you know it, in just a few minutes two primo spots opened up. so my boyfriend and i moved to where we could have a front row seat for all the action.
now, the beers: they were all SO. GOOD. the black forest cake was my favorite- the smell was your classic dessert, and the flavor was somewhat less sweet and slightly bitter. it was perfectly balanced. the cinnamon flavor on the chupacabra can only be described as thick- there was no way you were going to miss it. the cheek squeezer was good and sour, without being overwhelming, and the dreid-ale reminded me very much of shiner bock's holiday cheer- wonderful warm citrus notes. my boyfriend got a maple ale that was really delicious, and you could actually taste the maple, unlike others we had tried.
in addition to the beer, throwback also has a full kitchen, and a menu that really runs the gamut, in terms of variety. needing to nosh on something (anything!) we got an order of the poutine, which was perfect. the fries were hot and crisp, the amount of cheese curds was definitely generous, and the gravy had great texture, though it was a bit on the sweet side. i asked for a side of ranch for dipping, which was obviously homemade, but also on the sweet side. it did however have a great herbaceous kick.
when we left at about 5:30 the place was beginning to become packed. looks like we hit the timing perfectly. we're not local, but we'll certainly return when we are in the area. i'd love to try more of both the beers, and the food. service was extremely efficient, polite, and friendly. read more